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Camellia Bulletin Volume 16, Number 1 November, 1962

Hybrid camellia BRIGADOON (from a cross of C. saLttellensis x C. japonica "Princess Baciocchi")

- Courresy Armstrong Nurseries, Inc.

2 The Camellia Bulletin

PRESIDENTKenneth C. Hallstone (283-2218)996 Victoria Court, Lafayette

Published byNORTHERN CALIFORNIA CAMELLIA SOCIETY. INC.

OFFICERSVICE-FRESIDENT

Dr. Fred E. Heitman (254-2 I77)IO~5 Lorinda Lane, Lafayette

SECRETARYGeorge P. Neilson (MU 5-4266)3184 Meadowbrook Drive, Concord

TREASURERJ. Dillas Black6 Lerita Ave., Piedment

Lloyd F. SmithDIRECTORSLovell M. Preston Ernest M. Parmiani

TREASUREREverett P. Tenney1903 Oak Knoll Dr., Belmont

PRESIDENTKai Freitag

510 Woodside Dr., Woodside

PACIFIC CAMELLIA SOCIETYOFFICERS

PRESIDENT SECRETARY VICE-PRESIDENTRaymond R. Noyes Mrs. Perry W. Clark Thomas E. Hughes123 N. Arden Blvd. 1951 N. Edgemont St., 4135 Ramsdell Ave.Los Angeles 4 (HO 9-7583) Los Angeles 27 (NO 5·6306) La Crescenta

TREASURER-AI Gamper, 2116 Via Venado, La Canada

CAMELLIA SOCIETY OF SACRAMENTOPRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENTS TREASURER

Harold C. Rambath Jack D. Hansen, Sr. (Ist) Fred E. Carnie, Jr.2308 Bridle Path Lane Charles C. Marks (2nd) 1607 Elsdon CircleSacramento 25 ((IV 9·6356) Carmichael

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY-Mrs. George McKee, 2820 Huntington Rd., Sacramento 25, (IV 7-5468)

PENINSULA CAMELLIA SOCIETYVICE-PRESIDENT

Rodney F. CollartSECRETARY

Mrs. William J. Hocking2327 Casabona, Belmont

LOS ANGELES CAMELLIA SOCIETYPRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT SECRETARY

Judge Bayard Rhone Robert Jackson Ed Franklin94 Fremont Place 415 N. Plymouth Blvd. 5916 Mammoth Ave.Los Angeles 5 (WE 4-4050) Los Angeles 4 Van Nuys (ST 5-0601)

TREASURER-Miss Mabel Luella Huck, 3907 Somerset Drive, Los Angeles 8

BULLETIN EDITORIAL STAFFADVISORY BOARD

Woodford F. HarrisonHarold L. Paige

Mrs. M. J. (Lilette) WitmanRoute 1; Macon, Georgia

Roy T. Thompson2723 Hermosita Drive, Glendale 8

EDITORDavid L. Feathers1 Camellia Lane, Lafayette

ASSOCIATE EDITORSJ. Carroll Reiners6160 S. Land Park Dr.,Sacramento

The Camellia Bulletin. in keeping with the fundamental concept of the amateur organizations itserves, is a non-profit enterprise published quarterly (Nov., Feb., May and Aug.) by the NorthernCalifornia Camellia Society, Inc. Its principal objects and purposes are furtherance of the enjoymentand benefits derived from the culture of camellias and the dissemination of knowledge relatedthereto. By special arrangement with, and through the co-operation of, the Pacific Camellia Society,The Camellia Society of Sacramento and the Los Angeles Camellia Society, this Bulletin is alsoavailable in conjunction with membership, which is open to the general public upon applica­tion to the. Secretary of any of the societies mentioned, at the respective addresses shown above.For full membership in the Northern California Camellia Society, Inc., and with respect to all personsresident in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo, the annualdues are $5.00-outside that area, limited membership privileges, including the right to all Societypublications, are $3.00 per year. MEETINGS are held on the first Monday of each month Novemberthrough May, at 8 p.m. in the Clarerr.ant Junior High School Auditorium, Oakland, and include aninformal flower display and refreshments. All matter regarding the content of the Bulletin should beaddressed to the Editor. CHANGE OF ADDRESS should be reported promptly to your Secretary. asthe Pest Office will not foprard periodicals. Remit dues to Treasurer.

The Camellia Bulletin

PROGRESS MADE IN HYBRIDIZATION IN THE U.S.A.Mrs. M. J. (Lilette) Witman, Macon, Ga.

3

It is fun to plant a seed and see it ger­minate, especially one that is picked fromour own shrub, but nothing can equalthe feeling of pride and the sense ofaccomplishment that comes upon onethrough the very creation of the seeditself by either cross-pollination or hy­bridization. Mr. J. Howard Asper, aneminent hybridist, told this writer severalyears ago - "Once you have "created"your own you are no longer eager to"chase" after other people's seedlings."More and more camellia enthusiasts inthis country are finding how true this isand are learning the art of controlledcross-pollination.

A little over a decade ago camellia hy­brids were practically unknown in theUnited States. It was due to enterprisingand far-seeing men, among them Dr.Walter E. Lammerts, then research scien­tist at the Descanso Gardens at La Ca­nada, California, and two keen amateursboth now deceased-Mr. Ralph S. Peerand Dr. Walker M. Wells-that new spe­cies and their hybrids began to trickle tothis country from Europe and Asia in theform of scions, seeds and plants. It mustbe mentioned here that as early as 1943Mr. T. ]. Smith of McRae, Georgia, thetreasurer of the American Camellia So­ciety since its formation and one of theearliest collectors, imported from Hillier& Sons, Winchester, England, plants ofC. saluenensis, one of C. cuspidata andone of C. pitardii. These, Mr. Smith says,are to his knowledge the first importa­tions of these species to the United States.At the time they were mere curiositiesand no one realized their potential valuein hybridizing. When the first Englishhybrids arrived a few collectors addedthem to their collections without muchenthusiasm, the blooms being far fromspectacular. The Williamsii hybrid DO­NATION was the first one which createda real stir and stimulated imaginations.It was soon followed by Prof. E. G.Waterhouse's chance Saluenensis seed­lings, first the MARGARET WATER­HOUSE, then LADY GOWRIE and E.G. WATERHOUSE, and finally in 1948

by the successful importation of twentyvarieties of the magnificent Yunnan Re­ticulatas. These happenings opened newhorizons to the camellia world andaroused fresh incentives among devotees.

One of the very first men interestedin inter-specific pollination of the genusCamellia in the United States was Mr.K. Sawada, a famous horticulmrist fromMobile, Alabama. Mr. Sawada reports tothis writer that he started hybridizingwith camellia species in 1947. His firsttrial was between C. sasanqua and C.japonica in an effort to improve thesasanque flower and create more variedforms. Early bloomers such as DAIKA­GURA and ARE-JISHI were used in theprocess. A few seeds were obtained butthis experiment was not found satisfac­tory since none of the resulting hybridshad outstanding flowers. In 1951 he triedthe cross C. sukiya X C. japonica, this inthe hope of capturing the sweet scent ofthe C. sukiya and imparting it to the re­sulting hybrid. This trial also proved tobe a failure. In 1950 he received a plantof C. fraterna, which he found exceed­ingly charming with its tiny, daintyblooms cascading along the bowerlikestems- "My ambition was to conveythese desirable characteristics to new hy­brids that would have better blossoms."After many disappointments he finallyobtained in 1955 a lovely hybrid of C.japonica AKEBONO X C. fraterna. Theflower is two to two and a half inchesin diameter, bell shape, sometimes single,sometimes semi-double and occasionallypeonyform. The delicate shadings of thealmost transparent corolla run from deeppink on the petal edge to lighter pinkending with pure white at the base ofthe stamens. It was introduced two yearsago under the name of TINY PRINCESSand is a fine addition to any garden as itcombines grace and profusion of blos­soms with cold hardiness. This past sea­son Mr. Sawada had another promisingseedling from the cross C. japonica DR.W. G. LEE Xc. fraterna. He is now at­temtping new experiments with thesetwo hybrids.

