There are so many amazing wildflowers to enjoy in the Smokies! As long as you take care of these things, your plant is going to grow and reward you with beautiful blooms for several months! They also have a variety of different cultivar names as well. You will want to make sure that you provide a high-quality liquid fertilizer and add it after every few weeks to the plant. For the best views, take a low-elevation hike by the end of June and a hike at higher elevations in July. The park is famous for its displays mountain laurel, rhododendron and flame azaleas. Rosebay's big clumps of whitish flowers appear in June at lower elevations and from July into August at middle altitudes. When they bloom, beautiful pink and white blankets of color awash as far as the eye can see. The best thing about these blooms is that they can actually last quite long. Known for its biological diversity, the region is home to an estimated 12,000 species of flowers. However, the peak wildflower season is mid-to-late April when the spring ephemerals make their appearance. To avoid that, make sure you add a bit of peat moss or vermiculite into the mix as well. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. Heres our guide to the pros and cons of visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park in every season. Following the Trails of Appalachian Living. The main source of these colors are the vast quantities of rhododendrons that cover the landscape. At a Glance General Information If youre out walking with your dog, just make sure they dont decide mountain laurel looks good to eat as it is toxic to many animals (people included!). (Heres What to Expect). See Roan Mountain State Park. It takes a little effort to get there, but will be well worth the trek. People have also reported some nice viewing on the Rich Mountain Loop and the Roaring Fork Motor Trail. Ultimately, what this means is that the flowering period is susceptible to change from one year to another. The length of the blooming period also plays an important role, especially if you have several varieties of the rhododendron planted in your garden. The blooms usually peak around the third week of June. Rosebay rhododendron is in bloom at the lower elevations in June and at mid-elevations during July. Rhododendrons bloom in June and early July, and mountain laurel in May-June. Before you go: Now is the perfect time to start tracking your gardening progress, and I created a garden journal to do exactly that. I have seen people report that if you want to drive by a nice mix of both Catawba and Rosebays, you can drive on Newfound Gap Road from the Sugarlands Visitors Center to Oconaluftee Visitors Center. Like most other plants, the rhododendron also blooms during the springtime. The rhododendron is one of the most beautiful and commonly grown plants in the world. They begin blooming in early June at elevations above 3,500 feet and will continue to reach their peak at higher elevations as the month wears on. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The rhododendrons had an excellent bud set during the summer of 1996, and R. maximum was in peak bloom when we made our excursion to Gregory on July 10th. Needless to say, when you visit, you'll be getting the best Tennessee has to offer. Click into your cross-country skis and take in the breathtaking views from the top of Clingmans Dome. The flowers bloom en masse every mid-June, leaving the mountain . Together they cover thousands of acres in the national park. On Gregory Bald the colorful display peaks in late June or early July. Tennessee's Roan Mountain State Park recently won the 2016 Park of the Year for how well the staff manages the park. In early April, the southern end of the Parkway is ablaze with brilliant hues. It's also the time of year when some famous flowering shrubs native to the Smokies begin to bloom. It is spelled "Smoky Mountains" The term Smokey is a slang term for a police officer, because Smokey the Bear wears a trooper hat.) Catawbas leaves are thick, shiny, and evergreen, much like those of rosebay rhododendron. The tallest Purple Rhododendron in the nation grows in the Smoky Mountains at a height of 25 feet! The purpose of the Society is to encourage interest in and to disseminate knowledge about rhododendrons and azaleas. 107 Park Headquarters Road There are perks to visiting in the warmer months, but if you can avoid the crowds and heat of the summer months, wed suggest it. Your email address will not be . Mountain laurel blooms in early May through June, according to the park. Full of expansive views, gorgeous trees and flowers, great hiking, plentiful history and abundant wildlife, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a must to add to your East Coast bucket list. Temperatures and other weather conditions can trigger an early season or a late season, while different rhododendron species typically blossom at different times. The North Carolina Rhododendron Festival is celebrated in the small downtown and creekside park (pic above) in Bakersville. Click the image below to see it in action and to get your own copy. The Great Smoky Mountains are truly a sight to behold. You can find them on dry, steep banks in elevations between 1,500 and 2,500 feet. , Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users. It's FULL BLOOM everywhere, especially on the Rainbow Falls trail to LeConte. And if you are a wildflower enthusiast, please join my Smoky Mountains Wildflowers Community page on Facebook. When Do Rhododendrons Bloom? The lovely pink and white flowers of mountain laurel bloom in early May through June. Catawba Rhododendrons are native to the eastern United States and grow mainly in the southern Appalachian Mountains, beginning in southern Virginia down through northern Alabama. In summer the display continues with brilliant red cardinal flowers, pink turtleheads, Turks cap lily, small purple-fringed orchids, bee-balm, butterfly-weed, black-eyed susans, jewel weed, and many others. Home When Do Rhododendrons Bloom? Go Auto Touring on Historic Park Roads. Too early, and youll find no flowers. BLOOMING UPDATE: Dogwood trees are already coming into bloom in the Great Smoky Mountains. Another perk of visiting in the spring is watching . They are a fairly large shrub and can grow to their maximum potential, almost tree sized, in the Appalachians. The blooms then start popping out in South Carolina and into North Carolina, following the Blue Ridge Parkway into Virginia. It can be found from the south of Maine down to northern Florida, and as far west as Indiana and Louisiana. