Not much is blooming mid-November on Federal Twist Road except this very non-native Camellia sasanqua 'Winter's Star.' Planted as a single slim whip last spring, it's grown slowly into a slightly taller slim whip and has been flowering for about a month now.
'Winter's Star' is one of the winter hardy camellias developed by Dr. William Ackerman of the U.S. National Arboretum. I bought this one from Fairweather Gardens, a superb mail-order nursery in southern New Jersey. These camellias are supposed to be hardy into USDA zone 6 so I hope that, with some winter protection in the first couple of years, it will survive and grow into a sizable shrub.
Having grown up in Mississippi, I do miss the camellias I came to know there. Though this one is completely out of place ecologically, I've placed it near the house, just outside the study window, where its Japanese origin complements the Japanese architectural influences of the house. (It would be totally out of place out in my naturalistic garden.)
Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
I love the sasanquas and yours is a beauty.
ReplyDeleteAs long as it's not an invasive, I have absolutely no problem with exotic plants. Its the art of keeping the garden in bloom, and that takes a wide net.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The native plant movement has important points to make, but the argument for only natives is not entirely defensible. I do lean toward use of large numbers of natives, but don't hesitate to use exotics appropriate to my ecology and climate.
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