4 The Camellia Bulletin

HYBRIDIZATION IN THE U.S.A. (Continued)C. saluenensis has been used as a par­

ent by many U. S. hybridists but judgingby the slides recently sent to this countryshowing Mr. Les Jury's spectacular Salu­enensis hybrids so varied in colorings andalso by the comment of Mr. Ralph Phil­brick upon his return from New Zealandpraising the color range Mr. Jury has ob­tained "running from pale pink to ma­roon red," we are not obtaining the samedesirable results. This fact may be dueto different varieties of the species usedin New Zealand and not available to us.

From a lovely C. saluenensis hybridhowever (c. saluenensis xc. cuspidata)named SYLVIA MAY several hybridistsare producing very outstanding newflowers over here. It is a seed of x SYL­VIA MAY which gave x ROBBIE to Mr.Vernon James, a noted hybridist fromAptos, California. ROBBIE is a chanceseedling of F2 ancestry. Mr. James writesthat the irresistible beauty of this chanceseedling aroused his interest in hybridiz­ing. ROBBIE is a four and one-half inchwide semi-double bloom with slightlywavy and dainty petals of a pleasingorchid-pink coloring. The variegatedform of this flower offers a delicatelyblended moire-like pattern of light pinkand white highly prized by many. Indeed,it is a parent of distinction and it is smallwonder that it gave birth to a number offine offspring (Fa hybrids). Prominentamong these are the x JIMMY JAMES(ROBBlE X C. japonica THELMADALE), a five-inch soft orchid pink in­complete double with crinkled innerpetals, x JULIE, a four and a half inchsoft pink shaded light to solid salmon onthe petal edge, x EDNA RALEY (ROB­BIE X ROBBIE) four and a half to fiveinches in diameter, flesh pink, incompletedouble with white stamens, x DOROTHYJAMES (DR. TINSLEY X ROBBIE)formal double with sixty-five petals, fourand one-half inches wide, with long nar­row petals each tipped salmon pink.

Mr. James reports that he has manyfine but yet unnamed hybrids includingone the bloom of which has measured asmuch as six inches in diameter, an in­complete deep rose fluted much like Re­ticulata Butterfly Wings, but with deeper

veining in the petals. Mr. James admitsthat he has difficulties in creating redhybrids from C. Saluenensis parentage.However he reports having successfullyflowered a few bright orange red ones.His primary purpose is not to seek novel­ties but to create hardy hybrids. For thisreason he is not interested in using Re­ticu1atas in his hybridizing program. '*' Inan article which he wrote for the 1961ACS Yearbook he emphasizes the desir­ability of exhibiting entire hybrid plantsat Camellia shows instead of mere speci­mens, this to enlighten people abouttheir true value as ideal ornamentalshrubs.

The Pacific States are no doubt theleaders in the field of hybridization inthis country. Besides Mr. Vernon Jamesthere are several other dedicated hybrid­ists. Prominent among them is Mr. D. L.Feathers of Lafayette, California. Mr.Feathers recognized early after startingto grow camellias the advantages ofplanting seeds from promising parentsand recording their identity. A seed ofx SYLVIA MAY given to him by afriend produced for him the beautifulputative hybrid MONTICELLO-a loosepeonytype, high centered medium largefour and a half inch bloom. The corollais composed of about forty petals of apleasing light rose with no trace of theorchid tint generally inherited fromSaluenensis ancestry. It was not long un­til Mr. Feathers' curiosity became arousedto the point when he simply had to knowboth parents and furthermore these hadto be of his own choice. For several yearsnow he has been doing controlled handpollination obtaining fine results. Beinga very systematic and determined manhe crosses and re-crosses until he finallycaptures the characteristics he desires inhis hybrids. Mr. Feathers has reportedlately the following successful crosses:

C. reticulata BUDDHA X C. fraterna,C. japonica BERTHA HARMS XC. re­ticulata CRIMSON ROBE, C. saluenensis

* It is reliably reported that FLUTED OR­CHID, a saluenensis x reticulata hybrid, lastyear survived zero temperatures that killed C.rusticana outright.-Ed.

(Continued on Page 6)

The Camellia Bulletin

IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICAN CAMELLIA CULTUREA. W. Jessep, Melbourne, Australia*

5

(Continued on Page 16)

During the past fifty years cultivationof the camellia has received much moreattention than ever before. This renas­cence of the camellia commenced in theUnited States and soon spread to Aus­tralia and New Zealand. Although con­siderable activity has been shown inother countries, the honor of being theleaders in the camellia world undoubtedlygoes to the American growers. In thatgreat country camellias are grown overa wide range of climate and soil condi­tions. Some growers go to great lengthsto have success with these plants andmuch time and money are spent in grow­ing them under largely artificial condi­tions. Elsewhere in the world other plantsmore suitable to the environment wouldhave been chosen but these enthusiastswanted camellias and camellias weregrown, notwithstanding. Although theblooms generally are not as large as inthe more congenial areas a great dealof interest is devoted to camellias andmuch satisfaction obtained from theirculture. In the private collections, thehigh quality of the plants was very no­ticeable .The public gardens and nurserieswere of the same high order, particularlywith the newer plantings, such as in theBellingrath Gardens near Mobile, Ala­bama, where a large camellia collectionis being established. The older gardens,such as the Huntington and DescansoGardens in Southern California, are in­valuable as a source of information andto permit inspecting a collection of oldas well as the up-to-date varieties.

When speaking of hardy varieties itwas noted that it usually referred to theability to withstand frost and cold con­ditions, whereas with us it refers to thehardiness when growing in the sun. Yourplants were often protected from bothsun and cold by using evergreen treessuch as Quercus agrifolia, Q. virginianaand Pinus halepensis. The name "LiveOak," given to the evergreen oaks, wasnew to me and the name seems to beconfined to America. In Australia, we usedeciduous trees which protect the camel-

lias from the summer sun but allow thewinter sun to get to the plants. Cold isno problem with us. The leaves from thedeciduous trees make a good naturalmulch. It appeared to me that the pri­vate grower in America puts more thoughtand work into the preparation of theplanting area than in our country where,probably, our problems of plant growthare not so urgent where camellias aregrown.

The control of diseases is more im­portant with you as we have no petalblight and most likely not the true die­back. We certainly get some dying backbut it is thought to be a cultural con­dition, as no dieback organisms have everbeen isolated by our pathologists. Theshattering of petals is not a problem andoften the area around the old trees is amass of spent blooms, which is attractiveto some of our growers, but I think thisuntidiness shocked some of our Califor­nia camellia visitors. Having seen theresult of this dreadful petal blight diseasein America and noting the labor that isinvolved in trying to control it, it is ob­vious why varieties whose blooms shatterare not wanted by some.

The competitive shows were arrangedwith the classes for cultivars in alpha­betical order, which makes it less difficultfor the judges and enables the visitors tolocate and study any cultivar that is inthe show. This eliminates separate nam­ing of the blooms when they are stagedunder a schedule based on form classi­fication of the flowers. This cultivar judg­ing method is gradually replacing ourolder method of judging blooms byclasses, according to form, which servedits purpose when our members had onlya few plants and the names of some ofthem were not well known. The disad­vantage, if any, of judging cultivar classesin small shows is not the system but oneinvolving the personal element. Exceptin popular classes many were restrictedto from 1 to 4 entries, with little or no

*Curator emeritus Melbourne BotanicalGardens.-Ed.

6 The Camellia Bulletin

HYBRIDIZATION IN THE U.S.A. (Continued)X C.japoniea SEPTEMBER MORN, C.japoniea WATERLOO X C. japonieaDEBUTANTE (a seedling of his) Xc.retieulata CRIMSON ROBE, C. japonieaLADY VANSITTART X C. retieulataCRIMSON ROBE, C. saluenensis X C.Hongkongensis and a C. japoniea LADYVANSITTART seedling (F2) X C. re­tieulata CRIMSON ROBE.

