Tickled pink
Nepal's national flower, the rhododendron, lights up the slopes around Kathmandu in a riot of colour. Jane Ram visits a country in full bloom.
The anticipation heightens with every jolt over the holes and loose stones of the rough track that winds up Phulchoki, one of the lesser Nepalese Himalayan peaks to the south of Kathmandu. The four-wheel drive grinds around yet another bend and, well, there is little need to ask the driver to stop. As he turns off the engine, he grins at us: he knows we won't be wanting to leave this place for some time.
Before us, thousands, if not millions, of freshly fallen rhododendron petals form a carpet redder than anything rolled out for the Oscars. Blossoms still on the tree vie for attention, etched in crimson against distant peaks and a deep blue sky. At this altitude, rhododendron trees soar to 15 metres or more, standing proud above dense forest that spreads as far as the eye can see in all directions. In the distance, flowers show up as dazzling spots of colour against the dark green foliage.
Such visual riches are almost taken for granted in Nepal, a veritable wonderland of dramatic sights - both natural and man-made.
The country rises from close to sea level, in the tropical grasslands of the Terai, to a majestic 29,000 feet, at the summit of Everest, creating hundreds of micro-climates that support a staggering diversity of flora. Nepal was the source of many plants and flowers in gardens the world over. Wild orchids bloom abundantly on trees and cliffs while tiny gentians and violets create fine tapestries underfoot.
No matter how beautiful these smaller blooms might be, though, nothing can measure up to the rhododendron - Nepal's national flower - at its best.
An enthusiast could feasibly spend five months each year in pursuit of the rhododendron in the country. From one to the other, the flowers open in succession, as the altitude becomes greater. A few bloom in Kathmandu early in the year, but those trees are puny compared with those that grow higher up. Phulchoki, in Kathmandu's Godavari district, might see its first rhododendron flowers as early as February, but the optimum time is usually mid-March. The last of the season are generally found in June, but you'd have to trek for several days to reach them.
