No, I am not referring to cicadas.
I have wanted this shrub since the year 2000.
I helped plant a church courtyard in all white flowers.
I desperately wanted the Camellia japonica ‘White by the Gate’.
It looked like the Lutheran symbol, the white rose.
We had to settle for some other white camellias.
We also planted a white rose and white azaleas.
Nothing on that side thrived, except the Japanese anemones ‘Honorine Jobert.’
Eventually all shrubs came out for rehab and the anemones took over.
Now there are no plants there, due to a new project going in.
When I stumbled upon this lovely shrub after all these years,
I took it as a sign to accept this change.
Now this long-awaited shrub is in my yard.
The bloom is everything I dreamed it would be.
Hold on to those dreams.
They may eventually come true, even if it is seventeen years later.
FLOWER
floweralley 
Bonsoir Flower, vos voeux ont été exaucés et cette fleur est magnifique 🙂 Bravo!
Mes amitiés
LikeLike
Beautiful flowers, all of them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perfect beauty!
LikeLiked by 1 person
White By the Gate is my favorite camellia and does really well in my garden. It is a beautiful pure white. I like the idea of planting an all white garden in church yard.
LikeLike
It was a meditation garden with a fountain in the middle. We wanted it to represent purity in thought and heart. It was a very quiet and soothing place.
LikeLike
Gorgeous and pristine! Do the flowers age well, i.e., drop neatly before turning brown? My neighbour’s white camellia (no idea what variety) peeks over the fence. The flowers are beautiful for a few days, then get that “tea-stained” look for a day or so before the petals fall. That browning-off is the only downside of an otherwise beautiful plant.
LikeLike
I don’t know yet. That was its first bloom. My Jean May camellia does a little of both browning and dropping. We shall see.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The little shrub is LUCKY to be in your yard, being loved and cared for each day by you! Enjoy!
LikeLiked by 1 person