Winter Flower Power Shines at The Huntington

The camellia?

It's a lovely love letter from spring, sent through time back to winter, to remind us all that buds will soon open and petals will soon dazzle and some of the barer-of-limb days we're experiencing won't last for long.

For while many flowers sit out the winter, at least in terms of naturally opening up in the outdoors, under the sky, the camella is all in around Southern California.

And you see it just about everywhere: Around your neighbor's yard, on the corner by your dentist, in one of the most famous historic gardens in the world.

As for that last place?

The Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens can rightly be called Camellia Central come February. And when the annual Camellia Show & Sale opens its proverbial petals, as it will again on Feb. 8 and 9, you can count on seeing some of the showiest specimens around.

Because aren't camellias so darn showy? We wouldn't want them to be any other way. After all, when you rule the school on the winter flower front, you can toot your own horn.

Admission to The Huntington gets you into the camellia convention, which is marking its 48th year in 2020. The Brody Botanical Garden is the place, and the Southern California Camellia Society is the co-presenter.

What to do while there? You're invited to "... (v)iew the exhibits, shop for camellia plants to grow at home, and get some expert tips on care and cultivation."

Of course, swanning by this splendid scene solely to soak in the camellia's February-fierce majesty is absolutely an acceptable pursuit, too.

Soon other flowers will open up around our region, and a flurry of color and scent will perfume the air. But before all of that? There is the regal camellia, which, perhaps, isn't a love letter from spring to winter, but a powerful reminder that even good things grow in the coldest stretch of the calendar.