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Cold-loving camellias a beautiful new breed
Cold-hardy camellias thrive with morning sun and afternoon shade. Barry Fugatt/Courtesy
By BARRY FUGATT Garden World
Published: 11/7/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 11/7/2009 4:30 AM
A tour group visiting the Linnaeus Teaching Garden in Woodward Park was surprised to see camellias, traditionally deep South shrubs, blooming in the garden.
I explained that the beautiful camellias (say kuh-meel-yuhs) were new cold-hardy varieties. I also shared the intriguing story of how the camellias came into being. Were it not for an observant worker at the National Arboretum 30 years ago, camellias would not be blooming in the Linnaeus Garden this fall.
The winters of 1978 and '79 were the worst on record for the Washington, D.C., area. Sub-zero temperatures devastated thousands of shrubs at the U.S. National Arboretum, including a valuable collection of over 900 mature camellias collected from around the world.
Only one specimen, Camellia oleifera — a species received from China in 1948, went unscathed. Asians had grown this shrub for thousands of years, not for its flowers, but for the oil pressed from its seeds. The Latin name "oleifera" literally means "oil bearing."
A researcher at the National Arboretum noticed the cold-hardiness of the ancient Chinese camellia and began a breeding program, crossing C. oleifera with two fall and winter blooming camellias, C. sassanqua and C. hiemalis.
Thousands of seedlings were produced and observed for 10 years. The breeding program eventually produced a small group of seedlings noted for their lovely flowers, waxy evergreen foliage and much improved cold-hardiness. The beautiful cold-hardy camellias available at local garden centers
are a result of that breeding program.
Cold-hardy camellias thrive in dappled light beneath large trees or on the east sides of building that receive direct morning sun and afternoon shade. Like azaleas, camellias prefer acidic, well-drained soil. Spade lots of peat or well-rotted compost into the soil when planting camellias and spread several inches of mulch beneath them.
My favorite cold-hardy camellias include:
Winter's Charm: Lavender-pink flowers, upright habit, early fall blooming.
Classic Pink: Hardy to -9F, double pink flowers 4 inch diameter.
Spring's Promise: White, very floriferous, medium-size flowers, early blooming.
Winter's Star: Reddish pink, some with white centers upright growth, mid-season bloomer.
Many other cold-hardy camellia varieties are available in the nursery trade. Before buying a camellia, make sure the label clearly states that it is a cold hardy variety capable of withstanding Tulsa winters.
Visit the Linnaeus Teaching Garden to see the new camellias in bloom. The garden is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Barry Fugatt is director of Horticulture at the Tulsa Garden Center. He can be reached at 746-5125, and e-mailed at bfugatt@tulsagardencenter.com.
By BARRY FUGATT Garden World
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