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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Trip to Camellia Forest Nursery

Today I drove over to Chapel Hill to see what camellias Camellia Forest had. I knew they had Lady Clare and it has been big on my list. They offered about 10 different camellias on sale but I decided on others instead. It was a nice day and even a few butterflies were flying. Remarkably I saw a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on camellias. Once I got home I checked and the late date for NC on Eastern Tiger Swallowtails is November 23 in Orange County (same county), so it was 3 days before the late date not a new record. Also seen was a Red Admiral on the hummingbird feeder at the nursery.

Here are my picks today ones that are going in our garden. Above and below is Camellia sasanqua Pink Butterfly it was introduced by Camellia Forest, so it is a local cultivar in fact! This plant was in a 3 gallon pot and clearly 4 foot tall covered in buds and 4 inch blooms. I had another option instead of this one Moon Festival which has slightly larger blooms but they are crinkled, it was huge in a 5 gallon pot out of my price range.
Here is a close look at the Camellia japonica 'Lady Clare' I bought. It is about 2 foot tall and has 6-7 buds on it. FYI that bud is big yet half the size it'll be before the flower opens. Lady Clare has a huge deep pink bloom.
Camellia Forest also grows primroses and hybridizes them. I bought this whitish one below
and a blue one that is not blooming yet. These are proved hardy in our area.

Below is the Red Admiral found on the hummingbird feeder. In our area if you leave out your hummingbird feeder you might get an overwintering hummingbird. Usually in the summer we have only one hummer the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but in the winter we(not me) have had 7-8 different western hummers visit our feeders.

Below are some of the other camellias that caught my eye today.
A species camellia puniceflora with 1 1/2 inch white with pink edges. Might have to get this one in our garden.
Here is Camellia 'Mieko Tanaka' Loved the way these 2 inch blooms opened up so far.
Below is Camellia 'Yobuko Dori' these blooms are just under 3 inches I believe.
Below is Camellia sasanqua 'Pink Serenade' beautiful 4 inch or so blooms!
From our garden Crocus speciosus today. We should have 4 blooms in the morning. Sherry this is not the saffron crocus, I planted the saffron crocus in our garden about a month before these were planted, one visitor remarked they bloom bi annually, we just have leaves coming up, just like after  the blooms of spring crocus.


19 comments:

  1. Very beautiful flowers.

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  2. The camellias are gorgeous...a couple of them look as if they have been fashioned from tissue paper.

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  3. I get their catalog at work and pour over it as soon as it arrives. I should really make an effort to get down there and see these for myself. I like the C. puniceflora also.

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  4. The Camellias are just beautiful. It would be nice to see some hummingbirds in the winter, great photos.

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  5. Sigh! Beautiful Camellias Randy. I shall enjoy watching them grow in your garden. Lovely choices and the primrose is stunning. The blooms remind me of a kaleidoscope. What a jewel your autumn crocuses are!

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  6. Just beautiful! Carla

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  7. Love this nursery - I've got two sasanquas from them I grow in containers here in Connecticut. Thanks for the vicarious visit!

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  8. I love the single white Camellia tinged with pink. I've never been to Camellia Forest and not sure I should go. lol

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  9. Those crocus i love to look at because the leaves come out later. I love it together with the butterfly more than the camelias.

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  10. I love Camellias as they are big in the landscaping in our town.

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  11. How wonderful to have flowers coming up this late in the season! And how nice to still have the butterfly beauties!

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  12. Hi Randy and Meg, If I didn't know better, I'd think I was looking in my own backyard (your last photo). However, there's nothing so beautiful growing back there now... :-) Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!

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  13. What a treat to visit that nursery this time of year.

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  14. Like everyone else I really like that C. puniceflora. It is quite different from the camellias I'm used to and looks so sweet. My friend orders from this nursery. She keeps telling me I need to check them but I have too many camellias and plants already. Have to cut back on adding plants-not enough space or money. Someday I'll visit this nursery though. It is great you saw some butterflies so late in the year. What a treat!

    P.S. Was wondering how you saw the post so fast now I see it on your sidebar. Gotta love those blogrolls for keeping up! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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  15. You never disappoint: beautiful photos of lovely flowers and butterflies.

    Randy, many blessings to you and Meg this Thanksgiving season.

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  16. Sounds like a fascinating place and the blooms are gorgeous! Love the last shot of the crocus and the sea of leaves.

    Thank you for visiting my new blog...and for your words. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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  17. Some beautiful flowers. I came over to your blog after reading your comment on mine about Camellias and was happy to see some here. I don't grow them, but they're big plants here at one of the conservatories and nice to go photograph.

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