Camellia Festival - 2009

Pacific Camellia Society Flower Show Saturday, January 17 | 1 to 4 pm Sunday, January 18 | 9 am to 4 pm Southern California Camellia Society Saturday, January 31 | 1 to 4 pm Sunday, February 1 | 9 am to 4 pm Camellia Pruning Demonstration Sunday, March 1 | 2 pm Learn an important facet of care from one of Descanso’s expert Camellia Council members explains the basics of pruning. Discover ways to prune for maximum size and quantity of blooms and effective techniques for reshaping your plants. Southern California Camellia Council Show Saturday, February 28 | 1 to 4 pm Sunday, March 1 | 9 am to 4 pm

Lecture: Camellia Culture and Care Saturday, February 28 | 2 pm Members of the Camellia Council will share their best secrets on how to grow beautiful flowers. The talk will cover fertilizing, pest management, and all aspects of camellia culture. Pacific Camellia Society Late Bloomers Show Saturday, March 14 | 1 to 4 pm Sunday, March 15 | 9 am to 4 pm Horticultural Spotlights: Walking Tour Chief horticulturalist Wayne Walker will lead a tour of Descanso Gardens’ extensive camellia collection. Some of the best specimens are off the beaten path and our staff will guide you there. Along the way, you will learn more about this plant prized by Chinese and Japanese cultures and how Descanso came to have so many. Sunday, January 18 | 2 pm Sunday, February 1 | 2 pm Sunday, March 1 | 12:30 pm

Did you know… Descanso Gardens is home to the largest camellia collection in North America and consists
of more than 34,000 plants. Descanso’s Camellia Forest has both rare and familiar camellias
and has been designated a Garden of Excellence by the International Camellia Society.

Camellias at Descanso bloom from early autumn to early spring, but the most dazzling floral display is in January through February.

The core collection of 100,000 camellias was purchased by Descanso Gardens’ founder E. Manchester Boddy from nurserymen F.M. Uyematsu and F.W. Yoshimura.

The most commonly-planted species in America are Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua, and Camellia reticulata. C. sinensis is the tea plant and originated in China.

Legend has it that camellias arrived in England as the result of a ruse. The Chinese, reluctant to lose their lucrative monopoly on the tea trade, answered demands for the plant by substituting C. japonica for C. sinensis. Although deprived of their tea, the English, avid gardeners, were quick in their appreciation of the substitution.

The first camellias came to America in 1797, where they were cultivated in New England greenhouses before their culture spread south and westward.

To learn more… Macoboy, S., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Camellias, Portland OR: Timber Press, 1998.
The Camellia Journal, American Camellia Society, pub.
The Camellia Review, Southern California Camellia Society, La Verne, CA

www.americancamellias.org, www.socalcamellias.org, www.pacificcamellias.org, www.nucciosnurseries.com

A Walk Through the Camellia Forest
By Wayne Walker, Camellia Horticulturist

Camellias at Descanso bloom from early autumn to early spring, with the most dazzling floral display in winter—January through February.

The magnificent Camellia sasanquas begin to bloom in October. They thrive through December and, if nature allows, will last into the new year. You can find sasanquas on the way to and in the Japanese Garden. Then, if you walk across the main lawn to the Camellia Information Center and turn left into the forest, you will be walking under them on your left. Moving through the West Camellia Forest you will find a large group of sasanquas in the southwest corner. Then, if you stroll back down the road that runs through the west forest to the main lawn, you will see the popular ‘Mine-No-Yuki,’ also known as ‘White Doves’ on the left.

As you wander through the West Camellia Forest you may find a path lined with new plants on both sides. This is the Camellia Gallery. These species camellia are arranged to lead from the small flowering plants at the west, to larger flowers on the east. Both blossoms and foliage on these special camellias can have a different look than the more common C. japonicas. Look for tubular or small, single flowers, and foliage that can be slender, wavy, ribbed, coarse or serrated. The Camellia Gallery path ends by the Higo camellias.

You also can see new plantings of C. nitidissima, a beautiful yellow camellia, at the base of the stairs leading through the forest to the Boddy House. We plan to have more yellow camellias in this area in years to come.

I hope you enjoy your next stroll through the Camellia Forest. You never know what will be blooming or what you my find but you can be sure to find beauty wherever you look.