We will be open Friday 10 August and Saturday 11 August 2018 8.00am to 3.00 pm

This is unscheduled I know, but we have a few folk wanting to come so we thought, why not. We are out of some varieties, getting low on others, but still have lots to choose from – sasanquas for the sun, japonicas, hybrids etc for the shade and part shade.

You can still wander our garden; there are still lots of camellias flowering, and the magnolias look great – it is getting a bit dry though.

These pics show a couple of the yellow species camellias that are flowering. These are nfs, sorry.

We will be open at 8.00 am to 3.00 pm both days ….. as usual … and available other times by arrangement … just call in advance to arrange. Even at this stage of our season, we have more varieties than most folk ever get to see. We are running our of some varieties, but we will endeavor to find something that suits.

We have lots of sasanquas for those sunny spots, for hedges and screens. These can be shaped and pruned to keep to a height. Some are ideal for low hedges to 1 metre, others will grow 3, 4 or 5 metres. Just ask and we can make a recommendation.

Japonicas make a great statement plant for shade and part sun like the striking red of Little Red Riding Hood. Ask us about the fragrant camellias like Scentuous, Fragrant Pink, Minato no Akebono, Pink Butterfly, species rosiflora, Miyagii, grijsii, lutchuensis.

Heritage camellias like Great Eastern and Polar Bear, oldies like Paolina Maggi, higos Kumagai Nagoya and Shiranui, champion blooms like Royal Velvet, Ecclefield, great garden plants Pink Gold, Martha Tuck, unusual camellias Hakuhan Kujaku, Grape Soda, Shikibu, Walter Hazlewood, Alison Norup and Tama Honie (both Tama no Ura seedlings).

Wander our garden and see hundreds of camellias in flower, and browse through the plants we have for sale. Some of these are getting to find.

Camellia Glen will be open to the public this Friday 20 June and Saturday 21 June – 8.00 am to 3.00 pm. Our ‘open days’ mean that we are not closed …. and you are welcome to visit, wander the garden, see our camellias in flower – there are a few hundreds japonicas flowering now – a few magnolias, Vireya rhododendrons. And of course we have lots of beautiful camellias for you to buy. At this end of the season, we are sold out of some varieties, but there are a few hundred to choose from. We even found some nice Reticulata Ellie’s Girl, a Dr Clifford Parks, Francie L. There are lots of the small leaved fragrant hybrids as well as dozens of varieties of sasanqua and japonica.

And then there is ‘morning sun’………

Here in SE Queensland, we always recommend that japonica camellias flower at their best in part shade…… and someone will say that their camellias are in full sun and are just fine.

It’s a matter of expectation. If you expect your flowers to last only a day or two before they burn, then you will not be disappointed.

This Great Eastern in our garden gets morning sun. From a distance it is full of colour; the closer you get, the more you see the sunburnt flowers.

But there are always the ones on the other side of the bush.

Some of the camellias that we will have at Queensland Garden Expo this weekend – Friday 13, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 July 2018.

Nambour Showgrounds, Coronation Street, Nambour.

Best garden show experience there is….

The Gardening Australia crew will be filming on location during the event. Costa, in his gnome hat, was doing interviews and chatting today on site.

Going to be a great show…..

Bring your own carry bags ….single use plastic bags are banned.

Www.qldgardenexpo.com.au

Www.camelliaglen.com.au

Hybrid Fragrant Pink

Camellia Glen will be open to the public again Friday 20 and Saturday 21 July, 8.00am to 3.00pm.

Get your share of this season’s stock. Some of the best camellias we have grown. See you then.

Just a couple of perhaps more unusual camellias that we will have at the Queensland Garden ExpoQueensland Garden Expo www.qldgardenexpo.com.au next weekend 13,14,15 July 2018.

See us there or the following weekend back in Palmwoods.

Also Open this Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July 2018

8.00am to 3.00pm

Please bring your own carry bags…….

This Sunday, the Queensland Camellia Society is holding its Camellia Show …. venue as above. There will be displays of camellias, talks and demonstrations, plant sales, lots of people to ask questions of, morning teas etc, raffle. Should be fun.

Doors open at 9.00am and close at 3.00pm (not 4.00 as indicated on the brochure).

