Mostly I blog about the Camellia collection at Mount Edgcumbe, but I do actually have a few Camellias of my own. 25 miles further into Cornwall, in a garden of around 500m2, as compared to Mt Edgcumbe's 3.5 million m2. I have managed to squeeze in a couple of dozen, which still leaves me room … Continue reading On the home front.
Author: Jim Stephens
Mt. Edgcumbe update – Identification issues – 12/3/2023
When I was at the park on Friday, I cut a couple of shoots from 2C-003 Camellia japonica 'Blackburniana' and a couple from 5C-002 Camellia japonica 'Adolphe Audusson', put them in a bag and brought them home. There are two plants in section 2C labelled 'Blackburniana' and they are completely different. The other one, 2C-004, … Continue reading Mt. Edgcumbe update – Identification issues – 12/3/2023
Getting the names right.
It pretty much goes without saying that the plants in a National Collection should be accurately identified and labelled. I really wish I could say that this was true of the Mount Edgcumbe collection but for a variety of reasons it is not. I have been working with the collection as a volunteer for some … Continue reading Getting the names right.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Tago-no-tsuki’
There are three plants at Mount Edgcumbe, one labelled Camellia oleifera, two labelled C. sasanqua 'Fukuzutsumi', planted in 2006. They are all the same variety. I wrote a blog about them in November 2020, tentatively concluding that its correct identity was Camellia sasanqua 'Fragrans'. It is not. Nor is it C. sasanqua 'Narumigata', though it … Continue reading Camellia sasanqua ‘Tago-no-tsuki’
A Camellia, by any other name….
I finally managed to devote one of my volunteer days to engraving labels and last week I had the pleasure of attaching some of them to the plants. Some were to replace lost or broken labels, many were replacements for existing labels that over the last few years I had concluded were wrong. It isn't … Continue reading A Camellia, by any other name….
Azurea or Pilida, or something else?
There are still close to a hundred plants in the Mt Edgcumbe collection which do not match their labels and which I have been unable to positively identify. I will give a full description of one of them, which for reasons I will explain, I think may be 'Azurea' or 'Pilida'. I am hoping that … Continue reading Azurea or Pilida, or something else?
Identity issues, ‘Setsugekka’ and ‘Kenkyô’ – Part two.
I promise this will be my last word on the subject. I have been back up to the park again today specifically to scrutinise these two varieties minutely. A dog walker passed by, couldn't contain her curiosity and asked me what I was doing. I bet she wished she'd never asked. I have homed in … Continue reading Identity issues, ‘Setsugekka’ and ‘Kenkyô’ – Part two.
Identity issues, ‘Setsugekka’ and ‘Kenkyo’
Mt Edgcumbe has two plants of Camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka' and one of 'Kenkyo', or does it? In section 3C are two plants which are labelled C. sasanqua 'Setsugekka'. According to the collection records both came from Stonehurst Nursery and were planted in 2003. In early March 2018 a large tree fell on top of one … Continue reading Identity issues, ‘Setsugekka’ and ‘Kenkyo’
Camellia ‘1001 Summer Nights’ Jasmine
New Camellias tend to slip quietly onto the market, appearing first in specialist nurseries before making it into mainstream garden centres, presumably after the wholesale sector has adopted them and produced them in large numbers. Camellia ‘1001 Summer Nights' Jasmine has been available for a year or two but this year’s September Chelsea Flower Show … Continue reading Camellia ‘1001 Summer Nights’ Jasmine
Supply of plants
I would like to make it clear that I do not grow or supply plants or propagation material. I am simply a Camellia enthusiast writing about Camellias. I may be able to advise about availability in the UK but I do not know what is available elsewhere.
Jim's Camellias 