Thursday, March 5, 2009

Camellia weather

It's definitely not a usual plant for our hot and wet summers, but we have managed to keep a few camellia plants thriving in our heavily shaded side yard for three years now. Here at the cusp of spring, the gorgeous rose-like blossoms are a welcome sight in comparison to our heavily front-burnt bottle palms and Christmas palm. This is the first year in about seven that we've had such low, sustained temperatures and, like many homeowners and landscapers, we had become complacent about the risk of a freeze. We all cavalierly planted palms and tender perennials better suited for zone 10 and sometimes even zone 11.

So, we now have burnt Hawaiian Ti, Crotons, Ixora and palms. On the "making lemonade" side, my "employer" has been getting calls from homeowners that need the dead plants torn out and replaced with hardier varieties. Would they like to try camellias, do you think?

2 comments:

debd said...

I love camellias. I live in sacramento, CA, which is known for their camellias. Lovely flowers~ and beautiful greenery the rest of the year.

Mark Lipinski said...

I love camellias! I sure wish they grew here in New Jersey! I can barely wait for spring planting season here. I'm dying for the greenhouses to open! Now, where'd I put my credit card? xoxom