{Camellia Japonica White by the Gate}

On January 24, I did take some photos from our blooming Camellias. So here are our Camellia Japonica White by the Gate that I would love to show to you. These particular Camellias we do have now for 12 years. They are blooming very heavily each year but for cutting flower they are a bit tricky as they don't have a real stem and often bloom back to back, like a Siamese twin...

Perfect bloom and perfectly white is this one...

They do resemble a rose, don't you think so?

And no, they are NOT fragrant!

Something must have been eating on the lower one...

This is what I mean with growing back to back. Also on one branch there is a bud together with two that are already fully opened up.

For a bowl with some floating candles however, you always find some perfect ones.

They are lovely and the shrubs are evergreen so that is a bonus for winter too.

Does anyone have this variety of Camellia Japonica White by the Gate?

Related links:

{Camellia Debutante & Chocolate} previous post by me

{Our Camellia Sinensis Tea Plant and Japanese Magnolia} previous post by me

{Our Camellia Nuccio's Gem & Christmas Angel Gift} previous post by me

{Our Camellia Sinensis | Tea Plant} previous post by me

{Vintage Silver Rose Brooch}

Another treasure for offering to my clients. This time I found an Old World Vintage Silver Rose Brooch and it is in excellent shape, pin and all. Just have a look at this lovely piece. Some artistic silver smith did an excellent job. This gem is available at my Zen Cart powered on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics.

More and more I do admire those professionals that make photos for magazines or books.

It is awfully hard to capture anything in silver! Even my French ombré silk velvet is shiny...

But you do get an idea how lovely this rose is.

This is taken on our balcony and you can see the trees reflected in the silver...

The silver mark, an 800 content of silver. The back is smooth with only the needle and lock.

Sorry Sold out...

{Robins Stripped our American Holly - Ilex Opaca}

Usually we manage to keep the berries on our American Holly Ilex Opaca tree till February when flocks of Cedar Waxwings come and strip the entire tree in a couple of days. But this year things went different and quite unexpected. On Thursday I did make photos from our heavy Holly berry crop. On Saturday, hundreds of Robins did land in our American Holly tree and feasted on the thick berries. Sunday at breakfast time I noticed the tree was BARE. It is very hard to capture those birds on camera, while they keep flying and landing and eating... We've tried that with the Cedar Waxwings before but they move constantly. Below post you find a link to a Youtube video with Robins in action.

So I can only show you the yield before and the bare tree after the invasion.

Well, what would we do if we were a bird? 

Probably feast on them too!

This tree is at the corner of our Veranda, you can see the top of the house behind it.

They were great for Christmas time and almost all of January...

The tree in the back ground is our Live Oak tree so from our Veranda window we at least see year round GREEN!

There already were lots of spills from the 'Bird Cafetaria'... The ground is covered with them.

Love the Kidney Weed or Dichondra Repens that is growing instead of grass, as that too is evergreen!

BARE, except for that one on the left... 

We never had this American Holly tree stripped that early.

IF the Cedar Waxwings do come; they will cry!

Do you have such an American Holly tree, still loaded with berries in your yard?

Related link:

American Holly (Ilex opaca)

Robins feed on Holly tree berries Youtube video