A Symbol of Love Blossoms Every Valentine's Day at in Ocean City

Even though Ocean City saw traces of snow and ice over the weekend, a flowering tree in a side yard at Fourth Street and Central Avenue has blossomed in time for Valentine’s Day.

And while camellias are often among the first flowers to appear in late winter, Rubina Dombrosky knows there's another reason for the winter blossoms.

When Dombrosky first bought her home in the 1990s, an elderly neighbor told her a story of love connected to the tree.

The home's original owner, John, planted the flowering bush for his wife when they were newlyweds. It was a symbol of his love for her. Every year he would be away for months and maybe even a year as a seaman traveling to China on cargo ships.

The camellia is native to eastern and southern Asia, and it is assumed that the seaman saw the flower in China and planted one for his love at home.

John told his wife that every time the flower blooms it would show his love for her. And Dombrosky says that to this day, especially for Valentine’s Day, the flower blooms no matter how cold, how icy or how much snow there is on the ground.

“Watching the brilliant red flowers bloom, especially during the winter months,  the birds nesting amongst the branches and the squirrels eating the fallen buds brightens my heart on those cold winter days — a reminder that spring is near,” Dombrosky says.

The flowering bush and yard are the main reason why Dombrosky purchased the property, and she says it brings happiness to her by looking at it.

“This tree and its legend symbolize the hope and renewal of love throughout the ages. Love is constant and divine!” Dombrosky says.