Spring has officially sprung

When the hyacinths peek their fragrant heads up through the tangle of winter grasses, I know that spring has officially sprung. The nights may still be chilly, but the garden knows that spring is here. On hills and glens not far away, I spot almond blossoms coming forth on trees left to fend for themselves. Yes, spring has arrived. 

Another arrival has occurred. A pale pink camellia has been adopted into the garden. She has lived her life in a pot for the last decade and a half. My mom couldn't keep her so it was time for this "pink lady" to have her roots put into the earth here among others that have now become her sisters. Already she is happy. Soon she will be as tall as the "old lady" on her right and the "showoff" on her left.

The "showoff" has been dazzling us with quite a show. Thanks to Hubby's expertise in installing windows, we can now enjoy every moment of this brilliant camellia's performance even on the rainiest of days. 

The bees are busy on the north side of the house where all the camellias live. The saucer-sized blooms have the bees in quite a tizzy trying to decide which bloom to explore next with their chubby pollen-laden legs. As I meander down the shady path, I hear their happy buzzing and it makes my heart sing.

Spring has officially sprung.

February is camellia season (and oh how I love camellia season)

I've always wondered... why does February have to be all about a holiday that makes single people sad and men feel inadequate? In the midst of winter, February is a second chance to surround oneself with bright vibrant colors. The red of Christmas is replaced by the reds and pinks of hearts and flowers. Frilly fancy doilies take the place of paper snowflakes.

I used to mourn the passing of the Christmas and New Year season until I realized that as the Christmas tree was coming down (usually around the second week of January) the hearts and flowers of Valentine's Day could be going up. Such a revelation!

Hubby and I have just as much fun putting up the red and white Valentine decorations on our mantle as we do decorating the mantle for Christmas. We even have a special string of red glass heart lights that we put up so in the long winter evenings they glow with a brilliant red hue.

In our mild winter climate, February also brings the blooming of the camellia bushes. Growing on the sheltered north side of our house, the camellias have grown over the past 12 years with some having branches that touch the underside of the eaves. They set buds in November. Then we sit and wait with great anticipation until they begin blooming some time in late January or early February. February has become "camellia season" for me.

I sometimes like to bring two or three blooms inside and float them in low dishes filled with water. They look like Valentines from Nature herself.  The rest of the blooms I leave outside where we can see them through the windows on that side of the house. Even on a rainy day, they brighten and cheer the winter landscape. Cool and velvety-soft to the touch, the brilliant red and pink petals of the camellia blossoms stay on the bushes about as long as roses stay on the bush. Eventually the camellia petals fall to the ground carpeting the ground under the bushes as if a bride is expected to walk down the aisle there. It is dazzling.

I'm so happy camellia season is here once again.

 

A sick kitty takes precedence over photographing camellias

Outside the windows of the north side of the house, the camellias are blooming right on time like they do every February. And despite they're glorious display, I can't get out to photograph them right now.

I've been tending to our sweet kitty Lydia after a complex surgery last week to remove a large and aggressive tumor we found quite suddenly on her abdomen. Fortunately, we have a trusted and very talented veterinarian. We found the tumor, got her in to see him the following day and he scheduled surgery to get it out and, in his words, "in a jar where it belongs".

Lydia has been the ideal little patient as I've kept her isolated in a warm and cozy recuperating space I arranged for her in my studio. She heals while I work. And she's enjoying the one-on-one time with me immensely even though having to wear the "cone of shame" is not something she enjoys at all.

For now the camellias outside have to wait (hence the repost of the image above). I'm hoping the camellias will still be blooming when we finally get clearance from the vet that Lydia can resume more normal activity. That may be later today. We'll see.

Update: Lydia got clearance from the vet to begin resuming more normal activity and exploring more of the house than just my studio. She doesn't have to wear the cone-collar anymore unless she starts biting her incision site. So I'll still be watching her like a hawk.

Life at Rosehaven Cottage: Tucked in the corners of the January gardens

The gray of January hangs in the damp chilly air over the gardens here at Rosehaven Cottage. There is no winter snow... just rain, fog, and an occasional early-morning frosting of shimmery crystals on the rooftop. The beauty of the winter garden often lies low and in protected corners where the frost cannot find it.

