Celebrating the Camellia

Blooming in winter and early spring when other flowers are still sleeping~ Camellias provide a punch of cheery & unexpected color when the landscape is barren.

So I’m celebrating the Camellia~ which satisfies my craving for flowers in the garden this time of year ~

The Gardener’s Prayer

O Lord, grant that in some way

it may rain every day,

Say from about midnight until three o’clock

in the morning,

But, You see, it must be gentle and warm

so that it can soak in;

Grant that at the same time it would not rain on

campion, alyssum, lavender, and others which

You in Your infinite wisdom know

are drought-loving plants-

I will write their names on a bit of paper

if you like-

And grant that the sun may shine

the whole day long,

But not everywhere (not, for instance, on the

spirea, plantain lily, and rhododendron)

and not too much;

That there may be plenty of dew and little wind,

enough worms, no aphids and snails, or mildew,

and that once a week liquid manure and guano

may fall from heaven.

Amen.

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

Mosaic Monday~

Outdoor Wednesday~

Alphabe-Thursday~

Fresh-Cut Fridays~

 Seasonal Sundays~

  32 comments for “Celebrating the Camellia

  1. Happier Than A Pig in Mud
    February 25, 2012 at 6:14 am

    They’re beautiful Mary! So nice to see such vibrant color this time of year-enjoy:@)

  2. February 25, 2012 at 6:49 am

    Such gorgeous color…I think I have lipstick in that shade!
    As a rule, I don’t think camellias will live through our Ohio winters, although I’ve read that cold hardy camellias are now available, I should look for some, as I love yours!

  3. February 25, 2012 at 7:53 am

    Your photographs of the camellias are gorgeous. I am planning to plant a bush soon as I must have some of these flowers!

  4. February 25, 2012 at 8:55 am

    So pretty, but your prayer cracks me up! Love them floating in water, you’re making me head out now to see what mine are up to!

    • February 25, 2012 at 10:21 am

      Hopefully the liquid manure and guano falling from heaven is from midnight to 3 am too :)

  5. Marilyn
    February 25, 2012 at 10:08 am

    So pretty. We had comellias when we lived in San Diego but here at 4,000 feet in the Sierra’s it is to cold for them. Thank you so much for sharing.

  6. Pondside
    February 25, 2012 at 11:37 am

    The camellias are just starting to show some colour in their buds here, but one or two warm days will have them in bloom. The Gardener’s Prayer is just great and will, doubtless, be printed out and sent far and wide!

  7. February 25, 2012 at 11:39 am

    Very wonderful prayer! I love your beautiful camellia photos. I love camellias! I used to live in Temple City, California where I believe almost every home has a camellia bush. In fact, they are so loved there that they have a camellia festival every year. There is a parade and everything is camellias. So pretty.

  8. February 25, 2012 at 11:40 am

    Mary, I adore camellias. They delight when they bloom and the green foliage throughout the year provide beautiful structure and bones to my garden! I have close to 25 camellias of different varieties.

    I love the blossoms floating in the bird bath! Once I went to a tour of homes and they floated camellias and floating candles in the bathtub. Your mosaics are delightful. Enjoyed your poem also. Gave me a chuckle!

  9. February 25, 2012 at 12:08 pm

    I have seen camellias blooming in gardens down in the village this week, they always make spring seem just around the corner, don’t they.
    The Gardeners Poem is delightful!

  10. February 25, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    Your camellias are gorgeous and are so pretty floating. The Gardener’s Prayer gave me such a giggle. I’ve never seen it before. Giggle. LOVE it!!

  11. February 25, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Your camellia pictures are beautiful. I adore The Gardener’s Prayer and I certainly hope the liquid manure and guano only falls from the sky between midnight and 3am!!! Take shelter! I understand your area has had some heavy rain and wind the last few days. I hope you camellias are still blooming beautifully. Have a wonderful weekend.

  12. February 25, 2012 at 2:44 pm

    I so want a camellia bush again. I must plant one! Yours are gorgeous and the Gardener’s Prayer is one that belongs in all gardens. ;-)
    Hope your weekend is filled with sunshine and blue skies. ~ Sarah

  13. February 25, 2012 at 2:51 pm

    Gorgeous! I have never grown camelias. In fact I don’t think I’ve seen them offered in this area (Zone 6B), but come spring I’m going to hunt them down. What a beautiful flower!