Among Mr. Feathers' earlier interest­ing originations are the dainty x CALI­FORNIA SNOW with gracefully curv­ing branches along which grows a profu­sion of small white single blossoms oftentinged pink. This is a x SYLVIA MAYchance seedling and it is a prized orna­ment in any garden. His x FLUTED OR­CHID ( C. saluenensis X C. retieulataCRIMSON ROBE) as the name indicatesresembles slightly an orchid in the ar­rangement of its few petals which areelongated, delicate in texture and tintedpale pink, some twisting upward. * AmongMr. Feathers' hybrids available nowfrom nurseries besides x MONTICELLOand x FLUTED ORCHID are x ROYALROBE,xCRESTA BLANCA,and FAIRYWINGS, all three the result of crossesbetween an unnamed seedling of C. ja­poniea WATERLOO Xc. japoniea DEB­UTANTE with C. retieulata CRIMSONROBE the pollen parent. x DIAMONDHEAD, also available, is a fine hybridof LADY VANSITTARTXC. retieulataCRIMSON ROBE. "Hybrids," writesDave Feathers, "are so superior to Sasan­quas that I feel they eventually will sup­plant them as ornamental shrubs espe­cially if we are able to develop real earlybloomers." Believing that many camelliasmay already be the results of many gen­erations of natural hybridization, whichhe thinks might explain the ease withwhich they mutate and why they rarelybreed true from seeds, he further advisesmore boldness on the part of amateurs."No one seriously inclined in that direc­tion should be deterred from trying eventhe most unpromising or unlikely com­binations in camellia hybridization." ..."There may be more compatibility in­herent between given species than weimagine. Certainly one should not let~footnote on page 4.-Ed.

the fact of a difference in chromosomesdissuade him, for it has been pretty wellestablished that this is not an insur­mountable obstacle."

Another eminent hybridist of the WestCoast, Mr. J. Howard Asper, is superin­tendent of the famous Huntington Bo­tanical Gardens at San Marino, Califor­nia. A few years ago Mr. Asper reportedthe origination at the Huntington Gar­dens of an interesting new hybrid, a crossbetween C. Pitardii var. Yunnanensisand C. retieulata CHANG'S TEMPLE.This beautiful hybrid was named CARLTOURJE, after the distinguished editorof "CAMELLIA CULTURE," a bookpublished a few years ago in California. xCARL TOURJE is a five-inch semidoublebloom of silvery pink coloring withlighter and darker shadings. It will bereleased to the nurseries this Fall.

Mr. Asper writes that according to hisown experience certain varieties of theYunnan reticulatas set seeds freely whenpollinated. Among these he names CRIM­SON ROBE, LION'S HEAD, CHANG'STEMPLE, NOBLE PEARL and TALIQUEEN. He also mentions that reticu­latas can easily be crossed among them­selves. In fact his much-talked-aboutputative hybrid WILLIAM HERTRICHis a living example of this assertion sincehe has no doubt that both parents of thisseedling are Reticulatas although the onlyone he definitely knows is the seed bearerLION'S HEAD. WILLIAM HERTRICH,named after the distinguished formercurator of Huntington Gardens, is 7 to 8inches in diameter and four inches indepth, a red blossom with numerouspetals curling and twisting in the samemanner as those of most Reticulatas. Theleaves are dull, waffied and disposedsparsley on the stems. This very beauti­ful and outstanding seedling is to beoffered this Fall to the public,

Mr. Asper does not think that muchsuccess can be obtained by using C. re­tieulata pollen on C. japoniea, that thereverse is much more rewarding. Besideshis absorbing work at the HuntingtonGardens Mr. Asper devotes his sparemoments to raising his own camellias on

(Continued on Page 8)

The Camellia Bulletin 7

MICRO CLIMATES AND CAMELLIA HEALTHJ. Carroll Reiners, Sacramento, California

The purpose of this article is to point light just short of burning the foliage.out the importance of factors influencing In June, 1961, many sections of Cali-heat, light and humidity relative to ca- fornia had a rather devastating occur-mellia culture, with emphasis on preven- rence of unseasonable weather, combin-tion of leaf burn in warm dry climates. ing high temperature, low humidity andMost of us have noted apparent incon- wind. Camellias and other plants weresistencies in camellia leaf burn. Why do badly burned. In some areas, plants incamellias in some locations of less sun presumed protected locations, includingexposure burn, while others tolerate ap- plants under lath, were scalded. However,parent higher sun intensities? There has there were instances where no damageto be a logical explanation of this. The resulted even though the sun exposuresubject matter which follows deals with was extensive. The analysis which followsconditions causing leaf burn as well as explains this seeming inconsistency.those which prevent leaf burn of camellia. WHY DO CAMELLAS BURN?

The influencing factors of atmospheric Water constitutes about 7S to 90 per-and sun intensity affecting leaf burn in- cent of plant tissues. The maintenance ofclude the following: an abundant supply of water in these

1. Light intensity. tissues is essential for the life and growth2. Temperature. of the camellia. Only a very small frac-3. Constant exposure to full sun. tion of the water which enters the roots4. Intermittent exposure (sun-shade- and passes upward through the plant to

sun-shade) as created by trees and struc- the leaves is used in the plant's synthesistures. of foods and other organic compounds.

S. Degree of humidity in the atmos- The remainder is evaporated from thephere surrounding the plant. leaf. During the warm weather of the

6. Wind velocity. growing season a constant stream of7. Intensity of reflected light and heat water is thus passing through the plant

from walls, pavements and earth. from root to leaf. The total quantity of8. Soil, mulches, and other vegetative this water amounts to several hundred

factors which influence local air humid- times as much as the dry weight of theity. plant itself. Excessive water loss is an

Generally, the accepted method of ever-present danger to any plant butpromoting good camellia culture and particularly so to the camellia.preventing sun burn is through the use Transpiration is the evaporation ofof shade--overhead structures, trees, and water from the aerial parts of plants, es-northerly exposures. Frequently, too pecially the leaves. This process goes onmuch light is shut out in order to pre- at all times, except possibly when the airvent sun burn and the plants become is saturated with moisture during or im-rangy and of poor health from insuffi- mediately following rains or overheadcient light. The control of sunburn by irrigation. The quantities of water lostan overhead structure which limits light by transpiration are often incrediblyby sunshade ratios is never too satisfac- great. The principal external factorstory. The degree of shade from the above ground which influence the ratestructure stays constant but the heat and of transpiration in plants are light, tem-weather varies - there is no flexibility perature" wind, and humidity. Transpir-nor compensating relationship between ation is more rapid in bright light thanthese factors, such as more light on cool in diffused light or in darkness, partlydays or less light on hot days, so that because certain light rays raise the tem-the camellias may receive an optimum perature of leaf cells and thus increasecondition at all times. It is well known the rate at which water is transformedand an established fact that camellia into vapor. High temperatures favorplants do best when they get maximum (Continued on Page 18)

8 The Camellia Bulletin

HYBRIDIZATION IN THE U.S.A. (Continued)

a ranch he owns about one hundred milessouth of Los Angeles. There he giveshimself wholeheartedly to his cross-pol­lination and hybridizing, favoring theuse of Reticulatas. In the past few yearsstartling results have been reported bythose fortunate enough to be close tothis rather unassuming man. We recentlyheard of a fabulous new hybrid of his­a C. retieulata LION'S HEAD X C. ja­poniea CORONATION cross of unbe­lievable size and beauty. In a letter to anold friend Mr. Asper was moved to writeabout this seedling: "The plant of LION'SHEAD X CORONATION had a bloomlast Friday which had everybody turningcartwheels.... If only you could see it!Seven and a half inches in diameter andalmost four inches high. The inner petalsare all undulate as in the Reticulata....I sincerely believe that this marks thebeginning of a new era in camellia his­tory. Dr. Lammerts* believes that theflower and plant resulted from a veryunusual combination of genes."