Maleny Garden Club big ‘Gardening on the Edge’ Show, this weekend

Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th June 2018

Maleny Showgrounds.

Morning teas and lunch.

Five open gardens to visit.

Lots of plants for sale.

We will have a great range of camellias – sasanquas, japonicas, hybrids, a few species. Some with very large flowers to 15 cm and some miniatures at just 3 cm. Some tall, some not so tall, some fragrant …. all beautiful.

These are some of the plants we have prepared ready to go. If we don’t get to take it up this weekend, we will have it at the Nursery. The Nursery will also be open Saturday and Sunday. Come visit.

First day of winter and the sun is shining and the sky is blue. The camellias are showing off …. sasanquas in flower and the japonicas and hybrids and starting to flower.

Our ‘open to the public’ days are the opportunity for you to visit, wander our garden, and a chance to buy some for yours. Whether you want one plant or a hundred, we are happy for you to visit. We can give advice and help with your selection. We will even do a soil test for you if you need to check your pH. Just bring in a small handful of soil from your planting spot.

We have a range of sasanqua for the sun … about 40 different varieties, and japonicas, hybrids and species for part shade .. about 140 varieties..

Come for a drive … it is going to be a great weekend. We are also available by appointment. Check this site for details.

This is Camellia japonica Vale Beauty …. flowering now.

Open Days

Thanks to those folk who came to visit for our first ‘open day’ of the camellia season yesterday. It has been a rush to get plants prepared after being away for 5 weeks for the International Camellia Society Congress in Nantes, France. But we have many hundreds of camellias ready across a couple of hundred varieties, so their is plenty of choice …. and possibly the most comprehensive range of camellias around. We were kept busy all day with some folk coming with a wish list and others just wanting a few nice camellias for the garden.

We have most of the sasanquas in flower now so many took a walk around the garden. In coming weeks, the sasanquas will continue to flower and the japonicas will start. This is certainly a great time of the year in a Camellia garden.

There are more open days coming up …. see the previous blog for full details. We are also available by appointment …. just call first to arrange a time ….. 54450333.

A Little Bit of Culture

At this time of the year …. for us ….. the camellias are in flower mode. There is very little to no growth going on as the plants put all their energy into flowering. So there is little maintenance for established plants other than ensuring that plants and soil are sufficiently moist. Your fertilizing should have been done in spring …. some folk like giving a light fertilise with high phosphorus and potassium (and low N) now to maintain the health and vigor of their plants and to assist with flowering. We don’t, and have not seen a need to, for in ground plants, if they have been looked after in spring and summer.

Planting out new purchases ….. of course you should have already selected your spot and prepared the planting area. Keep in mind that all sasanquas will take full sun but also perform well in a part shaded position, and japonicas and hybrids prefer a part shade or filtered light position. Our winter sun here in SE Queensland will burn new japonica flower buds and flowers, particularly in the morning. All camellias need a well drained and slightly acidic soil to perform at their best. Dig the hole at least twice the depth and width of the root ball, add composted organic material and/or manures (cow, horse, alpaca, sheep) to the back fill soil (avoid chook poo and mushroom compost as these can be alkaline and we want to maintain an acid environment), knock the plant from the pot, carefully, rake the roots gently so they are no longer in the ‘pot’ shape ….. this helps the plants roots get out and about and into the new soil …. plant no deeper than the top of the root ball, and we suggest planting raised from the surrounding soil level so that the plant does not ‘sink’ as the new soil settles. Back fill and press in firmly, water well and mulch. Mulching adds nutrient (if you use an organic mulch … and we don’t recommend using anything other than organic ….. helps insulate the soil and roots, suppresses weeds, and it looks good. Give plants a good amount of water every few days as a start then at regular intervals. Check the soil.

Varieties

The Camellia list on our web site is not an availability list and we do not have every variety every year. Here are some of the varieties that we have available.

Sasanquas ….. Albert Raymond, Alison Spragg, Autumn Gold, Beatrice Emily, Barry’s Chance, Bonanza, Bonsai Baby, Chansonette, Chojiguruma, Dawn (Ginryu), Dazzler, Early Pearly, Edna Butler, Enid Alice, Egao, Exquisite, Fuji No Mine, Gay, Hiryu, Jane Morgan, Jennifer Susan, Mignonne, Paradise Blush, Paradise Glow, Red Willow, Roseann, Setsugekka, Shibori Egao, Yuletide.

