Happy Valentine's Day

A sampling from our Pink Perfection camellia for Valentine's Day



The old deco-style vase was "gifted" to us as my parents decluttered their house ... and cluttered ours. It seems perfect for these branches from the bush. (An individual bloom is normally floated in a special holder.)

Another photo is below the fold.


This year the bush came into full bloom late last week and is peaking right now.



Only part of it is shown in this picture, which was taken yesterday. The bush itself is almost 10 feet tall, and has not bloomed like this since we planted it as a tiny sprig of a plant. Normally it puts out a half-dozen or so blooms every week over a period of months, sometimes dropping all of its buds if we get a really severe freeze.

I have no idea if I randomly fertilized it at the right time this fall, ignored it more than usual (I am not a diligent gardener), or if we got just the right combination of cold snap, warm weather, and rain this winter. Comparison with others around the office suggests it is the latter, as others of this variety are also in unusually full bloom this year.