They are beautiful Kevin. Where do your parents live - they must be in a warmer zone. I'm just across the Betsy Ross Bridge in S. Jersey and my camellias are full of buds but they won't bloom for another few months. They've been unexpectedly easy to care for - actually I don't do anything for them except prune them a little after blooming.

Beautiful. Especially the Candy Cane's.

Lovely! I have dozens of camellias and they are such a joy in winter when little else is blooming. I also like that they live for centuries.

Those are so pretty!! I love camellias, but cannot grow anything that ends in -ia for some strange reason. I even have a fairly green thumb!

Nancy

My mother grew, raised, hybridized and sold camellias. They were always gorgeous this time of year, near the time of her birth and she loved them dearly. I love this post, reminds me of her.

sigh.....

i really need to plant some camelias. tell me, do they do well as cut flowers in the house as well?

Yes, but they don't last as long as roses, for instance, and they have no fragrance. Also, unless your bush is old and huge, you won't want to cut any off for arranging. Each flower will seem precious for quite a few years- they are slow growers and can take awhile to get established- meaning you may lose a few if you don't take proper care of them.

So for cut flowers the same year or two, I would recommend planting something else. For long term, they are wonderful.

Here is mine, the heavy rain knocked off a lot of blossoms though!

Kevin, your parents have gorgeous camellias. I love my Yutildes too...so cheerful. I have one in a green pot going gangbusters right now.

These are Shishi Gashiras blooming in backyard since November. Will be providing winter color 'til February.
(Some around pond are Yultides too.)

Jiminy crickets, sorry the pics are so big!

That bed with the crape myrtle is lovely!! When my nursery opens again, I am headed down to get some of those!! Pray for them......I always kill camellias, but I am willing to try again. They look pruned, stinky-gardener....when do you prune them?

Thanks!

Nancy

springroz, soil, soil, soil and water, water, water.

Hi Nancy! Thanks. So nice of you to say that about the bed. I was feeling it looked so messy. It looks better mulched with pine bark in the late spring. Of course, these camellias are not blooming in spring (I have others in different spots that are) but they stay nice & full & green all year long.

Haven't pruned anything but strays here & there on the camellias for the last few years, Nancy. Any pruning you do should be done within 30 days of the final bloom time. After 30 days, you should clip very little if at all.

I will need to cut back the Shishi Gashiras in the front of the house this year as they are getting quite large! They are all very abundant bloomers; maybe because I prune sparingly & use Holly Tone- camellias & azaleas love that stuff!

Good luck with your new plants. (Btw, don't know where you are, but Virginia is about as far north as camellias will tolerate!).

Nancy, just to show you the plants w/out blooms-same bed:
(I also didn't plant that narrow strip of grass this Fall..I will see what that looks like mulched this spring!)

That's very pretty, Stinky!

Thanks, Bumblebeez! I'd sure like to see pics of your camellias! You have such a beautiful, romantic landscape, & your camellias must be breathtaking! A Jane Austen book made into a movie could be filmed on your property (& you could make a cameo appearance with your curls gently blowing in the breeze!).

Thanks so much for posting those pics. I've been trying to think of some plants for 2 spots in my yard yet never thought of Camellias. Geez....how could I not consider those!

I see I've done myself a huge disservice by not planting camellias! I know very little about them, but it's obviously time to do some research. I especially like the striped one.

stinkygardener, I wouldn't want to highjack Kevin's thread, but, since there haven't been any posts in a couple of days, it's probably OK. :) I love that first image you posted--can you give me a rundown on some of the other plants? I really want to know what the tree is in the center of the camellias! Plus the large shrubs in the background to the right of the camellias and behind as well.

Bumblebeez, have you posted pictures of your garden before? Any chance you could provide a few links to those posts? When someone suggests your property could serve as a movie set and then that's the end of it....no fair! :)))