Garden Friday

It's Garden Friday!

Although things have slowed to a crawl in the veggie beds,

I discovered something so amazing, 

I just had to share!

This is a camelia bush that was here when we bought the property.

It stands alone on the north facade of the house,

which is our wooded backyard.

It barely gets noticed,

unless I'm making a trip to the compost bin.

 Well, this week it grabbed my attention.

It's mid-January, c-o-o-o-o-l-d out there,

and lookee what I found.

After asking a friend about the habits of these plants,

(she has several on her property),

I was told that some varieties usually bloom around Christmas.

Well, this gal is definitely strutting her stuff!

 With so many deciduous trees and dormant plants around us,

I never expected to see this beauty take off.

This shrub enjoys part shade and protection from cold winds

back behind the house.

Camelias prefer slightly acidic soil,

and appreciate a layer of mulch to retain moisture.

Goodness knows, 

there is enough leaf debris back there,

to keep it insulated.

I don't think I have ever purposely watered this plant,

so they must be fairly self-sufficient.

 With more blossoms on the way,

we have much to look forward to.

After blooms drop near early spring,

it will get a good dose of fertilizer.

That should ensure that we continue to get blooms each year

when everything else is looking rather drab.

This will also be a great time to prune back any dead wood

or thin out the branches to allow for better aeration.

I may just have to pick up a few more

since they seem to like this spot.

It's almost a guaranteed success!

 Who would think that in the dead of winter 

one would have fresh flowers to bring into the house?

What a blessing!