Camellias – Queensland Garden Expo

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This weekend, at Nambour Showgrounds, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10, 11, and 12 July, Queensland Garden Expo is the premier subtropical gardening event in Australia. About 300 site holders including over 60 nurseries with thousands of plants on sale each day.
We will be there, site #291, with more camellia varieties that can be seen anywhere – except at our nursery.
We will have hundreds of camellias, sasanqua for sunny spots, japonica and hybrids for part shade, and some species. We will not have every variety available, but there will be something for everyone.
We will be open to the public again the following weekends – 18 and 19, 25 and 26 July and 1 and 2 August.
See us at QGE or come to one of our Open Days on the following weeks.
Great time of the year for gardening……especially for camellias.

Camellia japonica 'Clarence Hearn'

Camellia japonica 'Contemplation' - with bees

Camellias and Vireyas – Sale this Weekend

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Camellias and Vireya rhododendrons will be available for sale this weekend – Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3 from 8.00am till 3.00pm. We have had some rain – 200mm in the last 24 hours so the ground will be wet under foot – but you are still welcome to wander the garden and see the sasanquas in flower and the japonica camellias starting to bloom. There should also be some Vireya rhododendron flowering as well.

Lots of camellias – sasanquas, japonicas and hybrids – and a smaller number of vireyas – something to suit any garden.

All our plants are in 140mm pots and measure between 30 and 80 cm – depending on variety.

Now is a great time to plant your camellias – although they are flowering they are going into their dormant stage – so planting out now allows them to get settled in and develop roots in time for spring growth come September. Buying now means that you can see the flowers first.

Remember, as basic camellia culture, camellias need a well drained and acid soil. Make sure your planting site drains well and raise the soil up a bit to help drainage. Always mulch and water in – even in this weather.

Autumn is here and winter’s on the way – rug up and enjoy your garden.

Find and Like us on Facebook – Camellia Glen Nursery.

Cheers

Camellia japonica - Grape Soda

Camellias – nursery open this Saturday

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Camellias - ready for sale

Camellia Glen will be open for visitors again this Saturday. we have hundreds of camellias – sasanquas for the full sun, japonicas for part shade, hybrids and a few species – all ready for sale.

Walk around the garden and see dozens of sasanquas in full flower. The early japonicas are starting to flower as well.

We have many hundreds of plants – about 50 varieties of sasanqua and some 150 japonicas for you to choose from. Plants range from 30cm for the slower growing ones to 60 to 80 cm for the taller growers. Choose something that will suit your needs. We will be happy to assist you with your selection process.

Sasanqua 'Barry's Chance'

We are also able to do mail order for small quantities – from minimum of 3 plant by mail to multiples of 10 to 12 by courier. East coast mainland Australia only.

Come and brighten up your day – and your garden – with beautiful camellias.

There are a small number of Vireya Rhododendron as well – some in flower.

Vireya Butterscotch

Come visit.

Nursery Open to the Public Saturday 25 October – and a bit of camellia culture

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What Beautiful weather – all we need now is a week of good soaking rain….Following last weekend’s open days, we will again be open this Saturday 25 October – 8.00 am to 3.00 pm.

We have several hundred camellias – sasanquas, japonicas, hybrids and some species – about 175 different varieties – there is sure to be something that appeals.

All our available plants are in 140mm pots, 9 to 12 months old with well developed roots. Plants are between 20 and 90 cm, depending on the natural development of that particular variety. These plants are putting on their new season growth now and are just itching for a new home. Now is a great time for planting – although last month would have been better – but we covered that in the last blog.

We hope that you will visit if you are needing camellias.

A bit of camellia culture.
We are requested on a regular basis, what is the best camellia camellias for growing in the ‘Brisbane’ area – as an example. Let’s start by saying that all the 40 or 50 varieties of sasanquas that we grow suit local conditions. All sasanquas perform and flower at their best in full sun, although they will take a part shade position with easy. Sasanquas are the autumn flowering ones – starting to flower in March/April – Mikuni-ko starts even earlier – and going through to July for the late flowering ones like Bert Jones. So any sasanqua will suit the Brisbane region and most regions from Maryborough to Hobart and in between. Just remember the basic needs of a well drained, acid soil, and sufficient water to get them established for a start. There are a few sasanquas that give us grief and they include Betsy Baker and Pink Frills (a beautiful flower but a poor shrub). Selection will ofter depend on flower form and height and shape of bush you are after, whether a specimen, a group planting, or planting for a screen or hedge, or for a specific effect like a ‘Japanese’ style garden.

