Can i have your support please!!!

You are very welcome.

Bbrookrd,yea our Camellias bloom from Winter to late Spring.They are a beautiful flower that you can enjoy in the winter.That is the best thing about them.

Hello - just found this thread thanks to scutler...... whom I had contacted months ago inquiring as to WHERE on DG I could find more info on camellias. I LOVE them and want to have hundreds, but so far, I am not having a lot of success with them. I planted three new ones last Spring in a more shady area and they were doing wonderful (first time ever that I had them live more than a few weeks) until my husband accidently fertilized them with tree stakes trying to 'help' me and they died immediately. I didn't realize until a few weeks ago WHAT happened and I had started searching on DG for more info on what might have attacked them - at least I am finally glad to know what happened to them so that hopefully I can avoid it with the three that I just purchased last week.

I paid 18.95 for ones that I got in a 1 gallon container, and 34.95 for one that I just HAD to have in a 3 gal container..... There was a beautiful Gov Mouton (I believe that is the correct name) that I REALLY wanted but they only had it in a LARGE version at a price of 56 and I just couldn't swing that. I hope to be able to find that variety in a smaller size -..... I have been told there are over 450 variaties so I have started trying to notice the names of the ones I particularly like....need to start a list really because my memory isn't that good! ^_^ I love the Leslie Ann and the Nuccio's Pearl shown above as well..... need to add them to my list too... The Leslie Ann is one of the few Saq that I have seen that I really like so I hope to find one of those too.

Good luck on your attempt to get a forum for camellias .....maybe if we don't get a forum we can all agree to "meet" on a particular forum so that we can continue to learn together. Like for instance several on the midsouth forum had a prayer request thread and we were asked to move it to the prayer request forum - which was done - but almost all the same people still post and participate ..... my point is often it is just LOCATING the people with the same interest. SO, if this is not successful, maybe we can just post a camellia thread within the shrub forum..........?? Just an idea. I for one had hoped there would be a camellia forum, but if not, we seem to have a scattered interest from different locations across the country and maybe we can grow from there.

Enjoyed the photos of all the beautiful camellias. I love all flowers but camellias are definitely special to me.....I just don't have enough shade to ever have large quantities. Whoever posted about having a cutting off one of the ones from the 1700s - I think that would be totally awesome. In fact, I would love to have a cutting off of one that my husband's grandmother had............... I need to attempt that. There is a doctor locally that has propagated thousands of camellias by the air layering method I believe.............but I don't have a clue how to do that......

Looking forward to learning more about camellias......
Genna

Genna,sorry to hear about your Camellias.I think one gallons around here are like 10.00.Their are some that cost alot though.Yea,i'm wanting to get more of them too,but maybe later on.So please keep us posted on how many you end up with and let us know how they are doing.Yes i'm hoping we can keep this thread going so ladies hang in their and help me keep the thread going.

Thanks,Cody

After growing camellias for more than 40 years in many different homes as we moved around I have a bit of experience in buying camellias and can tell you that the ones sold in the big box stores are not the healthiest plants to begin with and are more than likely mislabeled. If you want quality, and camellias live forever remember, buy from local growers or one of the better camellia nurseries. Camellia Forest is a good one I have used but there are many others advertised in the American Camellia Society literature.

http://camforest.com/
http://www.camellias-acs.com/

Some of the best and least expensive camellias are available from those local growers like the man you mention that air layers. I would bet he also sells young plants. Does your Dept. of Agriculture publish a Market Bulletin? Most states have this publication where things like farm equipment and "home grown" plants are offered for sale. I have found a number of local growers through the SC Market Bulletin.

Recently I toured the garden of a 93 year old gentleman who grows over 300 varieties of camellias. He still takes care of the garden and propagates the new plants by himself. Some of his camellias were as large as trees with enormous trunks. This one was labeled 'Valley R. Knudson'.

Wow - that must have been an awesome tour. The gentleman here locally is a medical doctor .... should be around 90 at this point (he delivered me) and he raises hundreds too..... underneath a canopy of large oaks and pines on approx 5 acres in front of his home. It is stunning when there are several in bloom.

I guess I really should contact him to see if he ever sells any..............

Thanks for the link to Camellia Forest - they have some beautiful ones as well. But I think the freight would make it cost prohibitive for me. Maybe we should see if one of the large nurseries would be interested in us having a camellia coop.................or offering a discount to DG members ??
Genna

Ardesia,that is a pretty bloom.I love Pink.

Thanks, I loved that one, this one was pretty also, 'Kickoff'

I don't grow any, no room but I sure appreciate their beauty. Here's an old one that a friend has in her garden, she doesn't know the name.

Ardesia,that one is pretty too.

Calif_Sue,that one looks like a Tricolor or Lavinia Maggi,but not sure.

Whichever it is it is beautiful. Thanks for posting it Sue.

Here is an unusual color, yellow.

The fairly new cultivar, Senritsu-Ko.

Kell,that is a pretty one.

