Mountain Laurel Time
As mid-May approaches, the Mountain Laurel begins to bloom. I found these new blossoms near the entrance gatehouse to Queen’s Gap, an abandoned golf developement about five miles east of my house.
Until you see these small flowers up close, you can’t appreciate their complexity.
The gatehouse has an almost Oriental design, and could make a rather stylish cottage for some enterprising buyer.
Petunias grow wild around the property, leftovers from long neglected landscaping.
The Mountain Laurel blankets the surrounding woods.
Once again…wow! Is the gate house for sale?
I assume it can be bought. The bankruptcy was a year ago. I don’t know what is happening to the large property today. Looks interesting…..
Whomever has been caring for the abandoned gatehouse flowers has done a pristine job! Thanks for bring some Blueridge Springtime to south florida.
Beautiful !
I imagine the Wild Flowers will reappear for several more years after they were first planted even without a Gardener watching over them. As long as there is water. Youve had alot of rain there this spring Right ? My new email is wlfgenealogy@yahoo.com
Bill, the rain has surely helped, but these mountains have a way of saving up water, and releasing it very slowly so that everything can remain alive and green.
I agree on hoilding the water ! The water being forced up to higher evevations thru the rockhas always amazed me.
Water always seeks the lowest level, but the way these mountains are crinkled up like tissue paper, they channel water in amazing ways. If you were to flaten the NC mountains, they would cover an area five times their original space. When you get an inch of rain here, it stays around for days…. My well is 180 feet deep, driven through solid granite to one of the many underground streams. The clarity and purity is remarkable.
Reblogged this on Living in The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina- A Blog and commented:
As the Mountain Laurel blooms again, I thought it might be a good time to re-post this piece from three years ago. The Laurel seems to be a week late this year. The gate at Queen’s Gap is still boarded up, and the elements are taking their toll on the wooden structure. Such a shame.