Camellia japonica, sasanqua, oleifera and sinensis

Great photo, Mike!
Do you happen to know the variety?
--Erik

Hi all,

Sorry for the late reply; I am studying for my exam next week.

Tavi, I have no idea yet where to get the Trachi wagneri 😥 However, I started to make some connections and extend my search to the US, especially to North Carolina. The tea (Camellia Sinensis var sinensis Small leaf version) will come from the Camellia Forest Nursery, for example. I hope I am going to find the wagnerii in that state, because the Florida stock might be a bit sensitive, I guess... The bamboo will come from BC (Bambooworld). There is a big bamboo retailer in Ohio, but just confirmed that it is extremely difficult for him to ship from US to Canada (extra inspection costs of about $75/plant, etc..!!!!)

Erik, I know that agony about the Sabal. It may be a bit sensitive in the first couple of winters, would you agree? Francko showed a few beautiful pics of S. palmetto from - I think - Tulsa and Oklahoma city in his book (palms won't grow here.... oh, BTW, what he called Araucaria was actually a Cunninghamia..) , you are basically there, eh? ( I would definitely buy it, not that I want to push it.... oh yes, I want to :-))

Mike, that picture is the last stab in my back. Just a sheer beauty. I want my Camellias!!! NOW!

(for fun: I keep calling the city hall. The responsible person for my permit is not a gardener but an engineer. Sometimes a meeting, sometimes other urgent issues prevent him from stamping my paper. Once I was told that my request was already on his desk (wow!), but that was a week ago...

Anyway, I'll have to wait with the pics, sorry. Rob

As for the variety i know it cam in pots six years ago as "Camelia Japonica/Drama Girl' they smell really good too. I love thatthey bloom in October and November. They really got tall this year from all the snow and rain.

Thanks.
For the record, although the tag on mine said Camellia japonica "Winter's Star", I am pretty sure "Winter's Star" in a hybrid developed by a William Ackerman. --Erik

Are yours out int he open or sheltered from winds? And, do they also bloom in fall?

I just bought the book "Beyond the Camellia Belt" by Ackermann (I ordered it from the Camellia Forest Nursery in NC) and I found "Winter Star" Erik, you were right. It is the hybrid of Camellia oleifera ' Lu Shan Snow' and Camellia hiemalis 'Showa-no-sakae'. Blooms from early October tthrough November. HArdy to -5F (-20C). Excellent hybrid!
Rob

Mike,
it is sited on the NE side of my Gazebo (the big pink thing in my "wife" thread; also visible on the google earth thread) so it gets afternoon shade all year.
It gets blasted by winter winds.
Rob,
it had great blooms in late Fall, as the winter jasmine was firing up.
I'd like to find some more plants that would give me blooms in January/February. Would any Camellias do that?
--Erik

The only thing I can get to bloom a little bit that time of year is Mediterranean heather, and even that is a crap shoot. Sometimes they are snow covered that time of year.

Erik,

I just checked my Camellia book by Ackerman for Jan-Feb blooming camellias. The ones I fond are the following (in order of blooming period, the last two blooming in February and the previous ones in Dec through Jan):

Ashton Snow, Winter's Snowman, Winter's Toughie, Winter's Joy, Winter's Peony, Winter's Fire, Winter's Darling, Winter's Interlude, Elaine Lee, Winter's Waterlilly, Winter's Cupid, Winter's Beauty, Fairweather Favourite, Ashton's Pink, Pink Icicle and Spring Cardinal.

All of these guys are good at least until - 20 C, with half of them even down to - 26 C!!!!

Good luck, Erik!
Rob

Thanks!
I'll try to track them down.
One of my silly gardening goals is to always have something in bloom. Right now I rely on winter jasmine, which is super. --Erik

Erik,

Is the winter jasmine the Jasminum nudiflorum? Does it start blooming already in the dead winter in Oklahoma? If yes, your place is already a spot to envy.... Have you tried crepe myrtles?

Rob

Rob, yes, Jasminum nudiflorum. Started blooming in December, took all of January off, started up again latest February and had sporadic blooms into early May.
Hard to find for some reason. I'll buy several more when I can.
How far north do folks grow this?
--Erik

The Jasminum nudiflorm should be OK in zone 6 and maybe zone 5. It is a weed in Hungary, even in the coldest places with zone 5... The only thing is that the flowers may be frozen off in mid winter if they come out too early for the location.

Have you tried Laurocerasus officinalis, too? It is pretty rare in North America, but another great BLE for warmer places. Nice white flowers in summer.

Rob

Oh Erik,

Two more jasmines to try:

- Jasminum humile - nice evergreen with yellow flowers, shrub of 1.5-2 m tall, blooming in the summer and
- Jasmimum fruticans - very compact evergreen with yellow flowers, shrub of about 1.5 m tall, blooming in the summer, too.

Rob

Man Guy's,
I have the same book a Rob. I think you have to go to DC to get the different types. I would love to have some nice sized ones of the hardy cultivars.

Might be a good reason to head 7 hours south to the VA boarder, I'm always up for a good plant hunt!

Bill