In our early travels we were so impressed with the Daniel Stowe Garden we purchased a membership which also gave us entrance to some 300 other gardens. Being budget travelers I then started looking at the membership cost of these other gardens and found Massey Lane, home of the American Camellia Society, was only $30 for a senior couple with discounts for multiyear memberships. We joined in 2008 but this was our first opportunity to visit the gardens which in early February were spectacular.
Much like the roses which they resemble, camellias come in variety.
It's hard to keep track of all the sizes, shapes, and colors available.
That is exactly what the American Camellia Society attempts and while their newsletter and directory are great they are also mind boggling. These few I have included here do not even scratch the surface of the numbers available just in the US so I'll include a few of the other features of the garden.
In addition to the many plants with the individual blossoms, some are just packed with smaller blossoms like a blooming hedge. The building at the end of this path contains a large collection of porcelains which were not available for viewing on this first visit since they were working on the building.
There are several of these small sculptures scattered throughout the garden to break up the masses of flowers. A special treat is a Japanese Garden placed out near the back edge of the garden. While quite small it is nicely done and a good contrast to the rest of the plantings.
Passing through the garden I captured this little fellow warming up in the sun. Also at promised on the Alexandria, LA page here is a fire ant nest kicked open to show the rather tiny individual. They may be small but deliver a painful bite and they are also aggressive enough to kill even some rather large animals that mess with them.