Area 1H – Notes.

Area 1H is located a little way along the path that leads from the amphitheatre back to the formal gardens. While not a large group, it contains some gems. The only mature plant of the reticulata hybrid ‘Miss Tulare’ is here, its blooms probably the largest of any in the collection. A new plant of it has been planted in Area 1G. Somewhat hidden away at the back are two bushes of ‘Fire Dance’. It would be difficult to pick the best red camellia in the collection but there is absolutely no doubt this would be in my top three. The two bushes of ‘Freedom Bell’ are not as free flowering as the one in Area 1G, but are still good, and ‘Mary Costa’ is a very good white.

With the waters of Plymouth Sound about 25 yards away, ‘Scented Sun’ cannot blame its spoiled flowers on frost. It spoils too readily to be really worth growing, in my opinion. ‘Captain Blood’ is a variety often asked about by people who have seen its picture but it is rather shy flowering on a sparse bush and the small blooms often fail to produce their signature bluish tones.

‘Apple Blossom’ (1H-032) is a name with five entries in the camellia register. It seems likely that in this case it is a synonym for Camellia wabisuke ‘Shōwa-wabisuke’, aka ‘Hatsukari’.

‘Manana’ (1H-014) is flowering white with pink stripes; it should be deep red.

‘Marie Bracey’ (1H-016 & 017) is low and spreading when it should be upright and its flowers, such few as it produces, are small formal doubles rather than the incomplete double it should be. Both plants of it appear to be the same. I have come to believe that the plant labelled ‘Martha Brice’ at 1E-026 is in fact ‘Marie Bracey’ and it is quite different from the two plants here.

‘Thelma Dale’, which is a pink sport of the pink and white striped ‘Mrs Baldwin Wood’, is unstable and produces frequent white striped flowers as well as the occasional all white.