Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Good grief, our Camellia sasanqua is already blooming !


I was watering the plants which is a daily occurrence these days as we haven't received significant precipitation in over a month, when I saw a flash of pink near our two Camellia plants. It was an aberrant bloom on our Camellia sasanqua but you can see another bud in the photo getting ready to bloom too. This is very early. I'll have to check but I think this bush didn't bloom until late October or early November last year. Most of the other buds are not nearly this far along. The flower is next to and facing the house so getting a good picture of it required a yogic position.

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love sasanquas, but I always think of them as southern plants. I didn't know they grew in New Jersey too.

9:13 PM  
Blogger Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Isn't that just wonderful ? To have some unexpected flowers in your garden and such beautiful ones too. My Camelia is in bud too and I wonder when it's going to flower.

3:51 AM  
Blogger Ki said...

Hi Pam,
I can barely grow camellias in NJ. The plants take a beating in winter but bravely soldier on in the most sheltered place in our yard which is right next to the house with southern exposure. Unfortunately I lost 2 plants to the cold until I found this warm micro clime. Can you grow them in Texas or is it too warm there?

------------------------------------
Hi Yolanda Elizabet,
Surprise flowers are such a gift especially when it's so beautiful. There are quite a few buds on the two camellias we have so this looks like it will be a good year...the bees will really be happy! I'd love to see your camellia blossoms so I hope you post pictures it.

Thanks both for your comments.

4:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No, they don't grow well in Austin's alkaline soil. They prefer the acidic soil of the southeast. Growing up in South Carolina, we had marvelously huge ones in our back yard, and I enjoyed their blossoms all winter.

11:33 AM  
Blogger Ki said...

Ah, I forgot about the caliche clay Pam. Unfortunate that you can't grow them there...the climate would be much more to their liking than NJ.

6:25 PM  
Blogger Digital Flower Pictures said...

:lol: about the yoga position, been there! Could be just a sporadic flower. We could never grow those outside here.

I know what you mean about it being DRY. We had our 2nd driest Aug/Sept. ever here in Connecticut.

3:46 AM  
Blogger Ki said...

Hi Chris,

I just borrowed a photography book at the library and it shows the author lying in the grass to get just the right angle for the shot. I guess he would go to any lengths or rather any contortions to get the right shot. I didn't know you had to be a contortionist to be a photographer? ;)

Luckily it will be humid for a few days so that should help keep down the water evaporation. October is usually about the driest month for us so it's not looking good. I just got the past quarter water bill and it's 3 times the amount we usually pay. :( Thanks for the comment.

5:35 AM  
Blogger Annie in Austin said...

Actually, Ki, I have a Sasanqua camellia growing in my part of Austin [I have different soil from Pam's neighborhood] and it has quite a few buds. They'll probably bloom in early December, but this year has been so weird that it's hard to guess.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

3:33 PM  
Blogger Ki said...

That's interesting Annie that soil could be so different in just the same city! It's also interesting that mine is already blooming and yours won't for another two months. I wonder if the length of daylight hours is the trigger for the blooming to start? It's more likely that this is an aberrant bloom or two though. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your camellia in bloom.

5:28 PM  

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