Camelia

Looking happy and healthy :o)

Beautiful, you are happy.

It's just in the field - no care required. I try to have a flower every day of the year, and this helps in winter.

:)

That's an amazing Camellia!

The Camellia trees here (San Diego, CA) started blooming in late November. However, they need to be planted in semi-shade or a north-side of a building so they don't get sun burned.

Exactly, Delonix.

What you don't see is a wall of metrosideros to the west (left) that blocks the afternoon sun.

That's a good idea. I don't the see the Metrosideros flowers, though. They tend to bloom here in San Diego during winter. Do they bloom in winter, there?

If you go to my "Fog" picture, on the middle right is a red roof that has the Metrosideros at the bottom of it. When I bought my house, it included the woods and this pasture area. The Metrosideros are known as the New Zealand Christmas flower because they are in bloom down there, right now. In 6 months mine will be covered in flowers, and in New Zealand their outdoor pointsettias will be red.

They are called New Zealand Christmas trees here, too.

That's strange because usually in the northern hemisphere they bloom at the same time as the southern hemisphere.