Camellia 'Leslie Ann'

The Lady Garden remains a work in progress. One thing that has been lacking is a defined entry. The skimpy stone/wood path doesn't provide much impact, though it does direct the feet toward the central urn. After mulling the matter in my mind, I decided to look for a shrub for each side of the entrance. Here in the Southeast USA, now is the best time to plant shrubs. Fall planting gives them a full season to establish roots before spring growth begins, and plants are better grounded before the heat of next summer arrives. Fall planted shrubs also require less watering than spring planted ones.

I wanted something evergreen, columnar, growing to about eight feet. Holly? Perhaps, if I could find a nice variety with smooth leaves. Upright juniper? Not sure about that.

I headed for a local nursery earlier this week. It was an off time of the day, and I was one amongst only a handful of customers. I wandered up to where the evergreens were displayed in long rows. I stopped when I saw the sprinkler system, spraying large swaths of water across all of the plants I had determined to examine. I looked around to find a nursery worker, hoping to get the water turned off. I didn't see anyone. I skirted the evergreens, dodging the water, and thinking if I timed it right I might be able to see what they had.

For my efforts I received a jet of water across my face. 

I sighed and headed back toward the front, searching for someone to shut off the sprinkler. I halted at the shady garden area, eyeing a display of camellias.

Camellia! Why not upright camellia?

Before long I was headed home with two Camellia sasanqua 'Leslie Ann'.

Nothing says Old South like a camellia. There are two kinds. Most noted is Camellia japonica, with varieties blooming in late winter to early spring. I already have several of these. Just as beautiful but for some reason not as celebrated, Camellia sasanquas bloom fall to early winter. It's easy to remember the difference: japonica - J is for January; sasanqua - S is for September. Sasanquas tend to be more cold hardy than japonicas and most will finish blooming before hit by hard frosts. 'Leslie Ann' does well in hardiness zones 7-8.

'Leslie Ann' is the first sasanqua for me. I am thrilled to have a shrub with beautiful blooms this time of year. It is a prolific bloomer from October through November. The two to three inch, semi double blooms are white with raspberry tips. The two I purchased each have a couple of open blooms and are covered in buds. They should soon be in full bloom.

"Leslie Ann" is an upright, column grower, to about eight feet tall with a width of four to five feet. It has glossy, dark green leaves, oval with slightly toothed edges. My baby camellias look scrawny, but I am promised the shrubs will become dense. After blooms have faded I will lightly prune to encourage fullness.

All camellias grow well in semi-shade to sun, in well drained, acid soil. I dug wide holes for mine and added compost to the native soil before backfilling around the root balls. I watered well and then added pine straw mulch around the bases. Camellias should be fed up to three times a year with a slow release, acidifying fertilizer, in early spring, summer, and  fall. 'Leslie Ann' is said to grow about eight inches a year. However, I have learned that plant tags don't always read the plant's mind, so I will have to watch. Hopefully, I have left enough space between my camellias for a nice entrance to the Lady Garden.

Here are some shots of my new camellias. Everything is very wet, because the weather cooperated for me and began to rain just after I planted them.

Was it worth it?

To celebrate my friend Janet's recent birthday, a few of us had lunch today at the Garden Cafe at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I planned to wander around afterwards, taking photos for my blog. I was sure there would be many great photo opportunities, even in early February. The camellias would be blooming! I am running out of subjects in my own garden. There are only so many interesting ways to photograph bare limbs and dried leaves.

It rained.

Although I had hoped the weather would clear and I could get some good photographs, the rain was still coming down when our luncheon ended. It wasn't too bad, however, and Janet and I walked to the conservatory after the others had departed. She was carrying a bulky box with a birthday present in it, her purse, an umbrella, and some small plants inside plastic bags. I was carrying my purse, my camera, and an umbrella.

"I only want to get a few shots of the camellias. That's all," I said.

We admired the tropical plants in the main conservatory as we headed for the camellia house. I paused briefly to take photos of some of them.

A large pot of colorful crotons, codiaeum variegatum, was near the entrance of the conservatory.

We admired the powder puff plant, calliandra haematocephale, a vine that is native to Brazil and other parts of South America. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

The largest herb in the world grows in the conservatory of the BBG. What is that? The banana tree! The bananas are used to feed animals at the nearby Birmingham zoo.

At last we opened the door to the camellia house. My own camellias are not quite blooming yet, but in the heated camellia house many were in full bloom and their wonderful colors greeted us.

As beautiful as the greenhouse camellias were, what I really wanted to see was the camellia walk outside.

"Just a few shots, " I promised Janet as we headed out into the rain.

The camellias were lovely, and I took some photographs from the shelter of my umbrella.

I spied an arch.

"Oh, how pretty," I cried. "Lets go up there!"

The view from the arch was the most beautiful we had seen so far. "Just a couple more," I told Janet.

I composed a photo in the view finder, then depressed the button to take the shot. Nothing happened! My camera batteries had chosen that moment to die. I bemoaned the lost photos, but I am sure Janet was secretly rejoicing. We were both wet as we started back.

We came to a large puddle, and the only way around it was by walking along a ledge. We balanced ourselves like a couple of schoolgirls. The maneuver took grace and agility, of which neither of us had much. We clutched our belongings and hoped for the best.

We made it!

We were well on the way to our cars when disaster struck. Somehow the lid to Janet's birthday box popped open, and her new terra cotta candle holders threatened to fall out. I grabbed them to prevent that from happening, and a million white styrofoam packing peanuts spilled out and started bouncing and blowing in the breeze. Janet handed me her stuff and began chasing the peanuts. Meanwhile, the handle of my umbrella came off, and my umbrella tilted and threatened to poke me in the eye as I stood with purse and camera and birthday box and little plants in plastic sacks. 

And the rain kept coming down.

We were laughing or crying, I'm not sure which, when a young man named Jeff Colvin came to our rescue. He scooped handfuls of packing peanuts and returned them to the birthday box and helped us rearrange ourselves. He then carried the birthday box all the way to Janet's car. He was so kind and helpful I think the whole world should know.

I plan to return to BBG on a better day. Today was only a tiny taste of what this sixty-six acre botanical garden offers. Was it worth it?

I think so, if not for the photographs, then for the chance to meet a nice man like Jeff Colvin.