Christmas Bells

Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis

Friday, May 02, 2014

Sasanqua Camellias starting, and Magnolias doing their "off-season" thing

The Garden is looking quite happy at present (apart from the weeds which are thriving, but i ignore them).

The Camellias were playing host to a pair of King Parrots a few days ago - which is always nice to see.
Female King Parrot eating seeds of
a Reticulata Camellia
just outside my bathroom window.
Male King Parrot on ground
also eating Camellia seeds
(Sorry about the grainy image - taken through window)

 Anyway, the new season Camellia flowers are looking good now.

The Sasanqua Camellias (a very generalised term these days, given their propensity to hybridise) are looking good. This is Camellia "Chansonette" (which is sometimes classed as Camellia hiemalis or one of the "Snow Camellias")

Camellia hiemalis "chansonette"
It is a very free-flowering plant
and the earliest of these Camellias to flower, for me.

This next one is similar, but unfortunately I cannot find its recorded name.
This one is darker and brighter than Chansonette.
It is a semi-double and not a formal flower.
The leaves look right for a Sasanqua.

The next is an un-named variety, as far as I  know.
The centre of the flower is a bit untidy, but it flowers happily for me, so I reward it with space in my Camellia garden.
An un-named Camellia (as far as I know)
A nice cheery free-flowering plant.

Here is a lovely white flowering Sasanqua with a delicious sweet scent.
To my nose its scent is reminiscent of the scent of Lemon flowers.
I believe it is called "Setsugekka".
Camellia sasanqua "setsugekka"


And now we come to the lovely "out-of-season" flowers of the pink Magnolia soulangeana. Please don't hold me to "brand" name on these, for once again, Magnolias have been cross-bred like crazy, and so many varietal names are simply made up and not at all reliable.

I like these Magnolia buds at this time of year, because I confess to not liking Magnolias flowering on bare stems in winter/spring. partly because they are subject to front burn, and also the colours look better (to me) when surrounded by foliage.

Magnolia x soulangeana  bud
The King Parrots and Rosellas are fond of nibbling the flowers, but that's OK with me, as the birds are at least as beautiful as the flowers.

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