  14. February 25, 2012 at 4:38 pm

    I had lovely camellia bushes when I lived in SC. They will grow here (Hawai’i) and bloom at any time of year (not just in winter) but they don’t seem as spectacular for some reason…
    Love your photos. You make even the spent ones look good!
    The prayer is a hoot!

  15. February 25, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    Oh, it will be a long time until we see camellias. Yours are lovely. Thanks for being such a wonderful contributor to Seasonal Sundays.

    – The Tablescaper

  16. February 25, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    Hi again Mary! I have seen these camellias on blogs and I am in love with the color of yours! I don’t think we have them up here in New England! I’ll be on the lookout for some. Linda

  17. February 26, 2012 at 9:49 am

    How pretty! I love camellias. They are our state flower here in Alabama.

    I have been looking for a pansy ring to display a few of our camellias, but I have had no luck find ing one.

    xo,
    Ricki Jill

  18. February 26, 2012 at 11:02 am

    I love camellias! Have you ever had the opportunity to visit Massee Lane Gardens in February? It’s where the headquarters of the camellia society is located and their camellia garden is amazing. The also sell camellias during February. Keep blooming!!!

  19. February 26, 2012 at 1:32 pm

    They are beautiful, I took some photos today of our bush with very sad looking leaves and buds damaged by the extreme cold, not sure they will recover in time to flower this season.

  20. February 26, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    I LOVE the gardener’s prayer! The camelia’s are SO beautiful. I will have to look into whether I could plant one here. I doubt it though. The color is amazing! XO, Pinky PS, keep signing up to receive new posts but don’t get them???? Not sure why…….

  21. February 26, 2012 at 4:34 pm

    Beautiful! Always such fun to have flowers blooming in wintertime, and camellias are such dependable and prolific bloomers.

  22. February 27, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Gorgeous! My last post was on camellias, though in NY they are only in greenhouses this time of year!

  23. February 29, 2012 at 1:25 am

    I really liked the photos which have camellias and words in the background. Neato!
    Joyce M

  24. February 29, 2012 at 9:41 pm

    ahhh… what is it about camellias that is just so beautiful?
    Jeanni

  25. March 1, 2012 at 4:01 am

    lovely camelias… putting the flowers on water made them more adorable as centerpieces…

    -r1-

  26. March 1, 2012 at 11:38 pm

    I love camelias..we can’t grow them in Oklahoma…but enjoyed them when I lived down south and in California…gorgeous flower!
    Miss Bloomers

  27. March 2, 2012 at 3:50 am

    Hello, My name is Sharon Turner & I have a Pin-Board on Pinterest by the name of “Tablescapes,” My reason for this comment is to apologize to you for adding one of your photos to my “Tablescapes” Board without your permission. I will remove it immediately, if you let me know how and I, now, would like very much to receive your permission to pin your tablescapes to my board. Again, I apologize for not asking your permission in the first place, I’m pretty new at this, and had no idea that it was a “no-no.” I’m 65 yrs old and am teaching myself to type and this Pinterest has been so much fun. I hope to be able to use it for a while yet. I just found out that I’m losing my eyesight – thank goodness for this spelling-check, and the audio playback to me, or it would be just like looking at a magazine. Ever since I broke my back, I have to stay in bed – do you have any idea how boring being in bed 24/7 is? That is why I fell in live with Pinterest when my sister wrote me and told me to try it. It is good company, I can tell you that. Before I retired from the Army, I was a researcher/investigator and I loved it – really stimulated the brain, you know? I’ve been retired since 1985 & until Pinterest I wasn’t stimulated at all. Well, almost midnight, better get some sleep so I can see what has been put on the boards overnight. Sharon Turner

    • March 2, 2012 at 7:57 am

      Pin Away Sharon! I just prefer my photos not end up on other websites without permission. I’m sorry to hear about your back~ I hope pinning brings you many hours of enjoyment. I know I can lose myself there an hour or two everyday :)

  28. Liz
    March 2, 2012 at 11:04 am

    I LOVE that garden plaque! How awesome is that! As usual, your photos are always amazing! :) Thank you so much for sharing them on Fresh-Cut Friday! I so glad you did!

    Enjoy your weekend!
    ~Liz

  29. March 2, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    Hi Mary,

    What a sweet Gardener’s Prayer — love the gentle humor. I’ve never seen that one before.

    Your Camellias are lovely! It makes me miss the Camellia bush we had at our home in Greensboro many years ago. Thanks for sharing.

    Denise

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