Kelllllllllllll, you are being an enabler again, :-)

Think how I feel Alice, living with one 24/7!

Must be rough Kell, but someone has to do it. :-)

Wow - those are all gorgeous! Ya'll are making me want some more!!

Thanks Gen2026,go for it,they are lovely to enjoy when they bloom,it's worth it.

Yeah - just not many good sources locally without paying an arm and a leg. Are you close to Forest Hills? do they carry lots of camellias there? I am HOPING to make a trip down there next month................

Genna

Genna,i think i'm about 2 hours from there.We go every year and it's nice.I think they do carry Camellias.I know when i go i'm going to get some too.Around here you will pay at less 10.00 that is not to bad.Forest Hill should be cheaper.

Cody

How does an outsider know where to go in Forest Hills? Are all the nurserys open to the public ?? Just curious since I have never been before and I heard there were over 90 nurseries there................ I don't even know where to start !!

Genna

Genna,i don't think all of them are open the the public.Most of them are,it should tell you if you can buy their or not.All i know is you will have a blast a you will want to keep coming back.

Cody

Genna,another thing is when you see how cheap that stuff is your mouth will just drop to the ground.Once you go you will not won't to leave.LOL

Cody

Now we ALL want to go there. :-)

Ardesia,it would be nice if you could.You would love it,you would think your in plant heaven.

I have heard that plants were 3, 5 and 7 dollars at a lot of places - not sure how true that is..... but I am wanting to make the long journey there and come back with enough plants to do the foundation planting on the front of my house.......... not sure I am going to be able to swing it but that is what I WANT to do!

Other things keep getting into my 'planting stash' like my son's recent surgery and the big co-pay for it................ but I am thankful that at least we have insurance that covered most of the 56K bill !!!

Genna

Sheeeeesh, that is horrible. I do hope your boy is OK.

I just found this website; have fun ya'll.
http://www.gardenguides.com/resources/nurseries/nurseries-city.asp?dest=Forest+Hill+LA#

Genna,sorry to hear about your son.I hope he is getting better everyday.

Genna,check your dmail.

Thanks everyone - my son had major back surgery on Jan 23 and is doing great! The doctor told him Tuesday that he is healing great and that the bones are already fusing well and that if things continue as they are going he will be back to 100% by 3 mos instead of 6 that he had originally been told! I was a bit shocked at the bill, but thank goodness we have good insurance... we do have a 500 deductible on the hospital visit and I am not sure about some of the stuff that the insurance didn't allow..... but overall, we are very blessed. I have a friend whose husband needs back surgery and they have a 20% co-pay !! So I am definitely not complaining - it is just with him in college and 2 other kids, I have trouble scraping enough money to do my foundation planting and I have been saving ..... this just took a chunk out of it.

Thanks Cody for all your help!! I really appreciate it!
Genna

You are very well Genna,anytime.I will get those names to you.

Genna,i have not forgot about the names.He has been working but i will get them to you.

Thanks,Cody

No problem.... just whenever he has some time is fine. My life is crazy hectic right now so I completely understand!!
Thanks!
Genna

Thanks Genna,i will get him to do it soon.How is your son doing?

Don't forget we also have a way to help you plan a nursery "crawl":

http://davesgarden.com/products/go/advanced.php?zip_distance=50&zip=71430&state=xx&country=XX&type=gardencenters&search_text=&sorter=distance&submit=Search

And we really encourage you to take pictures and add comments to the nurseries you've visited...what you know will help others. (And you never know when we might just have a fun little challenge--with prizes--for sharing what you know ;o)

ardesia I just spotted your link to the site - missed it earlier.................thanks!! Lots of info on there for sure! Forest Hills must be an overwhelming site! I wish you all could have seen my kids faces when I was telling my husband there are over 150 nurseries in the town!! They were like "we are NOT going there!!! - we will NEVER get to come back home!!" It was funny..... they are 15 & 16 (the one in college was not home) and they know that a trip to a single nursery takes a while. They couldn't imagine how many years it would take to go thru that many !! ^_^

Genna

Wow - Terry we cross posted..... that is amazing too. Overwhelming - but I hope to figure it out and get somewhat organized BEFORE I go or else I may never find my way back home !!! ^_^ Thanks for the info. I have only had a chance to check out one website so far - the Doug Young Nursery - and I am only partially thru it. Noticed they do have camellias both japonica and sasanqua at much better prices than I could ever hope for around here!

Thanks for the info..................back to look at all the wonderful nurseries and websites!
Genna

Remember that many of the nuseries in the area are wholesale/to-the-trade only.

We try to list only those that do sell to the public (I think the other link may contain a lot more wholesale-only nurseries, and I spotted a couple on their list that are closed ;o)

Genna,when you go you will have a blast,because they have all kinds of stuff.Their is this one Pineywoods Nursery i like to go too.They have Bromeliads beautiful flowers in a pot.Once you go you won't want to go home.When we go we spend the whole day their.

This message was edited Feb 24, 2009 12:08 PM