DATE:    03/08/04
WRITER:  Rebecca Slater, 1-888-656-9988
EDITOR:  Susan Bedingfield, (864) 656-3876

Late blooming varieties 
extend camellia season 

               By Rebecca Slater, 
               Information Specialist,
          Clemson Extension Home & Garden Information Center

     CLEMSON - Camellias are some of the south's most beautiful 
flowers.
     Give them a shady spot with good soil, and they will reward you 
with glossy, evergreen leaves and beautiful flowers for many months 
during the coldest part of the year. 
     The two most popular camellias grown in South Carolina are the
sasanqua (Camellia sasanqua) and the common (Camellia japonica).  
     Sasanquas generally bloom in the fall and early winter and 
common camellias bloom from early winter through late spring. Sasanquas
have smaller leaves than common camellias and their flowers often have
a sweet fragrance. 
     With careful planning, you can have camellias blooming in your 
garden from October through May.
     Before purchasing one for your garden, it is important to see 
what the flowers look like. Stop by a local nursery during the winter 
and spring months, or take a stroll in the camellia garden at the South 
Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson. Bring a notepad and take down the 
names of your favorites. 
     For the Internet savvy, check out the American Camellia Society 
website at http://www.camellias-acs.org. This site has a camellia photo 
gallery, tips on growing camellias and where to go see them in bloom.
     The following list of common camellias outlines some spring 
flowering varieties that may be in bloom now or through May. 
     * Betty Sheffield Supreme is a lovely variety with large white
       flowers. Each petal is bordered in pink to rose-red.
     * Covina is a compact, sun tolerant variety with beautiful, 
       rose-red flowers about three inches across. 
     * Daikagura is considered one of the greatest camellias of all
       time. The large, bright pink flowers are often splotched with 
       white but may also be all pink. This variety has a very long 
       bloom period and forms a dense, upright bush. 
     * Kamasaka offers large, rose-pink flowers on a vigorous, 
       upright bush. It is a heavy bloomer and can take morning sun.
     * Mathotiana has very large, deep red flowers that often have a 
       purplish cast and can be more than five inches across! This 
       variety is a vigorous and upright grower. 
     * Swan Lake is a lovely, elegant variety with white flowers that
       can be five or more inches across. It grows into a vigorous, 
       upright bush.
     * Tiffany also offers flowers of five or more inches across, but 
       they are a stunning, orchid pink color. 
     * Mrs. Charles Cobb is a heavy bloomer with large, glowing, dark 
       red flowers. It forms a compact bush and performs best in the 
       central and coastal areas of the state.
     * Purity has fluffy white flowers about three inches across on a 
       vigorous, upright plant. It is a very late bloomer, which helps 
       the flowers escape early spring rain damage.   
     * Nuccio's Jewel offers very large white flowers with pink-edged 
       petals. It grows well in containers.
     * R.L. Wheeler is a very common and popular camellia.  It has 
       large, red flowers that often have small white blotches. 
     For detailed information on growing camellias, see HGIC 1062, 
"Camellias," and HGIC 2053, "Camellia Problems" on the Clemson 
Extension Home and Garden Information Center website at 
http://hgic.clemson.edu.
          ******************************************
     For answers to your gardening, pest and food safety questions, 
visit the Clemson Extension Home & Garden Information Center 
website at http://hgic.clemson.edu , call us toll-free at 
1-888-656-9988, or write to PSA Media Relations, 120 Lehotsky 
Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29634-0129.
                         END