Re: [gardeners] On the road again

Cheryl & Erich Schaefer (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 23 Jan 1998 20:29:05 -0500 (EST)

>At 02:49 PM 1/23/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>>asidv@fbg.net <gardeners@globalgarden.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Am leaving Texas to head back to Atlanta this morning. I can't
>>>> believe that the daffodils are about to blom here....the early
>>>> bearded iris are blooming...the dianthus are starting.
>>>
>>>I had a dream last night about you leaving Texas and traveling via
>>>I-10.  I called you just before you left and convinced you to stop by
>>>my parents old house in MS.  I wanted you to see the 40 foot camelia
>>>that was in bloom.
>>>
>>>You're probably going to go the northern route and will miss that
>>>camelia tree.  That's a real shame.  I'm tempted to fly down there
>>>myself and see if it's blooming.
>>>
>>>Liz
>>
>>Forty feet? I'd risk driving through MS to see that myself.:-) Cheryl
>>
>>Cheryl Schaefer
>>schaefer @epix.net
>>Zone 5 in the fabulous Finger Lakes of NY
>>
>The camelia is a tree not your usual shrub, at least the old varieties are.
>My mom had three of them on the east side of the old place that were about
>55 years old and approaching 20 feet easily. The new owners cut those "ugly
>old trees" down the first week they were there. In Beaumont, Texas there
>are many ancient camelias growing in the oldest sections of town. Some are
>20-30 feet tall and bloom every year. You have to look for them to find
>them as most folks are used to seeing a shrub about 7 or 8 feet tall. The
>camelias here in SW Louisiana are in full bloom right now.
>
>George

I would dearly love to have a camellia, and would settle for a bush. There
are a few hardy varieties out now but hardy only to zone 6. I'd be willing
to risk it when the prices come down some and locate it in a "warm" spot.
Cheryl