A favorite of both Lib and the late Dr. Larry Mellichamp, Director Emeritus of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Garden, this variety sports large pink blooms with red variegation. Plant it close to the edge of your bed so that visitors can appreciate the subtle color variation.

One of my favorite white sasanquas, ‘Winter Snowman’ can eventually be trained into an arch over a garden path. It sends out tall, pliable stems that are easily bent.

Plants never stop surprising gardeners. Betty Foy Sanders was a chance seedling, found in Georgia and registered with the American Camellia Society in 1966.

Tama camellias - discovered in the wild in Japan and registered in 1947 - often have a striking and tightly-clustered collection of golden anthers.

When I wanted to try using camellia sasanquas as a ground cover, I turned to ‘Chansonette.’ I was able to achieve a nice effect by pinning branches to the ground and removing branches that insisted on growing vertically.

This beautiful bush with the diminutive white peony shaped bloom claims many false stories as to its origins. The name conjures up a disgruntled ex-lover creating one the smallest of all the japonica flowers. However, the true story is: Walter F. Wilson, Jr. wanted to create a boutonniere for men’s formal attire.

People have long asked me what is my favorite camellia. An impossible question to answer, but I would say that if I could only own one, ‘Jacks’ would be it. Never gets too big, beautiful foliage year around, 2-3 months of gorgeous blooms. Especially wonderful for smaller yards.

One of our new favorites, ‘Old Glory’ was a gift from Greg Paige, Curator of the Arboretum at Bartlett Tree Research Lab.

The first variegated Camellia japonica Lib and I planted when we expanded into the Woodland Garden. There are many spectacular multi-color varieties, but being our first, it holds a special place. Huge red and white blooms, no two alike.