It's December, and the Camellias are in full bloom.
They come in a variety of pink, red, and white and provide food for the bees and other pollinators during these winter months. Though beautiful, it does sometimes seem strange to see bushes loaded with pink blooms this time of year.
My favorite thing about camellia bushes is the way the ground underneath becomes strewn with flower petals. The camellia bushes look like they are sitting on a soft petaled carpet.
I don't have any camellias in the Red House Garden, but since there is nothing blooming here I thought I'd show pictures of these local camellia blooms.
What?! Did she just call us NOTHING?! I like that, here we are blooming our little heads off, and she calls us NOTHING?
Oh, sorry, apparently I do have pansies blooming here.
That's right! You even have some blooming right up front. Don't you ever walk around your garden anymore?
Uh, well, I've been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas and all...
And neglecting your garden! Haven't you even noticed us miniature hollyhocks?! It's our first little blooms, too!
Sorry, hollyhocks, you are very beautiful! I wasn't really expecting that you would bloom this year... you arrived at the garden so late in the year.
Hey, what about us?
Who?
The clematis!
You guys are still blooming?!!
Yep!
Bill MacKenzie Clematis and Jackmanii Clematis, at your service!
Jackmanii, you're still in bloom?! How many months have you been going?! And how in the world do you still have more buds when all your leaves have been dying off for the winter?
Oh well, sacrifices have to be made. Why use up energy to maintain leaves when you can spend it on blooms? Ignore those leaves and focus on the pretty flowers!
Hey, do you think you guys could bloom until late February or March when my spring blooming clematis take over? Then I could have clematis blooms year round!
Uh, don't push your luck.
Sorry. I was getting excited.
And sorry, garden, for neglecting you quite a lot lately. After the holidays, I promise!
Who would have guessed there would be so many blooms among the brown of winter?