At the base of our young olive tree the sunny yellow heads of jonquils brighten the drab landscape, sending hints of their fragrance wafting on the chilly air.

Under the protective boughs of the oleander, the shy little violets bloom fragrant and sweet in the blue-purple color I associate with January.

On the shady side of the house, the camellias put on the annual show I wait the rest of the year to see. Their spectacular display of lipstick reds and rouge pinks are garden Valentines.

Long and Low

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Today was week 5 in my floral design class at the adult education center in our town. And our arrangement was really exciting to construct. It's called a "long and low" arrangement. It is intended to be used as a centerpiece for a table or an arrangement for a buffet or sideboard. The candle adds a touch of elegance to it.

This week I bought my flowers myself and brought them to class. I had the option to have our instructor pick up flowers at the San Francisco Flower Mart, but I wanted the fun of picking out my own. Costco has a good assortment of fresh flowers, so I did my shopping there yesterday.

At Costco, I was able to find all the flowers I needed (and then some) but I couldn't find any filler. When I got home, I thought about what I might have growing in the garden that might be suitable. I decided to cut some branches of camellia greenery and also some fronds off a wonderful conically shaped fern I have beneath the camellia bushes. I was a bit nervous about bringing them to class, because I wasn't sure if our instructor would consider them appropriate. When I got to class, my instructor immediately recognized the camellia and then shared with us that it is a great filler to use for arrangements. I told her I was really happy I'd been brave enough to bring it. That taught me that I need to trust my gut instincts a bit more when it comes to this new venture of floral design.

The Camellias of Winter

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Amidst the rain of winter, the pink camellias bloom and bring a touch of spring to the cool and damp landscape of our garden. This lovely camellia was added to the garden about 7 years ago. On the north side of the house where it is protected in a nice shady spot, this year's pink blooms are now tall enough to be seen through the living room window. As I sit and take breaks during the day, I can see the ruffly crepe paper edges of the blooms drooping under their own weight.

There's another camellia bush that was well established on that side of the house when we came here: it's a red camellia. Along with the newer pink one, the camellias are almost always blooming right about the time that I get the yearning desire to see Valentine decor--around the third or fourth week of January. By that time, I've had enough of a break from Christmas decorations, and I start to get the hankering for some beautiful reds and pinks to cheer up the grey of winter. These camellias have perfect timing. I love how nature decorates for me.

Used the Faded book cover texture and the Painted plaster 1 texture.
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At least the roses and camellias are perky

In the wee hours of the morning on Christmas Day, I felt my throat getting a bit sore and scratchy. By noon, I was feeling the swimmy head of one who has caught a cold. And by the following day, I was running a fever and huddled in bed. That's where I've been for the past few days--in bed. Today, I've finally been able to see through the virally-induced mental fog enough to post these photos of what was blooming on Christmas Day here in the gardens of Rosehaven Cottage.

All of the photos below are straight out of the camera without color correction or post-processing "magic". The sky really was this blue in back of the "Gold Medal" roses that never fail to produce a Christmas Day bloom...


Christmas in the San Francisco Bay Area is quite a bit different than a lot of North America. We don't get snow in our gardens, but do get snow on our higher mountains and peaks. We get Christmas fog at night that shrouds our outdoor Christmas lights in ethereal magic. We have blooms in the garden as well as lots of migratory birds here for the winter. I had lots of white Christmases as a child when we lived in Colorado. I am happy with foggy green Christmases now. Especially when I can have a lovely pink "Our Lady of Guadalupe" rose on Christmas Day...


I just happened to peek around the northern side of the house when I was out shooting the Christmas roses blooming. Imagine my surprise when I saw my deep pink camellia in bloom! Camelias are hardy here as long as they are growing in a northern exposure location. They don't like the heat of the summer sun, and love the chill of the Bay Area winters as long as there isn't a hard freeze. We usually have blooms in January and February but this one is early this year.


Now I'm back off to snuggle up in a warm quilt so I can get better. Thankfully, Hubby has this week off work and he's a pro at pampering me. I don't know what I'd do without him.