@canada

On the weekend I spotted a flash of these rhododendrons from the road and was compelled to investigate. What I found was so incredible that I literally galloped about out of delight. I had stepped out of modern-day Vancouver into a castle garden. One solitary rhododendron blossom is pretty. An entire bush of their blossoms grants a joy like seeing an old friend. But fill a grove with these bushes and it’s so magical your heart hurts. Sprinkle these groves all over the city, and now you’ve got the best place to be in the world this week. Everywhere I turn, the sidewalks are adorned in candy colours, the pavement carpeted in soft petals of a rainbow between pastels and fluorescents. We are living in a movie. When I’m inside the cave-like embrace of a rhododendron bush, it whispers safety to me. It promises me a plan B, that if I ever was in need of a place to sleep in spring, I would be protected within the walls of a rhododendron. Each bloom would act as a charm to ward off the dangers outside until I was ready to emerge, sticky with bud casings and drunk on perfume. Photos and words by @aquietwild #CANADA