Japonicas, hybrids and species ……. Alba Plena, Black Tie, Buttons ‘n Bows, Cherries Jubilee, Cinnamon Cindy, Curramore Jacqueline, Dixie Knight, Drama Girl, Ecclefield, Ed Combatalade, Elegans Champagne, Fairy Blush, Grace Albritton, Grape Soda, Great Eastern, Great Western, Kamo Hon Ami, Lipstick, Lutchuensis, Minato no Akebano, Mrs Nellie Eastman, Nuccios Pearl, Pink Gold, Pink Sinensis, Shirley Norup, Scentuous, Sweet Emily Kate, Tama no Ura, Tinsie (Bokuhan), Tomorrow Park Hill, Walter Hazlewood, Wilamina ……. and so many more.

Come and visit, wander our garden, buy some camellias for yours.

What a difference a year makes…….this time last year, the house tank was low, we were short of water for the garden, the bore was running dry, the ground was hard and the grass was brown. This year we have had the best spring rain in over a decade, and now we have great summer rain with 411 mm in February ….with 160 mm on one day, which is now followed up by another 97 mm so far in March. So the ground is plenty wet with the moisture getting right down into the ground…great for the coming Camellia season. Of course, there is a down side with some folks suffering from flooding.

So this year, the Camellias put on growth like crazy, some flowering at the same time….late from last season. Plants are looking good and those that got a helping handful of fertiliser will reward the gardener with some great flowers over the coming months.

The early sasanquas like Mikuni Ko, Sparkling Burgundy, species like Miyagii and Lucii, are flowering now and a few japonicas are showing colour. But the day time temperatures between rain has been in the low 30s and still too hot for any japonica flower to last. This cooler weather … down to low-mid 20s will cool things down.

Although the best time to plant camellias is the cooler months, when the camellia plants are dormant, there are still lots of planting being done in now. We have been having a steady stream of visitors (by appointment) over spring and summer wanting camellias for hedges and screens and individual garden plantings.

Folk are wanting to know when we will be having open days, so, below is a proposed schedule of Open Days for 2018. These are subject to change and we will detail changes via this blog.

We plan to be available most Fridays and Saturdays, unless we have camellia shows or other commitments. We are still open by appointment at other times. Please contact us prior to arrange a mutually convenient time:

email…sales@camelliaglen.com OR phone 07 54450333

Opening hours will be 8.00 am to 3.00 pm

Here’s a list of dates for 2018:

• Saturday 5 May – open
• Friday 11 May – open
• Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May – open
• Friday 25 and Saturday 26 May – open
• Friday 1 and Saturday 2 June – open
• Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 June – open. ALSO Maleny Garden Club ‘Gardening of the Edge’ – open gardens and plant sales
• Friday 15 and Saturday 16 June – open. ALSO Sunshine Coast Agricultural Show 15-17 June
• Friday 22 and Saturday 23 June – CLOSED. See us at the Queensland Camellia Society Show and Sale – Auditorium, Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens, Sunday 24 June. ALSO Kellyfield Camellias Open Garden, 958 Kidaman Creek Road, Curramore, Maleny. 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. Display of Reticulata camellias, japonicas and species camellias, sausage sizzle and home made morning and afternoon teas. Entry by donation – supporting ‘Give Me 5 for Kids’. Camellia plant sales.
• Friday 29 and Saturday 30 June – open
• Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July – open
• Friday 13 and Saturday 14 July – CLOSED. See us at Queensland Garden Expo, Showgrounds, Nambour, 13 – 15 July 2018
• Friday 20 and Saturday 21 July – open. ALSO Toowoomba Camellia Show and Garden Expo 21/22 July, TAFE Horticultural Centre, Campbell Street, Toowoomba
• Friday 27 and Saturday 28 July – open
• Friday 3 and Saturday 4 August – open

More as we get closer to the time.

Come visit, walk the gardens, enjoy the 400 or so Camellias in our garden. Buy some for yours.

Walk a forest, walk a garden …….. they say it’s good for you. but we’ve always known that…….

Camellia Japonica Sunnyside