Azalea enthusiasts upset with National Arboretum

A  plan to cut down thousands of mature shrubs at the National Arboretum has ignited a blogosphere firestorm of dismay and rage from azalea lovers who flock to the federally owned botanical garden each spring, according to a story in The Washington Post.

 

The reaction has given Ramon Jordan, the arboretum's interim director, pause, though plans are still in the works to take out as many as 10,000 mature azaleas if Jordan cannot replace the loss of an annual grant.

 

"I have 97 e-mails I just replied to personally," Jordan said. "The outpouring is awesome."

 

He said he will reevaluate his decision and try to find temporary funding to delay the uprooting. "The bottom line is, we need sustained funding," he said.

 

Read the rest of the story here.