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. They are one of the most popular blooms to see in the park. When blooming they produce beautiful white flowers. Azaleas bloom in pink, red, orange, yellow, white, purple, and lavender. There are certain types of rhododendrons that are able to survive in temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees F. There are only a few other flowering plants that are able to survive in temperatures this low, and come out and bloom the next year as the seasons begin to change. Craggy Gardens. But, this is a general estimate, and you need to understand that not all varieties of the rhododendron will bloom in spring. While every month of the year has both pros and cons, we have two favorite times to visit the park: spring and fall. These months in the park see some of the highest amounts of precipitation, meaning trails are often muddy. Its flowers are an interesting roundish cup shape. Catawba is the rhododendron of the Smokies high mountains. When do rhododendrons bloom in North Carolina? When blooming, they have bright pinkish-purple flowers. Happy planting! Nights are mild, making it a great time of year to tent-camp or backpack. The further south you get and the lower in altitude, the earlier the flowers bloom. The second most popular location to view the Flame Azaleas is to hike the Andrews Bald in late June. Closer to the ground on shrubs, the small, bight yellow blossoms of spicebush begin to bloom in February and are soon joined by sweetshrub, dog-hobble, and flame azalea. These are just a few things that you should keep in mind when it comes to caring for the rhododendrons and making them grow properly while extending their blooming period as well. Mountain Laurel blooms in the Smokies from May through early June. Search out clumps of them in the park and take some pictures, use them as a backdrop for your family portraits or maybe even plop down and have a picnic at the side of a stream near a rhododendron in full bloom. Others say the name comes from Daniel Boone's roan horse, because he and his horse were frequent visitors. If youre willing to brave the cold, volatile weather and road closures though, youll find uncrowded trails and a magical wonderland when the snow falls. It is unclear what causes these big bloom years or when they will happen. You will have to make sure that you provide some frost protection, and when you do that, you will notice that the bloom period will be slightly extended. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. When blooming they produce beautiful white flowers. WildlifeInformer.com is your #1 source for free information about all types of wildlife and exotic pets. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips shes gained over the years. rhododendron, (genus Rhododendron), diverse genus of about 1,000 species of woody flowering plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), notable for their attractive flowers and handsome foliage. The plant can generally be found virtually all over the continent of America, and is also popular in many parts of Europe as well as Asia. The first flowers typically appear in late March in northern Georgia, from Atlanta to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. July is historically the park's most crowded month, with June not too far behind. In colder climates, the same can occur between the months of April and May. While the plants are hardy, do your research to make sure you live in a region favorable to these plants. Your online resource for the Smoky Mountains. The Cataloochee and Cades Cove areas of the park are ideal if youre hoping to spot some serious cuteness. The blooming rhododendrons are gorgeous to see, but you might also want to take a short hike to the observation deck at Roan High Bluff. In the mountains of central Pennsylvania, rhododendron usually bloom in late June and early July. Great Smoky Mountains Association 2010.Catawba Rhododendrons, a favorite flowering shrub of park visitors, are blooming right now in the Great Smoky Mounta. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Many garden shops throughout the mountains have rhododendron varieties for sale. Throughout late May and June (low elevations bloom first), the quintessential Carolina shrub bursts with brilliant color, decorating trails and covering hilly bluffs with their huge blooms. It could cause issues such as fungus gnats or worse, root rot, and you will notice the flowers drooping as well. See Roan Mountain State Park. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Spring Ephemerals Are The Big Kahuna of Smoky Mountains Wildflowers. Over 1600 species of flowering plants live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is why it's sometimes called the "Wildflower National Park." With the spring season approaching, what could be better than a weekend getaway to see one of the world's most mesmerizing floral regions in all its full bloom splendor. It does not store any personal data. However this hike is still very popular during the peak blooming period. Many popular park roads also close in the winter, including the road to Clingmans Dome and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.