A neighbor’s magnolia is flowering, but our garden down the hill is a bit colder and more shaded, so ‘Merrill’ (below) and ‘Royal Star’ are several days behind. I don’t mind, several chilly nights are on the way. There’s nothing worse than newly opened flowers ruined by a freeze. In the next week, the two magnolias will flower, followed closely by several others. Hopefully, in slightly milder temperatures.

The early Japanese andromedas (Pieris japonica) have been flowering for several days. The compact growing ‘Cavatine’ will follow in a few weeks, and one that is long established in the front has turned brown. These have been through much colder temperatures than we experienced this winter, though we entered an extended period of cold after months of drought. There are green branches at the bottom, so it’s not dead, but it appears that a large portion will be lost.

The best of the andromedas in this garden is the tall ‘Dorothy Wycoff’ (above) at the corner of the garage. Years ago, I planted a collection of the most common varieties to evaluate their tolerance of summer heat and poorly drained clay soil. A few beauties were clearly intolerant, failing in a few years, while ‘Dorothy Wycoff’, ‘Katsura’ (below), and ‘Cavatine’ thrived.

For folks concerned about such things, with occasional pruning ‘Dorothy’ could have been maintained much lower than its ten foot height. I have no interest in such chores except when pruning must be done to avoid obstructing a pathway. When branches droop a bit after a rain I must lean to get past, but otherwise I walk under the tall evergreen except on a sunny, warm early spring afternoon when the bees are buzzing. They seem defensive of their nectar sources in the early season, so another route to the rear garden is best.

A variegated andromeda (Pieris japonica ‘Variegata’, above) has nearly completed a reversion to green in the side garden while a second remains variegated, though it rarely flowers in close proximity to ‘Dorothy’. A large ‘Brouwer’s Beauty’ has only scattered flowers in recent years in evergreen shade beneath a Japanese Umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticillata). I once considered it nearly the equal of ‘Dorothy Wycoff’, and despite its meager flowering it is a fine, if uncommon andromeda.

In the rear garden, ‘Temple Bells’ (Pieris ryukyuensis ‘Temple Bells’, above) tolerates excessive shade beneath a Golden Full Moon Japanese maple (Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’). Its flowering has become more scattered as the maple increased in size. Curiously, this was sold to me as a small Craibiodendron yunnanense, similar in appearance to Pieris until it grows past ten feet in height. I was suspicious of the misidentification once I planted it, and the nursery quickly followed up to correct the error. I’m happy to have this andromeda that thrives in a difficult circumstance.