Camellias and Valentines Day were certainly ‘a thing’ back in the Victorian era, but as we have grown to be more commercial with chocolates, candy, sterile long-stemmed roses and dinner at a fancy restaurant (back when we could!), I somehow long for a more simple celebration.One with scented violets, lily of the valley and yes, camellias. OK< chocolate and a steak would be OK too. Maybe some wine.
In the 19th century, long before commercial florists and jet-flown flowers that come to us from South African, Israel, and South America via Amsterdam, there was the local growers. Talk about ‘slow flowers’! There was always a corner in an old, wood and glass greenhouse where a few camellia trees grew to provide a few flowers for a valentine.
When I was a teen I worked at a local florist who had acquired an even older range of glasshouse here in Worcester, MA. This was the mid 1970’s but there were still 100 year old glasshouse about. Most, such as this one were beginning to fall apart, but like so many in disrepair in suburban Boston, these were 100 foot long wonders.
I loved searching through these old houses looking at the in-ground beds, many of which still contained crops of giant calla lilies or anemones and ranunculus. A few still raised carnations or roses as those two crops were once the largest export crops in Massachusetts before moving to Colorado and eventually other countries.
One day I had to drive over to one of the properties to cut some camellias for an elderly customer who often requested a camellia corsage. I think that this was the first time I ever actually saw a camellia plant (tree, really). In the back of one of the glasshouse towered 20 feet to the ceiling were a few old camellias, some still producing buds.
Now, for those of you in the south this must sound quaint but silly. Even in California camellias are a common landscape shrub or small tree, so I understand the lack of enthusiasm, but you have to imagine a harsh, snowy winter in New England, and the magic of these shrubs surviving.
As I grew older, I used to fly to LA for business often in February. I would stay the weekend just so I could visit Nuccio’s Nursery in Santa Barbara and sometimes attend a camellia society show at the Huntington Gardens or Descanso gardens. I only later learned that there was a local camellia society here in Massachusetts that was still holding an annual show (one of the oldest flower shows in the country). These shows eventually moved to Tower Hill Botanic Garden, where I am currently a trustee, and I eventually began entering my new camellia collection from the greenhouse, and even learned to become a judge. Funny how things evolve.
Near me, in Waltham, MA is one of the oldest glasshouse collections of Camellias. The historic greenhouses at the Lyman Estate is well known amongst New England plant people, but may not be known to others.
I try to visit their greenhouses every winter just to experience some of the oldest glasshouses in the country, but also to walk through one of the most important camellia collections still being cultivated. Some of these camellias have been moved to the Tower Hill Botanic Garden collections, so I do get to see them more often in normal years.
In my greenhouse though, I treasure my small collection of about 30 plants. I am surprised at how easy they are to maintain, and their show every winter adds tremendous joy to the long, winter months. It’s become my fifth gardening season, seeing the greenhouse come to life in early January as many of the camellias begin to bloom.
February, though, is high camellia season, not only in the south or in California, but here in my cold greenhouse, as well as in other greenhouses in the Northeast. I can’t imagine life without a bowl of camellias on the table every winter. Nearly every day I can pick a dozen or so blooms to enjoy and to deliver to neighbors. I love seeing their delight and surprise as they wonder at the peony-like blooms.
My love for camellias isn’t new, nor unique, but maybe the fact that I am in the north, and not living in the 19th century does make it a bit more special. So many of my 19th century gardening books focus on the camellia, especially in Massachusetts as glasshouses while still a luxury item, were common enough from 1800 onwards. Its a bit like living history. Imagining that President Lincoln or anyone from the 1800’s would have experienced exactly the same scents and beauty.
If you have a cool, or cold unheated room – even a glassed in mud room or porch, do try camellias in a large pot. With cold (above freezing) conditions,they are rather care free. Enjoy their blooms through the winter, and note that many species begin blooming in autumn and a few are fragrant. Bring their pots outdoors in the spring to enjoy the summer rains somewhere in light shade, and that’s about it. Never over pot, and fertilize after they bloom with a high nitrogen, organic fertilizer such as cottonseed meal.
If you can only provide them with warm, indoor temperatures – your luck may be worse, but you could try an unheated bedroom or porch. Either way, the camellia in the north provides so much therapy and joy, that its worth a try.
love your blog 🙂
love your blog 🙂
Thank you, Matt, for your beautiful valentine.
Knowing you, writing about you, and introducing you on Tuesday night to the Manhattan Chapter of NARGS was easy and a pleasure. You're as innovative and informative in person as on your gardening blog – quite simply – my favorite read on the web.
May every day hold a valentine for you.
~ Abbie
My wife’s grandmother had a giant greenhouse and she used to grow so many flowers. I want to do the same now. I also want a tropical greenhouse full of tropical fruits! Thanks for the info in this blog. It’s great!
Good goals to have, indeed! Do it!