The North Florida winter continues with several more nights with frost and the daily high temperatures only in the 50-60F range. Nonetheless, the CAMELLIAS bloom on enthusiastically. Among the C. japonica species, there are a seemingly endless array of cultivars characterized by single or multiple colors, stamens, petal arrangements, etc. Though closed due to COVID this year, the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens sponsors an annual Camellia Society competition with truly remarkable numbers of varieties that can be perused for that one missing so far in one’s collection. I have obtained my collection by purchases at the Kanapaha show, the Wilmot Garden Plant Sale, Garden Gate Nursery, trades/gifts from neighbors, and a few shoots from my own bushes rooted and grown in pots. My efforts to catalog my collection suffered a severe setback when I decided to mark every bush with a copper name plate with the variety name etched into the plates surface, connected to long metal stakes positioned in the ground at the base of the shrub. After dozens of these were placed, I discovered that the shiny plates were disappearing by unknown means. Leading suspects are the squirrels, carrying them off to their nests. In any case, I enjoy the blooms greatly, even if I am not sure of the variety! This week’s blog features blooms with fancy stamens.
TAProots
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