The only Asper hybrid available todate in the nurseries is FELICE HARRIS(c. sasanqua NARUMI-GATAXC. re­tieulata putative hybrid BUDDHA), anF3 hybrid with a beautiful four and ahalf to five inch semidouble fluffy blos­som delicately colored a light pink. It isa fine grower and proved cold hardy inthe Southeast when the temperaturedropped below 10 degrees Fahrenheitlast winter. (See f<x>tnote Page 4.)

Before leaving the West Coast men­tion should be made of two people whoafter years of hybridizing are now be­ginning to obtain interesting rewards.One of them, Mr. Edwards H. Metcalfof San Marino, California, is already wellknown in New Zealand camellia circleswhere he made many friends a few yearsago. This writer is not too well acquaintedwith the progress made by Mr. Metcalfin hybridizing. However through thekindness of Mr. Joe Pyron, secretary­editor of the ACS she recently had theprivilege of admiring three of his hy-

'Dr. Walter E. Lammerts-eminent geneti­cist, creator of the Lammertsii hybrid (c.japonica X C. cuspidata.)

brids on slides, among them a most un­usual one which he calls GALAXIE, aC. Saluenensis Xc. japoniea cross. Thepicture reveals a most peculiar formationof the pale pink corolla showing darkershadings on half of the petals and alsoon their slightly rolled upturned edges.

The other conscientious and dedicatedamateur hybridist of whom mentionshould' be made is Mrs. Al E. Johnsonof Beaverton, Oregon. This writer hasfollowed with deep interest the progressMrs. Johnson is slowly making while im­proving her crosses constantly. She hasnot up to date obtained any spectacularflowers but has made some very promis­ing crosses among these: x MARYCHRISTIAN X C. euspidata, C. japonieaGIGANTEA ALBA X C. rustieana wildform, x MARY CHRISTIAN X C. ja­poniea PINK SHADOWS, all F3 hy­brids. These bore flowers for her and sheis now using them for further attemptsat obtaining better blooms, especiallyblooms that will withstand the rigors ofthe Portland, Oregon, winters where herhome is located.

Retracing our steps across the conti­nent and not mentioning any other hy­bridists among the nurserymen as wellas other skilled amateurs of the West forlack of proper knowledge about theiraccomplishments, we are now returningto the Southeast in order to note therecent experiments of a man whose saleinterest in the genus Camellia is the cre·ation of hybrids. To him a new camelliavariety's worth is to be judged not ac­cording to its size or even the perfectionof its corolla but according to its ownparentage and its potential value as aparent. He is Dr. P. 1. Hilsman of Al­bany, Georgia, a man with a scientificturn of mind and who appears to havemade quite a study of plant genetics. Heowns a large collection of Camellia spe­cies as well as some other members ofthe Theaceae family (camellia relatives)such as the Tutcherias and the Gordoniaanomala axillaris. Dr. Hilsman recentlyreported to this writer having obtainedthe following hybrids, some of floweringsize: C. japoniea CHRISTINE LEE X C.

(Continued on Page 17)

The Camellia Bulletin

IN WHICH YOUR EDITOR WANDERS

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When I was a little boy, which doesnot seem a great many years ago butactually is, the one place above all othersin the world that I wanted to visit wasthe South Seas-those dream islands ofthe Pacific so storied in word and picture.When the opportunity to do so for thefirst time in my life presented itself thisyear, with the added prospect of satis­fying another yearning desire with whichI have been beset somewhat more re­cently-that of seeing first-hand the ca­mellias of Australia and New Zealand­the lure was irresistable, especially whenour good friends, Milo and Agnes Rowellof Fresno, California, thought as we didthat it might be more fun for all of usto go together. And so it was that weleft Los Angeles on the night of July13th and, before returning home nineweeks later, visited Tahiti, Fiji, Australia,New Zealand, Samoa and Hawaii, in thatorder.

The tropical islands were wonderfulbut, as was the case when we sampledour first ripe coconut freshly picked, thelong yeats of anticipation (and the jetplane age, perhaps), caused the realiza­tion to fall a bit short. Even "the twist"had penetrated this far! It was, neverthe­less, an enjoyable and unique experience,for all of these islands of the Pacific havea charm and fascination about themwhich the natural friendliness of thepeople accentuates. But Australia andNew Zealand-ah, how can one ade­quately describe a place where everythingis absolutely delightful, except for thefact they drive on the wrong side of theroad and pronounce an "a" like an "i"!

This being not a tourist guide but acamellia publication, let us forget for themoment the magnificence of the SydneyHarbor and the beauty of the city andits homes and gardens, the quaint charmand lovely setting of Adelaide, the maj­esty of Melbourne, the breath-taking,grandeur of the South Island of NewZealand and the consummate lovelinessof the North Island. But we can neverforget, even for a moment, the absolutelydelightful people we met everywhere;for, in the final analysis it was the people

we met, their accomplishments and warmhospitality, that made our trip such acomplete success.

In the Sydney area we were much athome (and constantly treated that way)not only because we were made to feelso welcome and to "belong" but by rea­son of the fact the city itself and theclimate remind one so much of San Fran­cisco and the Bay Area. Its many hills andlovely inland waterways and beaches­but then I promised not to make this atravelogue! What I wish to convey isthat the cultural conditions for camelliasare quite similar to those of our ownarea, with about the same average rain­fall though less seasonal and perhaps alittle less temperature range betweensummer and winter. Frost is normally nota problem.

We were greatly impressed with theperformance of C. reticulata "CAPT.RAWES;' which seems to be almost uni­versally grown in the ground. Perhapsthis accounts for the better plant andfoliage and the much heavier f10rescensewhich may have given rise to the notionthat theirs is a different reticulata thanours. It seems fairly obvious that theyare one and the same camellia and anydifference is probably due to culturalpractices, climate and soil. In New Zea­land this difference is even more pro­nounced. There we saw the most mag­nifiicent plants of "CAPT. RAWES"ever (see Fig. 3) and the vigor andrapidity of growth of both this plant andthe "ROBERT PEEL" rhododendron,which we saw everywhere, are almost un­believable. On one short street in Ro­torua, N. Z., the writer counted 27magnificent trees of "ROBERT PEEL"growing as curb strip plantings almostunattended, the largest of which was afull 2 feet in diameter at the base andabout 25 feet tall, round and perfectlyformed, which must have borne thou­sands of blooms. The year-around rainfalland plenty of it, combined with volcanicwell drained soil, makes gardening easy.

We saw many fine old trees, includingthe original plantings at the old Mac­Arthur estate at Camden Park, south of

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(l) Mr. F. A. Varley, Manager Camden Park Estate, the author and Mrs. RcweiJ. at open field plant­ing of original MacArthur camellias, showing pruned and unpruned trees. (2) C. japonica CON­TESSA LAVINIA MAGGI. (3) Dr. and Mrs. W. R. Fea of Hamilton, N. Z. and their magnificentspecimen Reticulata CAPT. RAWES. (4) The National Camellia Show at Hamilton, New Zealand(main floor). - Photographs by Milo E. Rowell

... ""--- .

(5) Hybrid camellia ELSIE JURY, a lovely rich pink anemonefcrm. (6) Brilliant red Hybrid, cross ofSaluenensis SUNNYBANK x Japonica SOMERSBY. (7 & 8) Two very attractive "winged" forms ofHybrid, from cross of Saluenensis SUNNYBANK x Japonica HERME.

- Photographs courtesy Mr. Ben J. Rayner, Stratford, N. Z.

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............

