Camellias - The First Sign of the End of Winter

My favorite time of year!  The end of winter always comes with the blooming of camellias. While winter isn't quite over, it's the sign of new life to come. People are cutting back their shrubs and trees preparing for the new season and around this time every year I enjoy my morning walks just a little more. While I know azaleas are the flowers everyone seems to know Summerville for, I look forward to seeing camellias the most. They're always faithful to be the first flowers to show their beauty after the coldest of days.

My favorite camellia tree is on Sumter Street. It has white flowers, blooms thick and overhangs the fence near the street. When the flowers begin to drop, it covers the ground in a blanket of white. While they haven't begun to drop as of this morning, I'll try to remember to come back and post a picture of it later. It's beautiful.

Even more than camellias, I love the Star Magnolias. They start blooming a little later than the camellias, and there are not as many of them, but there's something about their white flowers with droopy petals and scraggly branches that just has a sense of purity. I planted one at the very first house I owned and have loved them ever since.

I must confess I just finished my walk and am sitting on my back porch writing this. Now while that sentence may give a vision of me overlooking a beautiful backyard with all these things I write about, that's not quite the case yet. Our house continues to be under renovations and our back yard has gotten no attention yet, but a girl can dream of her perfect yard. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy the yards of my neighbors. I'm thankful for all the great gardens here in Summerville along with all the gardeners who care for them.  If you don't have a beautiful garden of your own, don't let that stop you from enjoying the season.  Get outside and look around.  Take a walk.  You may enjoy it more than you'd expect.  Happy beginnings of spring!!