Camellia is one of my favourite broadleaf evergreens. It blooms early, then works hard as background support the other 3 seasons. Several birds make themselves at home in the camellia in our courtyard – – AND the shrub is deer resistant! That’s my kind of plant. 🙂
A few years ago, I spotted a hedge of camellia in downtown Victoria, beside London Drugs. They were almost finished blooming in mid-December! I have no idea how early they’d started… November? October??
Who’d have expected blooms in autumn?
Not long after that, KC gifted me with a fall-blooming camellia. It starts blooming before Christmas and has even more flowers through January!
Yeah, Baby!
Once I knew it was possible to have blooms so early in the year, I kept an eye out for even more samples around town:
It was delightful to find another variety of camellia starting to bloom in mid-February sunshine near the BC Legislature.
Just a month later, in March, I notice these camellia blooming in a yard not far from the YM-YWCA downtown.
A block or so away from our place is a camellia that flowers through April.
Then there is the camellia in our courtyard typically begins blooming in April & is in full blossom in May.
Autumn… winter… spring…
Who knew there are so many cultivars with differing blooming schedules?
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© SVSeekins and Garden Variety Life, 2014
Garden Variety Life 