12 The Camellia Bulletin

Sydney, where the famous "ASPASIAMACARTHUR" (Paeoniaeflora) and itsmany sports originated, as well as otherwell-known japonicas. There were somereally magnificent camellia trees in achurchyard and a larger planting in agraveyard in the town of Cambridge, be­tween Rotorua and Hamilton, N. Z.Some observations may be in order here.One could not help noting the similarityin environment (and performance) be-.rween the Camden Park camellias andthose at the old Edinger Place at Hood(near Sacramento) California. Both plant­ings are in silt soil, about the same dis­tance from a river and in the open sun.It seems obvious that the roots in eachcase reach down into soil that is con­tinually moist (undoubtedly by reason ofsub-soil irrigation from the river) andthus insure the plant of continuous mois­ture and ample nutrients-the main es­sentials for a camellia's well-being. Theclimate in both places is quite compar­able, including the rainfall.

So many of these priceless old camel­lias seemed to be neglected. The CamdenPark Estate is now primarily an immense,mechanized dairy farm and is graduallybecoming a residential sub-division, atleast in part. It is only natural that theseold camellias, now in a rather isolatedlocation with reference to the habitations,should be to some extent the victims ofthe "out of sight out of mind" truism.As a result, there had been some declineand a year or so ago Mr. Walter Hazle­wood was consulted. It was his view thatthe trees would benefit from heavy prun­ing and so about a half dozen were cutback to within a few feet of the ground,limbs several inches thick being removed(see Fig. 1). When we saw the plants,innumerable new, strong shoots hadgrown out of the limb stubs and thesecamellias were taking on the appearanceof restored vigor and a healthy, bushystructure. Such severe pruning was newto me and. while one should always qual­ify his cultural observations about camel­lias accordinq: to the environment in eachcase. it would seem safe to say that, givena salubrious climate, ample moisture andgood draifi1.p"e, old camellias which showdecline might be expected to benefit

from what might seem to be harsh cut­ting back. In any case, this experiencebrought home a conviction that the gen­eral tendency is to spare the shears to afault.

When one examines the character ofthe soil that is prevalent in so many ofthe camellia-growing areas of Australiaand New Zealand-especially the latter-it is readily understood why groundculture predominates to such an extent.So often blessed with such ideal, well­drained soil and without the seriousproblems posed by the presence of ro­dents such as gophers, moles and fieldmice, and with year-around rainfall toboot, as well as a much less prevalentspace problem, it is readily understand­able why container culture is largely con­fined to the residential .sections of thelarger cities. Furthermore, wooden tubsare much more difficult to come by and,in consequence, concrete tubs up to 30"in diameter are more common, especiallyin Sydney. The camellias seem to do verywell in such containers, which are round,tapered and ornamental, and it must besaid that one distinct advantage is thatthe weight is such they do not blowover so readily in heavy winds. However,their heaviness becomes a disadvantagewhen it comes to handling, as the largerones must weigh several hundred pounds.It seems to be fairly common practice totop dress the tubbed camellias withlumpy manure and we saw innumerablebeautiful specimen camellias so grown.

This brings up the point of mulchingand fertilizing techniques. We were abit surprised to see such widespread useof sawdust and mill waste as top dressingthroughout the garden-eamellias, azal­eas, roses, bedding plants-in fact, justabout everything in the garden seemedto have sawdust inches deep around it,generally supplemented with sheep ma­nure, which is so readily available andinexpensive. In some places near thecoast we saw something new-a driedseaweed mulch-which seemed to do thejob real well and keep out the weeds.In addition to animal manures (and, insome cases, supplementing them) liquidfertilizers were employed in order tooffset the nitrogen-robbing sawdust, but

The Camellia Bulletin 13

one can readily imagine what an idealcombination sawdust and sheep manuremake and we only wish they were aseasily obtainable here.

In Australia, we saw at least a halfdozen new (to us) camellias that werequite desirable including a single two­toned reticulata (either seedling or wildform) that was charming. Among suchjaponicas that we particularly admiredwere COUNTESS LAVINIA MAGGI(a large, variegated double-see Fig. 2),ALEXANDER BLACK (a bright reddouble), FRANCOIS WIOT (an inter­esting red semi-double having eye-catch­ing variegated foliage), W. R. GUIL­FOYLE, CALDER'S TREASURE (afine new pink), DAINTREE SIEVERS,STORYII NEW PINK, ROSEMARYELSOM, GAY MARMEE, HIGH JINKS(an unusual variegated formal), MARIERAVEN and WM. HONEY (a large,attractive variegated). Among the olderhybrids the writer had not previouslyseen, we liked CRINKLES and DR. LES­LEY. The mention of hybrids brings usto the Taranaki area of New Zealand­one of the high spots of our entire trip-as this is the focal point of camelliahybridizing in the Antipodes.

The drainage area of Mt. Egmont, an8,200 ft. volcanic, snow-covered cone ofstriking beauty located in Taranaki Prov­ince, about midway between Wellingtonand Auckland in the North Island ofNew Zealand - especially the westernslopes which run gently down to the sea-is one of the finest natural horticulturalregions anywhere. It is blessed with anequable climate and copious rainfall,ranging from perhaps 40 inches to asmuch as 160 inches per annum, distrib­uted throughout the year. The principalcity in this area is New Plymouth which,with its environs such as Stratford andWaitara, are centers of great floriculturalactivity. The very large and extensivegrowing grounds and plants of Duncan& Davies, Ltd., the principal nursery inNew Zealand, are located here and,higher up on the western slopes of Mt.Egmont at an elevation of about 3,000ft., is the immense Pukehiti Trust estate,a privately endowed natural garden proj­ect for public benefit now in course of

development, specializing in the nativeflora and rhododendrons, with an im­portant and growing planting of camel­lias. The soil in this entire area derivesfrom volcanic action and is reddish, in­dicating the presence of iron, and porous.It drains so well that, when cuts aremade for roadways or the ground is nat­urally steeply sloping, the banks do noterode even when almost vertical. As maywell be imagined, root penetration andwater retention are superb and, with theample rainfall and humidity, in conjunc­tion with a temperate climate, plants ofall kinds grow very readily and vigor­ously; in fact, the writer recalls seeingfence posts CUt from green timber whichwere growing new branches and evi­dently had taken root!

Two of the eminent hybridists of theworld-brothers-live in this area, Mr.1. E. (Les) Jury at New Plymouth andMr. F. M. (Felix) Jury, at Waitara, justa few miles distant. Both of these gentle­men are first-class botanists and plantcollectors and both have to their creditfine hybrids of plants other than camel­lias-notably, Les Jury's extremely beau­tiful Lilium auratum hybrids and FelixJury's excellent double-flowering Prunus,among others. I believe either or both ofthese gentlemen also has developed somefine rhododendron hybrids, as well. It israther remarkable to find two membersof one family with such similar tastesand accomplishments.

At Felix Jury's we saw a fabulous gar­den containing many rare and exoticplants. Camelliawise, what was unques­tionably the finest specimen plant of C.tsaii the writer has seen-some 6 ft. tall,bushy and heavily laden with entrancingbell-shaped flowers-upgraded his opin­ion of this species (and small-floweredcamellias generally) tremendously.

While we had had a fairly good pre­view of the best of Les Jury's camelliahybrids at the Hamilton, N. Z., nationalcamellia show, where one of his creationswas awarded Best Flower, we were in forquite a surprise when we were driveninto his concealed garden at New Ply­mouth, which was completely differentfrom anything the writer had ever seen.If, as has been said, an individual's gar-

14 The Camellia Bulletin

den is a reflection of his own personality,then the Les Jury garden is expressiveof a person possessing great ingenuity, alove of beauty and that which is unique-with a yen for complete privacy verymuch evident. Because it was still winter,we did not see this garden at its peakand one can only visualize what it wouldlook like in spring. Set in a deep basinresembling an amphitheater open at oneend, in the bottom of which is a smalllake with a plant-covered island, thesloping banks are covered with camellias,azalaeas, rhododendrons and floweringtrees, set off by beautiful tree ferns, andthe terraces heavily planted with peren­nials of many kinds. The entrance is com­pletely concealed from the street and itis really breath-taking to come upon thissunken garden, with the whole panoramaunfolding at once. The home is posi­tioned so as to have a complete overallview at all times.

