This lovely thing - a camellia - was blooming in my neighbor's garden this morning. I liked it better yesterday. Its shapely form, bright pink petals and shiny green leaves seemed so spring-like - and so did the air, which was almost 70 degrees. We ran around without coats on last night!
It was still there this morning, though the temperature had dropped by almost 20 degrees. I donned a coat this time and dashed over to the neighbor's house to take this stealth photo. Perhaps that's the point. Camellias are blooming all over this area, once thought too cold for them to survive past summer.
That's thanks to the warming trend, but also to all the new cold-hardy varieties now available to home gardeners. And that's the subject of a national conference coming to Longwood Gardens on Feb. 23-24. For info, you can visit www.camellias-acs.org or call 478-967-2358. (You need to register ahead.)
The conference is sponsored by the American Camellia Society, which unfortunately has no local chapter closer than Washington, D.C. Kind of surprising when you consider that Philadelphia was an important center for camellias back in the 19th century, whether the issue was number of growers, varieties originated or plants propagated. Some of the early standouts include Robert Buist, James B. Smith and David Landreth. Even Longwood has a camellia connection.
"Philadelphia, in the early days, was a hotbed of interest in camellias," says Barb Tuffli, a camellia enthusiast who called earlier this week from California to talk about the Longwood conference. There'll be lots for home gardeners to see and learn. She promised.
Camellia experts will be on hand. You'll learn about flower-arranging using camellias and making tea from camellias and what companion plants to use with them in the garden. Cost depends on how much of the festivities you care to experience.
Till then, take a spin around the neighborhood. You never know when you'll catch a blooming camellia in the middle of winter - when it isn't 70 degrees!
