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| archway view of the formal garden |
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| winter camellia shrub with profuse flowers |
My recent Thanksgiving break at Outer Banks, NC brought me a surprise which I longed to encounter: winter blooming camellias at Elizabethan Gardens. So many varieties were showing their unique beauty just like model displays seen on nursery catalogs! Better still, I could smell the fragrance and see the shrubs in established form with glossy leaves (they shine like polished shoe tips).
Another surprise was to learn how to prune myrtle tree French style "pollarding" : topping the branches at same spot every spring before new growth. The tree forms unique knuckles where new growth sprouts for summer blooming branches. The picture on top highlights the contour of a well pruned myrtle tree. More garden views below. Enjoy!
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| entrance cove to the garden |
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| view of Atlantic ocean from garden gate |
