My eyes! My eyes!

I can tell every year when spring is well underway; the populous areas of Washington Parish turn a screaming, bilious hot pink.

Azaleas. They're everywhere. The South is overloaded with 'em, along with crape myrtle (more pink!) and Loropetalum (even more pink!). I won't get into those dang Bradford or Callery pears, which should all be torn out (they're invasive). Thank goodness they aren't pink, y'know?

We have many charming native shrubs which are waaaay underused.

If you've gotta go with azaleas, choose native cultivars. They are a shy but lovely ballerina next to the big, blowsy hot pink things that hurt my eyes. And they're often fragrant.

MSU Extension Service published a nice page with pics detailing 30 native shrubs for your landscape. Some are fragrant; many provide wildlife food.

And they don't hurt my eyes ;-).

Coming soon: A rant on invasive plants.