The Camellias Are Here!!!

blush camelia

I was nearly swooning when I brought my first bouquet indoors from the above camellia tree. My home is graced by not one, but two, of the above variety which are currently in full bloom, each standing at least ten feet tall! Half the front of the house is covered with these delicious blush blossoms, that fall somewhere between pale peach and pink. It is a splendor, my dears. Exquisite is the closest word. Yet even I was somewhat puzzled by the enormous impact these particular flowers had upon me once I had put three or four burgeoning blossoms in a lovely vase and placed them next to the bathroom sink. Was it the color? Was it that winter had had its effect and my soul just longed for spring, was filled up with the sheer delight of a freshly cut bouquet? Or what? Maybe a bit of both, I surmised. And then I picked up the book Oprah has chosen for her new free international workshop (which begins online Monday evening, btw), Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. And I was deeply moved to discover he opens the book with an “evocation” that begins with a treatise on flowers. He suggests that a single flower triggers in us a memory of our own most inner beauty, our true nature, a faint whisper, perhaps, of that which we have forgotten. Could it be?

Christmas camelia

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home…

William Wordsworth

I believe so, my dear gardeners, I believe so.

The garden abounds with camellias at this time of year. Outside my bedroom window I’m treated to an equally tall pink one. Perhaps some of you who are more educated in camelias than I might actually identify some of these. They were planted many years ago by someone no longer gracing Earth’s stage. I am simply the next to enjoy. And so I share with you:

pink camelias

I found this whimsical creature dangling over the fence that separates my yard from my dear next door neighbor’s:

red camelia

“The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition…Flowers…would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless.”–Eckhart Tolle

White camelias in vase

I shall be eternally grateful for the beauty flowers bring to our lives. This month it is the camellias. Soon it will be the rhododendrums, the trusty hollyhock, and graceful cosmos and a world of infinite possibilities, forms, beauties. How lucky we are to notice, to tend, to provide, to teach, to enjoy, to appreciate, to be.

Love and blessings,
Kathryn xoxox

22 Responses to “The Camellias Are Here!!!”

  1. Beautiful!!! The photos are gorgeous! The sentiment lovely. And the Wordsworth is perfection. Thank you, Kathryn! You’ve done it again! Thank you for bringing such beauty and reminders of it within us all.

  2. Thank you so much, Antonia! xoxoo

  3. Kathryn, Your article was beautiful and left me a little jealous,but I shall immensely enjoy our trip to the Indiana Dunes on Sunday for the Maple Syrup Festival, with my family. My husband is going to put a bucket on our tree out in front to collect the sap. Oh, was that good when it was cooked down last year. So as we lay under the snow your article and my trip will keep me going until Spring and the lilacs arrive.

  4. Hi, Mary,

    Yes, the East Coasters are, indeed, having a bit of a hard time with the current posts. But winter has its own blessings, as you describe. Homemade maple syrup surely is one of them! Yum! Kathryn xox

  5. Kathryn, your camellias took my breath away. Happy Muse Day!~~Dee

  6. Hi, Dee!

    Aren’t they amazing??? Thanks for visiting!
    Kathryn

  7. Lovely photos you’ve shared! I’m a sasanqua man – I like the simplicity of the flower and the ease of growing the plant. I think Cleopatra has to be my all-time fave. No camellias in my garden, but I’ve designed plenty into my clients’ gardens. Thanks for the great post.

  8. I love the soulful song of your site, Kathryn …

  9. Hi, Billy, thank you for stopping by! I had to google sasanqua, and recognized the red simple one pictured which I call my Christmas camelia is actually called Yuletide sasanqua. I bought it two Christmases ago to bring some color into my front area, but this year it waited until January to show its loveliness. Thanks for the camelia lesson! Kathryn

  10. Dear Joey, thank you for your kind words. ๐Ÿ™‚ Kathryn

  11. Beautiful camillias! I gave my camillia plant to my neighbor last year when I was clearing much of the yard. I envy your getting to bring blossoms inside to enjoy. Can’t do that around my house. I have a cat that eats the flowers right off!
    Brenda

  12. Hi, Brenda, Your cat eats ALL flowers??? Kathryn

  13. Thank you for your words and photos about camellias. I have some blooming too, but with some brown areas on the petals.
    I live in coastal California too.

  14. Hi, Terra, I’m inland. I think those brown spots are moisture, don’t you think? I noticed some of that on the big white ones after the last rain… Kathryn

  15. What a beautiful post! Amazing photos!

  16. Oh, hi, Marie, in Norway! Thank you for visiting today! I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Kathryn xox

  17. Wonderful pictures! I especially love that whimsical visitor from the neighbor’s yard, peeking over the fence at you! Found your blog thru blotanical. Stop in for a visit!
    Carol
    terranovadesign@blogspot.com

  18. Kathryn: Flowers are memories! That works for me! Lovely post. I also enjoyed the Sonoma post on your Grandma. She must have had such a positive spirit.

  19. Hi, Carol,

    Yes, that flower cracked me up! It was like he was trying to get a big view of what’s outside the garden. Or, maybe, look at me, look at me! Whatever. It certainly caught my attention! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for coming by. Kathryn

  20. Good morning, Layanee. I think flowers are one of the dearest treasures on the planet, don’t you? And I do think, yes, they remind us of our essential nature, which we seem to have misplaced….All those distractions! I wonder how many people meditate while contemplating a simple flower? Kathryn

  21. Lovely white camellias! My favorites!

  22. Welcome, Sheila! Visited your blog. I love your dinosaurs! You have a creative husband! Thanks for visiting. Yes, the white camelias were stunning. ๐Ÿ™‚ Kathryn

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