23 February 2010

Camellia season in the south


Camellia Garden, Charleston, S.C.

It's camellia season in the lowcountry. What a treat it is to have this splash of color on the evergreen bushes in the winter. There are over 1,000 varieties of camellias with shades of pinks, reds and white. I love the rusty edged pile of fallen petals that lay under the bushes as much as the rare perfect flowers.

A hospital donor (the Molony family) bought this garden of camellias for us. Can you imagine? What a perfect gift for a hospital. I took a detour this morning in the fog to see if they were in bloom and took these pictures.

I invited my tenants and my son to dinner tomorrow night and now I have to see if I remember how to cook. I have a giant pot of chicken and sausage gumbo simmering.

6 comments:

Catalyst said...

Ohhhhh, camellias! How beautiful. And how rare here.

Not to mention the chicken and sausage gumbo! If you hear an unexpected knock on the door, LET ME IN!

Charlestonjoan said...

Please do come. I went overboard wwith the recipe. We need mouths to feed.

Judy said...

Beautiful, and so soon after all the snow! I'm glad they didn't freeze.

Ma' said...

One of the many wonderful things about living in Charleston--the camellias have been gorgeous this year! Thanks for capturing some of them for all of us to enjoy.

Charlestonjoan said...

Jarat - Me too!

Ma' - They are going to have a grand opening for the garden in the spring so please come. Meanwhile anyone can enjoy it at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital West Ashley.

Marcheline said...

Egads... breathtaking!