In preparation for the blog post on K. Sawada, I took a field trip to a local Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful February day, perfect for spending time walking through their Winter Garden area. As I mentioned before, that section was named in memory of Mr. Sawada and showcases many of his camellias. However, I saw so much more. It was too good not to share some of it with you for today’s Six on Saturday.

A wooden bridge is the entry to the six-acre Winter Garden. From there, a gentle incline makes a big circle through camellias, rhododendrons, osmanthus, and many other plants. It took me two hours to walk the circuit as I took four hundred photos. I didn’t have time to take side paths into the Fern Garden or the Tea Maze, much less explore the main sections of the other ninety-four acres.

So, you see these few pictures today will hardly give a glimpse of this beautiful garden.

These golden mahonia blooms were really showy. There was no other yellow blooming on the day I visited, but it looked like daffodils would soon be opening all along the paths.

Several spectacular cherry trees were blooming in the center section.

I saw signs indicating at least two types of oriental cherries (prunus).

I’ve shown you pictures of camellia japonica and camellia sasanqua, but did you know your tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant? The Lipton Tea Company and Auburn University ran trials locally on these cultivars about sixty years ago. Every company uses a different cultivar. After the experiment ended, most of the plants were destroyed, but a few were rescued from the pile. The gardens made a maze from these tea plants based on a medallion pattern from the Ming dynasty. I’ll have to go through the maze another time.

A dirt road alongside the Winter Garden runs up Magnolia Hill to an education and propagation center. Besides the towering magnolia grandifloras, which are traditional Southern trees, there are star, Japanese, saucer, and several other types of magnolias.

Most weren’t in bloom yet, but these were just starting. I didn’t see a sign indicating the type of magnolia.

My camera’s battery died before I finished my tour of this lovely garden. Maybe that was a good thing since I wasn’t focused on getting pictures and now just enjoyed the scenery.

As soon as this cold snap is over, I’m going back to see more of this relaxing place.

Stay warm. Stay safe. The Lord bless you. Have a good week.

Shalom, Dottie