Mother Nature is putting on a show at a place that makes Middle Georgia unique

Weary of winter?

If the answer is yes, then you may want to visit one of the gems of Middle Georgia where colors are bursting forth as the camellias at Massee Lane Gardens are in the beginning of the peak blooming season.

The 2019 Festival of Camellias kicked off Saturday. The festival’s finale is the Georgia Camellia Society and Flint Energies Camellia Show Feb. 23-24.

“If you want to see the most camellias in bloom at one time, right now, that’s it,” said Camille Bielby, multi-media specialist for the American Camellia Society.

More than 1,000 varieties of camellias can be found in the gardens, which are celebrating a half-century and are billed as one of the most prized camellia gardens in the country.

The gardens began as a private garden of Fort Valley’s David Coleman Strother in the 1930s. Strother, a founding member of the American Camellia Society, donated the gardens to the society to serve as its headquarters in 1966 and to be operated as a public garden.

New this year is a pathway that opens up the species garden that offers “really unusual plant material,” Bielby said. Also, the greenhouse was renovated with a new flower and plant species.

The gardens offer plant sales, special events, free scavenger hunts for children, self-guided tours, and if prearranged, guided-tours and boxed lunches. Also, a free tea tasting on Mondays during the festival showcases a common tea plant known as species camellia sinensis.

“It’s a beautiful plant in addition to being quite delicious,” Bielby said.

Kristy Sylvester of Warner Robins brought some friends with her Saturday who had never visited the gardens before.

“My mother was a master gardener and she volunteered out here for many years, and I just love flowers, and it was something fun to do today,” Sylvester said. “I was hoping things would be a little more in bloom, but they’re right on the cusp, and we’ll probably be back in a few weeks.”

The camellias remain her favorite part of the gardens. She’s been visiting the gardens for 20 years.

“I also enjoy coming out here in the early fall to see all the crape myrtles and the magnolias that are in bloom around here, and the lake is really pretty in the summertime,” Sylvester said.

Kellie Pickle was one of the first-timers who came with Sylvester.

“I’m loving it,” said Pickle of Warner Robins. “It’s beautiful. Just the different colors, the different smells and textures. It’s been an enjoyment.”

The gardens are located seven miles south of Fort Valley on Ga. 49. The gardens, which are normally closed Mondays, are open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. daily for the month-long festival.

Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors 55 and older and free for children under 12. On days with special events, like art classes, there may be an additional cost, but most of the activities are free. Some require reservations. For more information, visit https://www.americancamellias.com/

This story was originally published February 2, 2019 at 5:19 PM.