Green Thumb Sunday

Norfolk Botanical Garden

has a wonderful camellia collection.




Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Garden Trips: Norfolk Botanical Garden

Norfolk is a fun place! DH had business there last March 31st and I took advantage of the opportunity to tag along...and see the Norfolk Botanical Garden .

After you park and approach the entrance, this is what you'll see:



Mermaids are all over Norfolk

much like the Hokies in Blacksburg or the Nags (hate to call them that) in Nags Head.

The garden here is huge. NBG offers a train ride you can take for a nice overview. I recommend it; in fact, I was the only one on my trip! By riding the train, I was able to note the areas that I wanted to make sure I saw plus add some I might otherwise have missed.

One of the first things I saw was this bamboo. Please note that it is entirely surrounded by concrete!



On the other side of that concrete, the Japanese Garden was soothing.

Garden Trips: Norfolk Botanical Garden (part 2)

While NBG has wonderful collections of hydrangeas and azaleas, it was a bit too early for them on the date of my visit. The camellias were maybe just a few days past their peak, but still spectacular. The expression "dripping with blooms" was brought to life for me seeing all the camellias with blooms surrounding them on the ground.







It was so peaceful.







Paperbush Edgeworthia chrysantha:

Garden Trips: Norfolk Botanical Garden (part 3)

Some...er..interesting...garden helpers:



An allee of crape myrtles which will be stunning when in bloom July-Aug:



Even out of bloom, the bark is eye catching...exfoliating and smooth at the same time. They're a great tree for winter interest:



A fountain is a must, of course:



Closer:



One of the special features at NFB is the Eagle Cam. There's an active eagle nest in the garden (the area around is blocked from public access so they won't be disturbed) and inside the Visitors Center you can watch live what's going on in the nest.

I'm only able to give you a small taste of these gardens, but I hope it's enough to entice you to visit, should you be in the area.

Garden Trips: Norfolk Botanical Garden (part 4)

If you haven't guessed already, I like garden benches! I noticed that the benches here were dedicated and some of them were so special:















Let's hope DH has business again in Norfolk!