Sometimes, all the pain is worthwhile
 

I've only been gardening for about three years, but have managed to pick up
some very good basic skills pretty quickly. There are in my garden,
however, two plants that steadfastly refused to perform. Camellia
'Celebration'.

I bought them because they were recommended for pots, and followed the
instructions supplied to the letter, flimsy as they were. For two years
they did nothing, wouldn't grow, wouldn't flower and just looked very sad.
I was about ready to give up. They were moved to various different areas of
the garden, but still refused to respond. In desperation I completely
stripped one of the beds in the front garden, and killed all the weeds (and
everthing else) in it with something really nasty and left it for a few
weeks. I then dug two *very* large holes at each end of the bed and filled
them with a mixture of ericaceous compost and a little sharp sand. That's
where the Camellia went.

They went mad. Rampant almost. In a spot that gets the very first sun of
the day and only until around midday they have flourished.

This morning after an early start helping out some friends I returned and,
as one does on beautiful day like today, wandered around the garden and
inspected everything. Deep Joy!

Both the plants are literally covered in deep pink buds and the slightly
larger of the two has hidden in the depths of the foliage - a revelation
in itself - two beautifully delicate white flowers tinged at the edge with
deep pink.

Chuffed, I am.

If anyone has any more information about Camellia 'Celebration' I'd be very
grateful. There are four rows of white petals tinged with a very deep pink,
and just a few yellow stamen, so I presume this is 'semidouble'? Google,
due largely to the name I suspect, returns very little of any use. I do
have a suspicion, though, that maybe they are not what they were labeled.
Patently, they hated the pots.

I am so happy I almost forgot about the appalling start England have made
in Oz.

--
Grahame
--
Grahame

Sometimes, all the pain is worthwhile
 

They went mad. Rampant almost. In a spot that gets the very first sun of
the day and only until around midday they have flourished.

I'm surprised! I thought that you had to avoid the first sun of the day
because the buds get damaged if they thaw too quickly on frosty mornings. Is
this just a myth?

Sometimes, all the pain is worthwhile
 

"Martin & Anna Sykes" wrote:

I'm surprised! I thought that you had to avoid the first sun of the day
because the buds get damaged if they thaw too quickly on frosty mornings. Is
this just a myth?

Exactly! Not a mark on them, it's extraordinary, and the main reason
they've *never* been in the front garden. shrugs We are quite lucky in
that we rarely get frosts here and they are against a wall that gets no
cold winds, just the early sun. Perhaps that in itself is enough to keep
them 'warm' enough.

Just goes to show that a little leftfield can do wonders sometimes. :-)

Sometimes, all the pain is worthwhile
 

"Martin & Anna Sykes" wrote in message ...
They went mad. Rampant almost. In a spot that gets the very first sun of
the day and only until around midday they have flourished.

I'm surprised! I thought that you had to avoid the first sun of the day
because the buds get damaged if they thaw too quickly on frosty mornings.
Is
this just a myth?


Yes, it's true that if the night has been frosty and the flowers get hit by
the first rays of the sun they warm up too quickly and suffer "burning"
leading to brown flowers. A freeze drying effect.
They effect seems to be dependant on variety too, our old single doesn't
suffer but a large pink double right next-door does.
Plants don't seem to mind though.

--
Bob
http://www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an allotment site
in Runnymede, fighting for its existence against bureaucracy.

Sometimes, all the pain is worthwhile
 

"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote:

Plants don't seem to mind though.

Time will tell for me I suppose, but as I say we don't get much in the way
of frost here so maybe I'll get away with it.