The Gardens are named for the beds of Catawba rhododendron that cover the area. June and July are the months to visit this spectacular showplace of flora and other late-blooming wildflowers. Long after the blooms have been spent on the lower elevations, the violets, blackberry, May apple, and Turkscap lily come into their own in this high-altitude portion of the Parkway. This heath bald is only one of many throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains. “Heath” refers to the heath family, which includes rhododendron, mountain laurel, azaleas and blueberries; “bald” refers to the bald appearance of the mountaintop, which is in reality covered with grasses or mountain shrubbery.