Camellia

The camellia is blooming the in the manor garden!  I always remember my uncle in Devon, his camellias always flowered in February.
The shrub was named by Linnaeus after a Jesuit botanist Georg Kamel who was working in the Philippines.  First grown in this country in 1739 and of course the tea plant is a species of Camellia.

Very mild day with some sun. The Hyacinths are also flowering in the flowerbed - bright blue.  Spent time scraping the thick moss off the tarmac behind the house with a hoe.  Soon in the garden it will look as if someone really is living here!! but there is a long way to go yet to get it under control.