Unity woman's rhododendrons envelop part of house

When the flowers bloom at Jo Ann Hemminger’s home in Unity Township, it’s quite a show.

“We say every year we’re going to cut them down, and then I just think ‘oh, no, not this year,’” said Hemminger, pointing to the massive stand of rhododendrons that covers one side of her house. From the western side, the only part of the home that’s visible is the chimney, peeking out over the top of the gigantic flowering shrubs.

Hemminger, 72, moved to Unity in 1968 and, in 1970, she planted a few rhododendron bushes, but they weren’t thriving.

“I went to King’s Nursery and asked what I should feed them, and they really took off,” she said. “God feeds them now. I do almost nothing to them.”

Rhododendrons have no ultimate size. Without any pruning, they can continue growing indefinitely at a rate of up to 23 inches per year for the most vigorous types. In Scotland, where the plant is not native, invasive rhododendrons have taken over more than 2 million acres of land, prompting an eradication program that cost nearly $10 million in 2017, according to the British Ecological Society.

Perhaps because much of the Hemmingers’ house is covered by foliage, Jo Ann and her husband, Ralph, often sit in the yard and watch scores of wildlife.

“We love nature,” she said. “We have tons of animals: turkeys, crows, deer, raccoons. I could throw just about any kind of food out and it’ll be gone in 15 minutes.”

Having tried unsuccessfully several times to start a vegetable garden, Hemminger turned to flora.

“I can’t grow vegetables, so I figured I might as well grow something,” she said.