Plants from Penny's Bend

Penny's Bend is known for several endangered plants like the Smooth Coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) shown above and  below. This site had maybe 50 plants in bloom, I have visited another site with hundreds of these plants. I'd have to blindfold you to take you there though.

Here is a milkweed vine, I used to know the name but have forgotten it.

Now an unusual sport of the same vine.

Down the road from Penny's Bend was a landscape planting at Treyburn of Magnolia grandifolia and this bloom was around 14 inches in diameter. The fragrance was intense! I wanted to see if my G11 camera was up to the bright white against a dark background, it did fairly well if you ask me.

A few weeks ago we visited old downtown Wilmington and the older Magnolia grandiflorias were in bloom and most the aroma could be taken in a hundred feet away it was really something.

Fallen Petals

Today my first trip outside I found maybe 50 blooms of Camellia japonica 'Crimson Candles' on the ground in the back yard. Brought a big handful of them in and placed them in this bowl.

Later after doing all my honeydew stuff I met Meg in Chapel Hill for my first visit to the Coker Arboretum on the UNC Campus.I had heard they had lots of camellias. Saw lots of daffodils, trillium and hellebores before we found the camellias. Not as many as Duke Gardens, still some really nice large bushes.

Here is Camellia X 'Tiny Princess', the bush was maybe 20 foot tall and it was covered in blooms and the ground was covered entirely with fallen petals. Note the white in the background above are fallen petals. Below is the ground under 'Tiny Princess' it looked like this in at least a 10 foot diameter circle under the camellia.

We walked to one of UNC's Librarys. On the way back I found the mother of all fallen petals. These 3 or 4 magnolias were covered in blooms and the ground was covered with petals in an area about 25 foot by 100 foot AMAZING.

Had I know I'd be doing a post about fallen petals I'd taken a photo of all the magnolias and the fallen petals.

When I get more time I hope to do a full post on Coker and show off some of the camellias, daffodils, hellebores, primroses, snowflakes and starflowers.

A lot of you were taken in with our camellia 'La Peppermint' here is another bloom.

For Neil Jean. This is Jet Fire planted next to our February Gold. The cones were yellow when first opened, then slowly they turned orange. I did not get Tete a Tete wrong after all some are showing two heads on a stalk.

Going to end this post with a beautiful daffodil from Coker. Tried to find a name for it, but failed.

Duke Gardens Camellias

Today it was supposed to be rainy, yet it didn't happen until 4pm. I dropped Meg off at pottery and went to see the spring camellias at Sara P Duke Gardens. WOW perhaps 50 species in bloom only few left not blooming yet. The Hellebores were in full bloom, unlike last weekend.

Camellia japonica 'Crimson Candles' above and below from Sara P Duke Gardens. This camellia was developed right here in Chapel Hill at Camellia Forest!

This camellia we have in our garden and it has buds just like above.

Just below Crimson Candles was this incredible hellebore in full bloom.
Certainly my favorite of the day.

 Camellia japonica 'Greensboro Red' another local camellia named for Greensboro NC. We also have this in our garden and have not yet seen its blooms.

Chinese Willow leaf Magnolia, Magnolia biondii this was kind of scrappy but it had the coolest blooms on any magnolia I have ever seen.

 While we are on magnolias here is the other type blooming at Duke Gardens right now.

Magnolia x loebneri 'ballerina'

Magnolias at Duke Gardens are just starting so stay tuned to later posts if you want to see more of them.

Camellia japonica 'Shikbu'

Walked right by this one and the sun pasted behind the clouds and I walked back and found it. One of my favorites no question.

This hellebore struck me because of the rigid upright growth. The tag was broken and all I got for a name was eyhill Joy, maybe Honeyhill Joy?

Camellia japonica 'Pink Perfection' I agree! This closely resembles 'October Affair' which I featured last fall. "October Affair' is still blooming too;

This white crocus was huge at least 10 inches tall!

My macro photo of the day!
Get a load of those Carolina blue Skies and while at Duke.

This 10 foot tall Camellia bush is for sale it comes with a house on an acre in the Chapel Hill School District. A great deal just let Meg know is you want to buy it and her house!