A fellow blogger has a flower on her blog as her ID pic... to me the tiny thumbnail looked like one of my camellias. Bi-color camellias do not have a set pattern, so I knew that would vary.
This is Aunt Alice which is in bloom now. Camellias, especially old stock, large bushes, add greatly to a property's value. I have known folks who bought houses and tore them down but kept the camellias on the land... reconfigured their plans for their new house to fit with the existing camellias. Camellias are among the easiest plants to care for. Many of mine are over 10 feet tall now. If you have followed my blog for any time, you will have seen loads of camellias.There were no camellias - or any other flowers for that matter - on this property when I bought it. Mostly it was covered with huge pine trees that I lost about 10 years ago with an infestation of pine bark beetle. Many of my friends gave me camellias as house warming gifts. What treasures! I brought a few little ones from my previous house, and a couple azaleas. Then, for years, friends gave me bulbs or plants for Xmas or birthdays or just because. Today, many of those friends are no longer here, but their memory lives on as their love blooms in their season. As I walk by, I greet each one by its name and the name of the person who gave it to me and I am reminded of their love. How great is that? I bought Aunt Alice, first because of its beauty, but second because I had an Aunt Alice. I love her dearly. So, how could I resist?
I hope you have enjoyed Aunt Alice with me.
If you have a camellia, never, ever cut it down. Legend is, cutting down a camellia brings bad luck.
4 comments:
I think I might have planted, maybe two, and lost them both. My neighbor across the road has old camellias growing at the corners of her house. My grandmother had them on the north side of her house. I think they are pretty. I have no camellias. So I will enjoy looking at yours.
The Aunt Alice is a beauty too as all those you have shown. I'm still "shocked" that camellias bloom in wintertime. Yet with the temps moderate here, I have Tansy blooming for several weeks now and today appears that I ought to be preparing seed trays and yardwork. Sun is gorgeous this morning, promising a day to fling open doors and windows; spend the day admiring the cardinals coming in for peanut butter and scratchfeed.Only thing missing is the smell of spring and a friend to share with.
The few I have grow like weeds. They keep putting up new shoots and spreading.
What a nice way to remember those special folks.
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