Friday Flowers: A Few Camellias

Camellia Japonica: C.M. Wilson

Happiness
(By Carl Sandburg)

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
     me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
     thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though
     I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along
     the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with
     their women and children and a keg of beer and an
     accordion.

Camellia: Happy Holidays

Well, I couldn't find an appropriate poet's birth date to go with our lovely camellias. Therefore, I fell back on this Sandburg classic, simple but strong. And, with such gorgeous flowers to appreciate, how can one not be inspired towards happiness?

As for the camellias, I'm happy that I was finally able to share them with you. Again, they're from my trip to the Huntington. I was hoping to get around to one of the flower show, but that hasn't happened. Being so late in the season, it's unlikely that I'll get around to showcasing one this time. Oh well, there's always next year. ;-)

Friday Flowers: Camellias Again

Camellia: Katie

Insomnia
(By Elizabeth Bishop)

The moon in the bureau mirror
looks out a million miles
(and perhaps with pride, at herself,
but she never, never smiles)
far and away beyond sleep, or
perhaps she's a daytime sleeper.

By the Universe deserted,
she'd tell it to go to hell,
and she'd find a body of water,
or a mirror, on which to dwell.
So wrap up care in a cobweb
and drop it down the well

into that world inverted
where left is always right,
where the shadows are really the body,
where we stay awake all night,
where the heavens are shallow as the sea
is now deep, and you love me.


Certainly, you didn't think that I was going to be content with just one day of celebration for Elizabeth Bishop? ;-)

Camellia: Nuccio's Bella Rossa

As for the camellias, they've been on deck for a few weeks now. We are around halfway through the camellia season, so I figured it was about time to share them with you all.

Empress of Winter

Camellia: Pink Perfection


The camellia season has begun, starting with a show at the Decanso Gardens. Over the next two months, nearly every weekend will feature a flower show somewhere in Southern California, from Kern County in the North to San Diego in the South and out in the Pomona Valley to the East. Yeah, we love our camellias out here in SoCal.

As a flower of Western fashion, the camellia was queen during the early to mid-19th century, but it fell out of favor in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, leaving it with an "old-fashioned" reputation. For most of Europe and the USA, it still trails dahlias, orchids, roses, and tulips as symbols of glamour.

But California is a Pacific Rim civilization. As with the other great cultures along the Pacific, California recognizes within the camellia a special splendor, a floral elegance both refined and bold.

Camellia: Tama Peacock

And that's why we are blessed with two months full of camellia celebrations. ;-)

But, although I'll be visiting many a show, we aren't transforming Paideia into a Camellia blog. I'll try to keep a healthy mix of flowers going for our Friday showcase.

Friday Flowers: Christmas Camellias

White Camellias


On Time
(By John Milton)

Fly envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours,
Whose speed is but the heavy Plummets pace;
And glut thy self with what thy womb devours,
Which is no more then what is false and vain,
And meerly mortal dross;
So little is our loss,
So little is thy gain.
For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb'd,
And last of all, thy greedy self consum'd,
Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss
With an individual kiss;
And Joy shall overtake us as a flood,
When every thing that is sincerely good
And perfectly divine,
With Truth, and Peace, and Love shall ever shine
About the supreme Throne
Of him, t'whose happy-making sight alone,
When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall clime,
Then all this Earthy grosnes quit,
Attir'd with Stars, we shall for ever sit,
Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee O Time.


I'm not much of a Milton fan, but, since he was born on this date in 1608, I figured it was appropriate to celebrate his poetry. Anyways, On Time is a solid bit of poetry. ;-)

Camellia Sasanqua

And the camellias? Well, if we're going to start looking at "cold season" flowers, then we can't overlook our Yuletide whites and pinks.