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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Clashing Azaleas


The trio of azaleas came with the house. They grow in a bed that looks as if it was planted in the dark by a color blind person. The orange-red azalea reminds me of acrylic yarn from the 1970s. It merges with its magenta-pink neighbor into an unfortunate stomach-churning palette. The third azalea, plain white, looks out of place and slightly embarrassed. Color combinations go in and out of fashion. In the 1960s pink and orange looked shocking at first, then quickly came to represent youth and energy. The disco era brought florescent colors. Now people think nothing of wearing turquoise with orange or purple with chartreuse. Those azaleas will always irritate me, but they are so healthy. My plan this year is to encourage those bright green weeds.