Camellia's!

Picture of the house from 1966

This I know is a full double
As is this one....

This is the only one (above) that I know the name of - It's called Mother of Pearl and it is absolutely my favorite of all the 60+ we have in the yard....
And this would be a speckled one

When we moved here 12 years ago we had over 100 Camellia's and Azalea's - we've lost a couple of the Camellia's and a good portion of the Azalea's over the years. We had these two great big Azalea's by the front door - someone once told me they were bigger than ones you see at Chico State. There were and still are very old plants in our yard. We have the good fortune to live in the house that Kevin's mom grew up in. The yard is so established with so much greenery. I have a picture from 1966 and you can see when the Magnolia tree was only about 20 to 25 feet high and all the Camellia's lined up along the south side of the house, they are still there. It's pretty amazing - there really are not that many changes from the picture. Here I'll scan it and download it..... Oops! They don't go where you want them to, do they. Well there you go. I guess now I'll have to stand in that spot or there about I suppose, because in 1966 I was not born but I bet I could get pretty close.....And give you the same shot as it is today. I love the awnings on the windows. From the picture you can't tell the house was a great yellow and not our boring gray. My mistake. But since the house needs to be painted, I'm thinking it needs a happy yellow again! Well I guess I've gotten my fill of spring and the yard. I'm not much of a green thumb. I leave that to my sister. But I do love the camellia's. I guess because they come out when it's still winter. They are the first inkling that spring is coming. I can stand at the kitchen sink and see color everywhere. They do brave the cold too. And this year we had a very good and long season with them. We've had them since Christmas time and some are still going. And the Camellia's are so much less work than the roses - and I've noticed they are coming out in full bloom too!