Federal Way's rhododendron garden has noticed how NW summer is affecting certain rhodys

What does Washington state have in common with Nepal, West Virginia, the Jiangxi province in China, and the Indian state of Sikkim?

All these places have chosen rhododendrons as their region's symbol. It's the provincial flower of Jiangxi and the national flower of Nepal. And it's the state tree of Sikkim. In Washington, the Pacific Rhododendron, aka Coast Rhododendron or Rhododendron macrophyllum, has been the state flower since the late 1800s (officially, since the 1950s).