Thursday 10 March 2011

MY HEALING CAMELLIAS

 I was recently reminded of how flowers can heal mind, body and soul. Flowers not only enhance the beauty of women but also cure ailments. Did you know what is 'Flower therapy?'

White Camellia Purity from my garden

Flower therapy is a new idea which is getting as important as physical therapy due to the energy flowers give and the vitamin D the sun provides. Vitamin D is essential for our body so that calcium can be absorbed into the bones.  Flower therapy here plays a vital role in gaining Vitamin D. This in turn will help bone and muscle growth. It is also the cheapest and simplest way to improve a person's emotion, anxiety, stress, memory and rejuvenates & revitalizes one's health.

How to go about?  Easy....... just the act of walking around flowers, sparks the memory, sparks the brain, smell, thoughts, makes a person who forgets remember everything after an afternoon in the garden expose to the sun, being outside getting vitamin D.

Flower therapy is so successful not only due to sense, energy and colour, flowers give you but just being out in the sun is the best thing you can do for your body.

Back home in Kuala Lumpur, I used to walk around my orchid garden in the morning before my yoga lessons, smelling the beautiful blooms for the energy they give.  I recalled walking around my garden, the feeling that I got when I was around my orchids and other flowers. They were so beautiful, the sense, the fragrances and the colour made me happy.

Over here in London as the weather is getting warmer and sunny, I grabbed the opportunity to do flower therapy by being out in my garden patio with my gorgeous blooms of pink and white camellias.
With my rotator cuff repair, I know it is not wise to be indoor all the time working only with my physiotherapist. I cannot  get healthy half as quickly as I am out in the garden working with my flowers - my lovely camellias which are now in bloom.  Just the act of  weeding, digging and cutting, simply any gardening work  is certainly healthy.

Having said about flower therapy,  I am also excited and wish to spread my enthusiasm for  cultivation of  Camellias via my photography of the beautiful blooms. There are many varieties of camellias, Autumn Camellias as well as Spring Camellias.  I have 4 shrubs of camellias, 2 whites and two in bright warm pink. I have been looking forward much to discovering they starting to flower so well this time around.   So pleased to share my Camellias, have a look.................

Pink Camellia



Camellia is a native flower of China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan. This is the most beautiful pink camellia I have ever had the pleasure to meet.  This particular blossom looks like peony.  I look forward so much to discovering it starting to flower.


It hasn't taken long to grow into a good sized shrub. 

Bright Warm Pink Camellias

This blossom look almost like a hibiscus with yellow stamens. This spring camellias will lift any garden from its winter slumbers, transforming dull dreary days from late Feb to mid May.
The flowers always take me by surprise.  Suddenly they are there in the patio and I am always cheered by the warm deep pink tones.

Perhaps I should loosen the soil and put some fertilisers so as to get more blooms.
I dislike cutting away some of the branches coz I love the leaves which are so green and they enhance my  garden brick wall.

White Camellia japonica L
This white peony like camellia has regular, curved fluted petals with yellow stamens and with fairly broad leaves.
Photography has the ability to capture a moment & preserve the flowers far beyond the brief time the flowers live. For a true flower enthusiast, photography is a natural partner with which to give pleasure in gardening and encouraging the act of flower therapy.

These 4 shrubs of Camellias in my garden have special memories for me as it was when we shifted to this house that I started to grow them.  It reminded me of the excitement I had.

By growing flowers at home or just merely visiting a florist shop, not only  enhance smell and thoughts but also gives a deep impact on the state of mind.  Flowers help to pep up moods and emotions at all times.

     EACH FLOWER IS A SOUL BLOSSOMING OUT TO NATURE
                        
                    ~   by Gerad De Nervel