The Les Jury hybrids derive largelyfrom a garden form of C. saluenensis hecalls "SUNNYBANK," which has thetypical single flower but of a deeper hueand slightly larger than the pale pinkform of saluenensis with which the writeris most familiar. His better hybrids havecome from pollinations of this seed par­ent with various japonicas- "JULIADRAYTON" (our "MATHOTIANA"),"DEBUTANTE," "HERME," "DAIKA­GURA" - just to name a few. Theselargely run to shades of lavender-pink,many are compound and they are almostuniformly of good size. From crosses inwhich pollen of "AUSTRALIS" and"SOMERSBY" was used, some very fine,bright off-red shades have been devel­oped in semi-double forms, a few ofwhich have loose peonyform structureand considerable height, making a wingedand very handsome overall effect. (Seeillustrations on Page 11.) In this particu­lar field (the saluenensis x japonica hybrid)it is the writer's opinion that Mr. Juryhas the widest range and best developedhybrids extant. He has also made a greatmany combinations involving other spe­cies -but most of these are yet to bloom.Les Jury is a dedicated person with anintense interest in his subject and abackground of accomplishment in hybri-

dizing. It is this writer's prediction thata wide array of unique camellia hybridswill come from his garden within thenext few years, supplementing his alreadyimpressive contributions.

No account of our travels would becomplete without mention of the camel­lia shows we attended-at Sydney, Mel­bourne and Hamilton, N. Z. (see Fig.4). These shows were uniformly goodand largely non-competitive, reflecting agreat deal of originality and having asthe central motif what all camellia showsshould have as their prime objective-aneducational and artistic exhibit. Only inthe Hamilton Show were there competi­tive exhibit classes and these were rele­gated to the mezzanine section, the mainfloor being devoted almost entirely to thedisplays and non-competitive blooms.The writer gained the impression, how­ever, that the competitive bloom sectionis gradually being expanded. This bringsup again the old question as to which ispreferable - a competitive or non-com­petitive show.

Perhaps a few personal impressions onthis point might be of interest. Havingnow seen most of the outstanding ca­mellia shows of the United States and theAntipodes, it is the writer's convictionthat the ideal arrangement is neither, onan exclusive basis, but rather one whichcombines both in such degree as best fitsthe attitude of the exhibitors in eacharea. That is to say, if the growers in acertain section prefer merely to exhibitrather than compete, the emphasis shouldbe upon the non-competitive conceptand, by the same token, where the grow­ers are keen about prizes and awards thatangle should be emphasized. In eithercase, however, it would seem that some­thing vital would be lacking were theother aspect completely omitted. Thewriter has had wide experience in bothcompetitive exhibiting and in merely dis­playing courtesy collections of blooms.There are valid arguments on both sides,e.g., it is widely acknowledged that com­petition-in any field of endeavor--de­velops perfection to the utmost: it mustbe equally admitted, however. that thereare many persons who should be en-

(Continued on Page 20)

The Camellia Bulletin

OBJECTIVES OF HYBRIDISTS - AND OTHERSRoy T. Thompson, Glendale, California

15

There are a great many amateur hy­bridists who are interested in producingnew camellia varieties, most of whom,like myself, have never formulated a pur­poseful program of hybridization simplybecause they did not have the facilities.When asked the other day what wouldbe my objectives were I to take up sucha program, I soon realized that the ques­tion was a reasonable one, and I furtherrealized that most of the objectivessought by a hybridist might also be usedby any collector in building his collec­tion. The following is not a complete list,but may stimulate a little thinking onthe subject.

1. Healthy, vigorous plants. After threedecades of camellia growing I am firmlyconvinced that the first requisite of acamellia is vigor and good health. Thisis fundamental. A beautiful bloom on aweak, hesitating plant does not satisfy.Over the years any camellia plant isbound to have strains and tensions, may­be severe trials, due to temperature, lackof water, lack of light, hardening soil,or what not. It should have a vigorousconsitution to meet these emergencies,not to mention the main business ofproducing good blooms.

2. Plant should be attractive. Distinctfrom the matter of health, a camelliaplant should be good looking. A vigor­ous, healthy plant that is rangy, awkwardand shapeless, has no place in the garden.The foliage should be fairly compact, ofan attractive-not yellow-green. Thereare big, stiff, coarse leaves and droopy,tired leaves, but these should be avoided.One of the outstanding characteristics ofa camellia at its best is its suave, well­bred, polished air of being well dressed;good japonicas somehow have an air ofdistinction.

3. Something really new. A camelliawhich is only slightly different from anamed and established variety does notdeserve to be propagated; it should bedistinctly different, with a difference thatis easily recognized. No serious studentof camellias in America, and certainly no

nurseryman, will deny that there are toomany varieties on the market today. Takethe big semi-double whites, for example.Put a hundred blooms of the leadingwhites on a table, without labels, thenask your leading expert to identify them.Hence, it is important for the hybridist,amateur or professional, to make surethat his new production is really differ­ent.

4. Something that has style and char­acter. It is difficult to define these terms,but the many successes of modern art­which is based on form, line, color andthe juxtaposition of these without anyattempt to reproduce objects or people­illustrate that human emotions can bearoused and directed by mere line, color,or form. Hence, the combination of theseelements in a flower produce what wecall its character. But sometimes the com­bination of these elements produces littleor no effect on the emotions; then wesay that the flower has no character. Anoutstanding camellia is one which in­stantly produces a distinct sense of char­acter on the viewer. Style is another wordwhich we used for the distinct and pleas­urable arrangement of the elements ofline and color in a flower.

5. Best effects call for the correlationof color and form. There is always aworking relation between a flower's formand its color. Some flower patterns sug­gest vigor, action, movement, as in thebig-petalled semi-doubles where individ­ual petals stand out at dramatic angles.These look best in rich reds or deeppinks. Formals are made of endlessly re­peated curves lying close together andthese suggest peace, quiet, tranquility.White, or light pink, suits these best.

6. Long lasting flowers. Another aimfor the creator of camellia varieties mightwell be longer lasting flowers. Some ex­isting kinds have this quality, but mostcould be improved.

7. Flowers that do not shatter. No hy­bridist should be "permitted" to producea flower that shatters. Aside from thedangers of petal blight and the businessof picking up petals, a shattering flower

16 The Camellia Bulletin

(like C. M. Hovey) is an unsightlyniusance in the garden.

8. Extending the blooming season.Thought should be given, too, to extend­ing the blooming season at both ends­early and late.

It would seem that the semi-doubletype offers by far the greater number ofopportunities for new varieties. In thisgroup, individual petals count for moreand can be more creative in producinga greater number of combinations thanin any of the other types. In peonies, thepetals tend to be crowded tightly to­gether and the play of individual petalsis limited. In formals, the pattern is stillmore rigid and limited. Semi-doubleshave more room for unique arrangement,especially when they embody smallclumps of staments.

The single camellia, up to now, hasbeen too much down-graded. But afterthe semi-double it has, theoretically atleast, the most promising future. This islargely due to the aesthetic opportunitiesafforded by its eye-catching, round yellowcenter. Composite flowers, daisies for ex­ample, have been world favorites downthrough the ages; they are simple, theyare beautiful, they are easy to understand.(Some flowers, like Strelitzia regina, areterrifically complicated, a little uncom­fortable and hard to "understand.") Singlecamellias are bright, simple, easy to un­derstand and quiet rather than exciting.In a world where psychiatrists are in­creasingly needed to untangle our com­plicated lives, simple things like singlesmay have a unique value.

IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICAN CAMELLIA CULTURE (Continued from Page 5)competition, and too often a second-rate nity everywhere are thankful that thesebloom was awarded a First Prize. This are so readily made available. This will-may have been because it was rare, diffi- ingness to share the good things withcult to grow, or for other reasons, but it others has been one of the outstandingcould mislead the public as to the value features among camellia enthusiasts. We,of the cultivar when such a bloom was in Australia, owe much to the great gen-awarded the maximum. However, I know erosity of our American friends but re-of no better system and, as a judge, hope gret that, so far, we have had so littleand expect that all our future shows will to give in return. Perhaps we may getvery soon be so scheduled. the true blue or really yellow camellia

The size of the blooms of the large and then-!semi-double sorts and the incomplete From the above you will realize thatdoubles was outstanding and yet not hav- I appreciate the fact that camellia cul-ing a coarse appearance. Size seemed to ture in the United States has given a leadbe over-emphasized, whereas we prob- to the other camellia-growing countries.ably put too much emphasis on the con- This is not to be wondered at when onedition of the bloom. It was interesting takes into consideration the research andto see so many miniatures and to observe investigational work that has been and isthat they were increasing in popularity, being carried out there. The Americanapparently. Camellia Society was initiated in 1945

The technique of grafting seemed to and had at its command specialists inbe better developed than in other coun- every phase of camellia culture. The re-tries I have visited - particularly the suIt of this work was readily made avail-grafting-over of older plants in the open. able to all its members. With the localWe generally graft only rare scions and societies attending to matters having toprobably overcare for them, with too do with regional environmental condi-much wax and not sufficient air and tions, broad scientific and practical in-fungicide as possibly our main problems. formation was disseminated amongst theWith more experience, however, our camellia growers. Supplementing thisgrowers are getting greater confidence was the development of Research andand better results. Test Gardens, from which have come

In America, the practice of raising knowledge of immense importance innew cultivars and hybrids has been keeping the camellia enthusiast abreastmost successful and the camellia frater- of the times.

The Camellia Bulletin 17

HYBRIDIZATION IN THE U.S.A. (Continued from Page 8)reticulata CRIMSON ROBE, C. japonica hybrids in good faith which are not hy-(seedling) Xc. lrrawadiensis, C. cuspi- brids," writes Dr. Hilsman in the 1961data Xc. fraterna. He also says that he ACS Yearbook, "Chromosome count willhas obtained several seed pods by cross- frequently be able to prove or disproveing various of the Camellia species with hybridity when the alleged hybrid parentsGordonia axillaris pollen which he says are of species with different chromosomeis a tetraploid. However the pods had not counts. If the parents are allegedly ofgerminated at the time of this report. species with the same chromosome countThis reminds this writer that a success- then the scleroid method of cytology willful cross of C. Pitardii X Tutcheria spec- be able to verify or deny results."tabilis (which is supposed to bear yellow Considering that it is less than a dec-blossoms) has been reported from the ade ago that controlled inter-specific pol-West Coast. The plant has not bloomed lination of the genus Camellia started inyet but we understand that it will do so the United States, considering also thethis coming season. In the Southeast we time involved in bringing a seedling toalso have several plants, one year and two the flowering stage and our frustratingyears old, of the cross C. japonica X C. ignorance of the mysterious behavior ofGranthamiana, also of C. reticulata (wild the genus, we have made remarkableform) Xc. Granthamiana, the leaves strides. We now can say without boastingshowing definite resemblance to those of that we have succeeded in emulating thethe C. Granthamiana. pioneer English hybridists who showed

"Many plants will be introduced as us the way.

-NEWS AND VIEWS­By Roy Thompson

The relatively thick leaves of camelliasare evidently better able to retain waterduring hot spells than one might expect.Their white roots, too, are well adapted

This is sasanqua month. These delicateflowers begin early in October, are attheir best in November, and are finishedby the first of the year. They are worththeir keep if only for the first thrill ofpleasure they bring in the early fall; theyare usually the first camellias to bloom.Their ability to withstand heat is notablyattested by J. R. Fisher of New SouthWales, writing in the June, 1962, Ca­mellia News, a publication of the Aus­tralian Camellia Research society, Sydney.He reports that "Sydney has experiencedone of the driest Autumns for manyyears and Victoria has been in the gripof a record drought." "While the bloomstend to droop at mid-day," he says, theplants are "hardy, sun-tolerant and ableto withstand flood or drought with com­parative equanimity." "When well estab­lished," he adds, "these plants are liter­ally covered with bloom during the bestpart of two months."

* * *

to water storage. Maybe that is why acanned camellia can stand in thoroughlydried out soil for a surprising number ofdays before it begins to wither. And ittakes a long time to die. Curled edgesof the leaves give its owner a clearwarning that water is needed.

* * *Large amounts of what appears to be

sulphur have fallen out of the air thisautumn in Southern California, but noapparent damage has been done to grow­ing things. However, the yellow stuffforms a thick, crusty coat on camellialeaves, and has to be washed off daily.

* * *Fashions come and go-in camellias.

A dozen years ago blush pink camelliaswere at the height of fashion. Virgin'sBlush started the wave of interest, andthe fad lasted until a dozen or so blushpink camellias were available, includingthe lovely Dave Strother. Today, whileVirgin's Blush is still a lovely, mediumsized flower in some of the older collec­tions, it is all but forgotten by presentday collectors, who don't know what a"hot" number it used to be.

18 The Camellia Bulletin

MICRO CLIMATES AND CAMELLIA HEALTH (Continued from Page 7)more rapid transpiration, not only be­cause evaporation occurs quickly in warmair but also because warm air is capableof holding more water vapor. Transpira­tion exerts a cooling effect upon the in­ternal tissues of the leaves; in the absenceof the cooling effect of transpiration, leaftemperatures might become sufficientlyhigh to cause damage to leaf cells.

Transpiration constitutes an ever-pres­ent risk, for an excess of transpirationover water absorption by roots leads towilting and leaf burn. If water loss ex­ceeds the intake by the roots, a waterdeficit develops in the plant, expansionof the growing cells ceases, and the plantstops growing. If the water deficit con­tinues, the plant wilts. If it becomes toosevere, leaves exposed directly to thelight and heat will burn, and if exposureis prolonged other plant tissues witherand die.

From the foregoing statements ontranspiration we can summarize that ifthe rate of water absorption by rootsequals or exceeds that of transpiration,no wilting or burning occurs, but if tran­spiration over-balances water absorption,wilting is inevitable and sun burning ispossible. This leads to the conclusionthat there is a more positive wilt andsunburn control than the general practiceof reliance on various degrees of shade.Excessive loss of plant moisture by tran­spiration can be controlled by increasingair humidity. Laboratory testing hasshown that transpiration ceases in sat­urated air.

Practical examples can be cited to il­lustrate that control of transpiration byair humidity is more effective than com­plete reliance upon degrees of shading.Consider the report that cuttings rootedunder intermittent mist spray show thehighest take when the propagating bedis in the hottest and sunniest site avail­able. Cooling agricultural crops by foliarsprinkling during the high midday tem­peratures is gaining in importance be­cause of increased fruit set, better qualityand greater productions per acre. Recenttests show that grapes, pole beans, alfalfaand sugar beet yields increased. It is nowknown that the increased air humidity

puts the plant to rest, so to speak, andstops evapo-transpiration. Experimenta­tion is continuing on this phase of agri­cultural research.

Sacramento fuchsia fanciers are able tosuccessfully grow these plants only bycreating local areas of high humidityaround their collections. Have you evernoticed that camellias in full sun in verylarge well-watered lawn areas seldomshow leaf sun burn? Conversely, contain­er-grown camellias on paved areas under50 percent lath will frequently showsevere burn.

In the 1959 American Camellia YearBook, this writer reporred upon an ex­periment of growing 21 camellias in fullsun with heavy ground cover beneathand an overhead sprinkler system whichwas turned on twice, for shorr intervals,in midday during hot weather. In Juneof that year, nine days were recordedwith temperatures exceeding 104 degreesand with relative humidity as low as 9percent. Only five leaves showed any burnand these were complicated by insectdamage which inhibited the water move­ment in these leaves.

