Saturday, January 30, 2010

Winter Break




If you're like me right now, you are sick and tired of cold, brown and bare!! I can't photograph one more leafless tree or icicle. Feeling fresh out of ideas, I decided to do what I do best.....copy another blogger! My friend Rob who lives in Minneapolis, a suburb of the North Pole, headed to the McNeely Conservatory recently. I loved his photos, so I just marched right over to the Conservatory at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens this past week. There was an entire room full of camellias just showing their stuff! Since the bushes in the gardens were almost spent, this was like striking gold! Enjoy this little winter break with me.

By the way, the camellia is the state flower of Alabama






26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, lovely pictures Virg. I'm also partial to the fragrant ones.

Anonymous said...

I'm originally from Alabama, currently living in New Orleans, and I love to come to you blog. It makes me homesick. Your camellia photos are lovely. My great-grandmother had several camellia varieties in her yard. These make me think of her.

Pat said...

You know, I was browsing through some old photos last night and came cross some very similar photos of pale pink and cream roses.... A thought passed through my mind, but you beat me to it...! Your camellias are beautiful and I love their scent.

Jilly said...

How gorgeous. I thought that was a rose in the portal - same as the third photo. You have some amazing camellias. I think of them as per your middle photo, not those gorgeous froths of beautiful petals in the other two.

Virginia said...

Anon,
Well i"m so pleased you like this blog and feel at home here. I hope you visit often

Jilly, Bibi,Hiker,
Fragrance? I dont' know that I've ever thought camellias had a fragrance. Regardless, they are a delight in winter and bring that freshness we need in winter, and the promise of spring.

Louis la Vache said...

«Louis» agrees: enough of l'hiver!

It's nice to see these cheerful floral images!

Kate said...

The colours are soft and lovely, making the image one of delicacy.

And, yes, the Conservatory offers a delightful respite from all the ice and dirty snow. The seasonal displays are always magnificent.

Lori Skoog said...

What I would give to be rid of the snow! Beautiful shots.

brattcat said...

Oh, Virginia, thank you for this delicate bouquet of camellias. They are just what the doctor ordered.

Ken Mac said...

these are yummy.
You knew Scout V! Wow! My galpal loves to Kill a Mockingbird. And I always cry when Atticus leaves the courthouse and the old man tells Scout to "stand up, your father is passing."

Lowell said...

Very nice, V. I love camellias. The last I saw, the camellia bushes at our old house were still alive and budding...that's exciting 'cause we had record cold for a couple of weeks.

Daryl said...

What a delight clicking into spring ... its 13 degrees here ..

Janet said...

So delicate!

TheChieftess said...

Beautiful camelia shots!!! We have several camelias in our yard...my favorites at our house being the lovely pale pink variety...my mom had beautiful white camelia trees in the front of the house where I grew up...

One of the joys of living here in Glendale, we have a lovely botanical garden in La Canada, Descanso Gardens...they have a huge grove of just camelias...beautiful!!!

Anonymous said...

Ken Mac is a softy, isn't he? (Did you know the mottled color cammies is the result of an intentionally introduced virus?)

MadAboutParis said...

How refreshing - and beautifully captured bien sûr.
I bought a bright bouquet at Trader Joe's this week - arranged it in an emerald green glass vase and it's miraculously picking up the doldrums here in grey Cincinnati.

Chuck Pefley said...

Hah! I always wondered where Minneapolis was located. Thanks for the geography lesson! LOL!!

Lovely lift to the spirit today, V! Thanks!!

Rob said...

A lovely floral post! Nice to see color instead of the dreary monotone outdoor colors. Thank you for the mention. Just remember, Santa is a close neighbor. I suppose we could look at winter as a time to practice our indoor photography skills.

Virginia said...

Rob,
Put in a good word with the red guy for me will ya? :)

Hiker,
You are a fountain of horticultural information. I must get to the Huntington Gardens for one of your tours one of these days. The top one reminds me of a peony, my fav flower!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

this is perfect for these cold nasty days.

jb said...

How about "cold, WHITE and bare"? I'm getting cabin fever...
Only another 3 weeks and it's "MDP On Tour" for 4 weeeks

Virginia said...

JB,
I just knew someone was going to say that! So where are you and Mrs. JB heading to? If you say Paris, I'll have to strangle you!

Sandi,
It could hardly get nastier than it has been today.Brrr

Three Rivers, Michigan said...

They look so lush and soft, I just want to touch them! Beautiful.
Three Rivers Daily Photo

Bob Crowe said...

I once sat on a bullet train in Japan next to a woman who said she was a professor of Middle English at some local university. It was April and great numbers of these trees rushed by the window. She claimed that the flower originated in Japan, not the US, but at first I couldn't understanding what she was talking about. She was getting frustrated with me and insisted Camerias! You know, rike the rady of the camerias! I finally got it.

And that's my camellia story. I really like the second picture, with a delicious slice removed from the pie.

Anonymous said...

I was showing off. Bob Crowe made me spill my coffee.

PJ said...

I was ready for the sight of these, they're so wonderful in winter. I like the feathery ones the best, and the more spots the better.