Every month of the growing season has a signature flower or two, and early July is notable for the debut of the Rhode Show: the blossoming of the wild rhododendrons. Most of the cultivated varieties among this cosmopolitan group of broad-leaved evergreens bloom in May and June, but the native Great or Rosebay Laurel, a.k.a. Rhododendron maximum, waits until now to begin putting on a display that will easily lure an observer into the woods and Cedar swamps where the close-to-tree-sized plants hold court. This still-tight collection of Rhodie flowers is not too far from my house and it's on a particular R. maximum I always watch as a sign that the impending display is about to start. I wonder if the show will be as good as it has been the past couple of years. I will soon point my boots in the right direction and find out.