This weekend I unintentionally ended up immersed in the Camellia show at Chiswick House and Gardens. Living in Chiswick (West London, UK) for the past year or so, Chiswick House has been our go-to place for a day out in the Sun, cycling practice, meeting up with friends for a cuppa and some lovely festivals. We headed out this Saturday, ie yesterday, to help our 5-year-old practice his cycling skills. Needless to say, we got tired and distracted after about an hour.
I had forgotten about the Camellia displays altogether. As soon as I read the signs leading to the Camellia show, I lost interest in everything and strolled quickly to where the magic was. If you haven’t visited the gorgeous Chiswick House and Gardens yet, I strongly recommend you do so if you’re into nature, long walks, lovely cafes and glorious gardens.
Where to find Camellias at Chiswick House and Gardens:
The Camellias are scattered throughout the gardens but there is a special conservatory within the ground that houses most of the various types of Camellias.
If you’re having trouble deciding what kind of Camellia you would like in your garden, this gorgeous display with all the Camellias in bloom will take help you decide what kind of Camellia you want to bring home. They even have some on sale so most of you gardeners may not be able to go empty-handed. They are, as expected, slightly on the pricey side but they’re well-grown and absolutely stunning.
Finally, when I was done taking photos outside and gawking at the variety of the blooms, I entered the conservatory. Greeted by very friendly staff members, there was a list of the 32 Camellia varieties on display (you can open the photo below and zoom in for the whole list):
I stood next to each Camellia variety totally enchanted and definite that this was my favorite one, only to find the next one took an even bigger place in my heart. Camellias are so under-rated, if you ask me. Some argue that they don’t flower long enough. 6-8 weeks of the beauty of their blooms to announce the arrival of Spring in the extreme cold? I’d take that over most other winter flowering shrubs. In addition, their shiny evergreen foliage and lovely bark adds a lot of structure to most gardens. Anyway,I’m heavily biased.
I’ll show you as many as possible here but to really witness their beauty, you’d have to see them up close.
On your way out, if you have a look around, the rest of the gardens don’t disappoint even in the cold weather:
Since I don’t want to make this post too long with additional photos of the Grand House and its stunning grounds, I’ll sign off here with a short video about Chiswick House and Gardens:
oh wow, they all look so amazing!
True. It’s so difficult to chose a favourite. I honestly wanted to get them all home !
I can imagine. Honestly I’d prolly feel the same way if I visited, lol
Oh what beautiful photos you have. Thanks so much for contributing 😀
Thank you so much Cee!