Japonicas are less easy to categorise – but start with the same well drained and acid soil, and part shade. Plant in full sun in this area and the plants will generally struggle to thrive as they are suffering sunburn at a time when the roots are yet to establish sufficiently to support the plant. So, part shade, and we prefer morning shade – especially on the formal double flowers that will burn in the sun – and after all, it is the beautiful flowers we hang out for.

Pick you spot, check the soil, follow the basic rules for planting as we have covered before, water and mulch. Do NOT over fertilise.

Any questions, just ask…

So, get out in the garden this weekend, get some sun – it is said that we are all becoming vitamin D deficient because of our sun aversion – and enjoy spring.

Cheers

Camellia Reticulata - Lady Pamela

Open to the public – 13/14 July and 20/21 July 2013

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What a great weekend at the Queensland Garden Expo in Nambour last weekend – fine and sunny and thousands attended. We will be open to the public on the coming two weekends, 13/14 July and 20/21 July 2013 between 8.00 am and 3.00 pm – just because we can and because lots of folk want to visit after seeing our range of camellias.

We had a great weekend, very busy selling plants and meeting people from many far-flung places as busloads of people arrived at the Expo grounds looking for particular plants which can be hard to find in their local areas. Buses came from as far north as Cairns (1700 km north) and as far south as Orange (1000 km and a bit south) with enthusiastic gardeners looking for information and plants.

Camellia species, Nitidissima, flowered well this season

Our yellow flowers from our species C. nitidissima created a lot of interest and if we had had 1000 of these plants I’m sure we could have sold them all – unfortunately, we had none! It is a species which is notoriously difficult to propagate either from cuttings, grafts or seeds – we are learning and getting better at it – and we will keep trying. This flowered the best ever in our garden this year with a strong yellow colour – we are very pleased.

The public, in general, always surprise us. The varieties of camellia that we think will be popular, and therefore take more of, are sometimes passed by, and yet others which don’t seem extraordinary are snatched up like they are the last ones in existence. Not that we’re complaining – it just makes life interesting, trying to anticipate what people may want. As we said to a number of people over the course of the weekend, if we knew what people were going to want, then of course we would bring all those varieties. And that is why we have these open days where people can come and visit, and purchase what they like.

We had a lot of interest this year in the fragrant hybrids – Fragrant Pink, Scentuous, Sweet Emily Kate, High Fragrance and a number of others – these are always popular. We also sold out of all of our variegated varieties such as Emperor of Russia Variegated, Mark Allen Variegated, Mrs Nellie Eastman, Chandleri, Carters Sunburst Pink Variegated, Grand Slam Variegated, Glenwood, Kickoff, William Bartlett and others.

William Bartlett was popular again this year

The formal doubles were popular as always with Betty Ridley, Happy Holidays, Nuccios Gem, Alba Plena, Blushing Beauty, Black Tie, Ed Combatalade and others like William Bartlett and Tamzin Coull running out on the first day and had us bringing more in for the rest of the weekend.

Added to this, we attended the inaugural ‘Gardeners & Gourmets’ dinner at the Novotel Twin Waters on Saturday night – this was great fun. A number of our celebrity speakers also attended; Costa Georgiadis, Angus Stewart, Phil Dudman, Annette McFarlane, Clair Lavander as well as many of our local speakers and of course, me.. It was a fun night and there were a few who were a little slow to start on Sunday morning!

This was a great weekend, and are looking forward to seeing many of you over the next few weekends to get the ones we did not have at the Expo.

Tamzin Coull is a favourite

Check this out…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQLzwy8qgHc

Nursery open to the public

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The nursery will be open this weekend – 8.00am – 3.00pm. come and visit, walk the gardens. Plants will be available for sale – probably the largest number of varieties in Queensland. PS If you like this site, tell your neighbours, your friends and family, tell your garden club. Visitors are welcome on our open days.