Know your Camellia

"What a desolate place this would be, a world with out a flower!  It would be a face with out a smile, a feast with out a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of the earth,and are not our stars the flowers of the heaven."   A.J. Balfour

Debutant

Sasanqua Pink Snow

When I planted my Camellias I thought all Camellias bloomed in late November to early February, this is the time I need color.  My goal was to have something blooming at all time.   I bought six, three blooms November until, some are still blooming.  The Pink Snow Sasanqua is in the Camellia family, have just about stopped blooming.  The leaves and flowers on the Sasanqua are not as big as on the Camellia.  I have three red Camellia that will not bloom until late March.  I have bulbs and Azaleas that will be blooming then.  I was really disappointed  because the yard was bare of color.  But at least they are evergreen that does help.  I have a red and white variegated Camellia blooming now and it is bigger than the Debutant and the pink snow.   

Red Variegated Camellia




Twenty eight feet long and  four feet wide

The Camellia is a native plant in southern Japan in Shiakw Kyushu and many miner islands as far south as Okinawa.   In Japan they do not grow Camellias just for the beautiful flowers, after the blooms are gone they foam a nut, I have never seen one on mine.  The ones that grow in Japan are the original plants that may be the only ones to have the nut.   Japan harvests  the nuts to make medicine and an oil they use for cooking, also in some cosmetic.  I am going to pay close attention to see if mine foams any kind of nut, if they do I will take a photo and put on this blog later.  Japan does put the image of the Camellia on fabrics to make the dresses for the ladies.  A Christmas Camellia ( Sasanqua) called the Japan Rose blooms early in the winter.  I am going to buy two, I have found them on Internet in a three gallon pot for forty dollars, but first I am going to Willis farm in Ruston.  The double Camellias we have today came about because Lord Petre's gardener planted them in his garden.in 1739. After Lord Petre death in 1743  his gardener introduced the first Camellia to the public.  John Slater was responsible for the first double Camellia a white with red strips in 1792.   I am planning another room on  the East side of my yard.   With two twenty four foot beds around them, I hope to find winter bulbs.  I have already lined the outside two of two older  beds with yellow daffodils and planted pink Hyacinths.  I want all flowers in these to be evergreen but they must bare flowers in early spring or early winter.





I am hoping to convince my Carrel to build another long bed between my house and his. I will plant some winter and early spring blooming plants.  In this twenty eight foot bed I have two red Camellias, two tall pink Azaleas and two short pink Azaleas.  I have a black metal table and four chairs.  I want four green walls around the table and chairs.  I want Carrel to floor this room with concrete using the same mold we used making the path.  We will put the opening nest to the house, at the end of the new bed running East and west.

One of these beds will run East and West the other one North and South.  No grass will grow here, too much shade. One thing I have learned, Camellias will grow and bloom in sun or shade.  I have two that get a lot of sun and I have three that get very little sun.  If you know of any bulbs that blooms in  early winter let me know.  I hope you have enjoyed this page of my blog.  I hope  you have enjoyed watching my garden grow and bloom and you will grow one of your own.  Happy gardening to you from me, Juanita.





Red and white Camellia

I just had to pick this one first time I have had one on a stem, so I could put it in a vase.