Horticulturists usually water plantfoliage, walks, floors, and walls of green­houses several times during hot summerdays to maintain a high degree of hu­midity. This practice results in a generaldecrease in the rate of transpiration ofplants growing in such houses. Glass jarsare placed over camellia grafts to main­tain a high humidity and assist the scionthrough a difficult period of callousing.

A detailed discussion of what has hap­pened by increasing air humidity is de­sirable. When the atmosphere is veryhumid, the evaporation of water fromleaves is reduced, for the difference inwater vapor concentration in the innerspaces of the leaves and in the outside airis so slight that the outward diffusion ofwater molecules from leaves is very slow.The rate of transpiration is roughly indirect proportion to atmospheric humid­ity; thus, the drier the air, the more rapidis the rate of water evaporation fromleaves. Then the greater the atmospherichumidity, the lower the rate of transpira-

The Camellia Bulleti1Z 19

tion and the greater is the amount ofwater retained within the plant forgrowth.

During periods of no wind, the mo­tionless air near transpiring leaves be­comes very humid and the rate of evap­oration decreases. The camellia is capable,during periods of calm air, of creating ahigh humidity around the outside of itsown leaves. This leads to the conclusionthat the transpiration from leaves ofother plants in close proximity to thecamellia will greatly assist in creatingadditional humidity. Expanding uponthis, it is possible to create a highlyhumid area around the camellia by choos­ing the proper type of foliage plantswhich would then be used in sufficientquantity for the needed area of transpir­ing leaf surfaces. This in turn will pro­duce the desired local climatic environ­ment and is called a Micro Climate.

The 1957 Yearbook of Agriculture de­fines Micro Climate as the local climaticcondition near the ground resulting frommodification of the general climatic con­dition by local differences in relief, ex­posure and cover.

Research has shown that the evapora­tion from the soil surface results in theloss of appreciable amounts of availablewater from soils, but that it is by nomeans the major cause of such water loss.The factor ordinarily responsible for thegreatest amount of water loss from soilsis evaporation from the leaves of plants.The magnitude of such transpiration isoften very great. One mature tomatoplant on a warm dry day will transpirea gallon of water. A mature apple treemay transpire 1800 gallons of water in agrowing season of about six months. Ithas been determined that a single sun­flower plant during a growing season ofabout 140 days loses about 145 poundsof water, an average daily loss of morethan one pint of water. A single cornplant has been found to lose, by transpir­ation, over 50 gallons of water during itslife span of 100 days. These tremendousamounts of water, lost in the form ofvapor into the atmosphere, are derivedfrom the soil. from which the water isabsorbed by the roots.

A study of these figures indicates howvast expanses of vegetation, such as for­ests, are able to exert marked influenceson the climate of the regions in whichthey grow. The tremendous quantities ofwater vapor expelled by masses of vege­tation affect air temperatures, increasethe moisture content of the air and thuscreate a local climate. Vegetative influ­ence is equally effective in bringing aboutmore habitable conditions in areas assmall as neighborhood parks and the resi­dential back yard, including the camelliagarden. These are Micro Climates.

Camellias planted in soil areas devoidof a living ground cover growth or notmulched with inorganic or organic ma­terials such as peat, ground corn cobs,wood shavings, ground bark, compost,leaves, etc., will be subjected to condi­tions which reduce the air humidity, thisbeing contrary to a suitable Micro Cli­mate. The foregoing mulches are effec­tive in reducing water loss from the soils,as they blanket humidity into the soilsnearly as effectively as a concrete terrace.

The use of living ground covers be­neath camellias and a tree canopy offoliage overhead is indicated as mostconducive to the conditions for a desir­able Micro Climate. Vapor transpiredfrom foliage fluctuates according to thetemperature, to create a necessary hu­midity to insulate the camellia.

CONCLUSIONGrowers of camellias (particularly C.

japonica) , in hot dry climates might wellconsider that: Planting camellias in bar­ren areas not contributing to humidity iscontrary to a habitable situatiQn. Selectliving ground covers beneath camellias,and a suitable vegetative shade canopyabove provide natural environment. Therelationship of shade and humidity areproportional. The camellia will grow infull sun without burn if subjected tosufficient atmospheric humidity. Thesuggested optimum would seem to besome overhead protection (perhaps 40to 50 percent shade in hot dry climates),a living vegetative soil cover and anoverhead sprinkler irrigation system toraise midday humidity during extremelyhot weather.

20 The Camellia Bulletin

IN WHICH YOUR EDITOR WANDERS (Continued from Page 14)

couraged to exhibit but who are deterredfrom doing so in a competitive showsimply because they have neither the de­sire to win nor to lose. As a matter offact, one might observe that there aremore instances of the non-competitiveshow leaning toward competition thanthe reverse and, even where there is noacknowledged competitive class, the prac­tice of having "review" or special displaytables, where the most outstandingblooms are assembled, certainly is recog­nition in principle of choosing the best.It must be admitted there are virtues inboth and the solution would seem to bea compromise, in which the exhibitorcould individually decide on what basishe would prefer to display his blooms.

The situation can be alleviated by pro­viding for both-requiring that competi­tive blooms be placed in classes but per­mitting non-competitive exhibits to beshown as "collections," thereby gettingthe pleasing effect cif contrasting formsand colors displayed side by side. Uponfurther reflection, it seems to the writerthat here in the United States we inclinea little too much toward ribbons, prizesand trophies, with the result that someof the really more important aspects ofa show, such as educational exhibits andinstruction, are side-tracked. On theother hand, one gets the impression thatmost of the non-competitive shows couldbenefit from that extra effort which goesinto striving to excel.

We could mention having seen in NewZealand (at Pukehiti) tree fuchsias 25feet high with a trunk a foot in diameter;ne3.r lovely Wanganui a venerable oldMagnolia campbelli some 70 years old,growing in a dell unattended and left toits own resources, but an absolutely per­fect specimen with hundreds, perhapsthousands, of blooms open at one time;seeing the breath-takingly beautiful wildform of clematis growing in the forest,where it hangs as a beautiful white bowerfrom the trees and, of course, the ubiqui­tous gorse, introduced from Scotland forhedges on the sheep ranches, with itsgolden mantle of broom-like blooms

standing out beautifully against the roIl­ing green hills, but which has now be­come a pest due to its prolific self-seedingeverywhere. It has a fair counterpart inAustralia's wattle, very similar to ouracacia but perhaps even more vigorousand prolific, although this flowering plantreaches the size of a large tree and be­comes simply gorgeous in its naturalhabitat.

We found excellent botanical gardensin most of the major cities and, whilealmost uniformly too early for the springflowering, saw many very interestingplants, including century-old gardeniasbearing numerous large, pendant seedpods, about the size of and somewhatresembling black figs. The many botan­ical gardens and their excellent conditionis fitting testimony to the widespread in­terest in horticulture in both Australiaand New Zealand and, by the same token,these splendid public displays undoubt­edly contribute significantly to the situ­ation of activity in the private gardenand to the surprisingly broad knowledgeof botany generally which one finds inthese countries. In fact, there is a ratherunusual and universal interest in growingthings over there and pride in the main­tenance of a beautiful neighborhood isfostered by some civic administrationsthrough the granting of annual awardsfor the most beautiful or best maintainedblocks in the city. (Strangely enough, weeven found this practiced in Tahiti, aswell, but on an individual garden basis.)

What impressions does a trip like thisleave with one? Without question, thestrongest impression left with the writeris one of relatively virgin lands, with lotsof "elbow room," populated by energeticand friendly people who perhaps do notre3.lize fully the blessings of what mightbe called "under-population." From acamellia standpoint, they have everythingit takes to excel and, given time, may beexpected to do so. YOll will hear morefrom Australia and New Zealand in theyears to come-the fantastic growth rateof their camellia societies is sufficientevidence of this.