Australian camellias

Classifying camellias – the white edit

/ crabandfish / 8 Comments

I am continuing my journey of trying to classify and indentifying the array of camellias on our property.

A quick back story: we did not plant out this garden, it was established when we bought it. I met the lady who planted all the trees. The garden was devastated in the 1983 bushfires. More on this in another post.

So, here goes – the white edit …

A collection of white or almost white camellias
Shiragiku, origins Japan c. japonica

A pure white camellia with, what I call, filigree petals.

Paolina Maggi, originated in Italy c. Japonica

These are in the green vase and are pure white with tender pink flecks on the edges of each petal.

Magnafolia (Hagoromo) – as the name suggests, originated in Italy but made its way to Japan

This is a particularly robust and sturdy tree, about 30ft in height. The flowers are small compared to the other camellias. Dark pink edges and last well in a vase.

Here is the tree in situ

Lastly, one of my favourites and an Australian cultivar – Brushfields yellow.

A very pale yellow – gorgeous blooms

Happy gardening and take time in the garden. Follow me on Instagram too – crabandfish_garden for more gardening adventures.

Take care and find solace in the garden.

Camellia challenge – the pink edit

/ crabandfish / 5 Comments

I’ve been investigating the identity of some of the pink camellias blooming in our garden now. I collected some for the table.

Readers Digest Gardeners Encyclopaedia of Plants and Flowers

I began by looking at this popular encyclopaedia which was on my bookshelf. However, I had greater success with the website http://www.camelliasaustralia.com.au – so here goes…

A beautiful mid pink rose-like flowers – Ellie’s Girl.

Pale pink large double flowers- Mrs DW Descanso. These have been flowering since June!

Rosy salmon blooms – Harriet Beecher Sheather.

Of course, it’s a challenge identifying a bloom from a page or a website. Would love to attend a camellia conference – one day!

Enjoy your season. Next week: the white edit 😊💐🌺🌷