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Strawberry Tree

Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha
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Fall camellias

I hate to sound like a broken record but I LOVE CAMELLIAS!

Right now, the sasanqua camellias are blooming. These are fall bloomers and their flowers are not as large and showy as the japonica camellias which bloom in late winter and early spring. The sasanquas have a delicate beauty about them with fragile blossoms that are quick to shatter if disturbed.

This first photo is of "Bonanza" that is planted by the back door steps. This was one of the first camellias I ever planted. It is about 10 years old. It always blooms in late October. I've never had success in getting a close-up photo because the color (a bright fushcia) is hard to capture with a digital camera.



"Cleopatra" - pale, delicate pink, crepe-like flowers.



"Chansonette" - I just planted this one last year and was excited to see it blooming when we returned from vacation last week.



"Pink Icicle" is a hybrid camellia with pink, peony-like flowers. This is one of the hardier varieties that does well farther north.



A dream of mine is to one day visit the Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There are a few camellias that I'd love to find - "Ville de Nantes", "E.G. Waterhouse" and "Donation". If you know a source for these, do let me know.
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  1. Becca's DirtNovember 9, 2009 at 12:18 PM

    Phillip they are beautiful. Especially the one that looks like crepe. Isn't it nice to find new flowers on returning from vacation. Have a great day.

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  2. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)November 9, 2009 at 2:01 PM

    Beautiful aren't they.

    I don't have anything blooming in the garden now, so slightly jealous!

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  3. Roses and LilacsNovember 9, 2009 at 2:03 PM

    Those are lovely. Of course we can't grow them here so I just enjoy the ones you southern gardeners grow.
    Marnie

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  4. TYRA Hallsénius LindheNovember 9, 2009 at 2:27 PM

    How wonderful, you are soooo lucky to have all those lovely blooms!
    (sigh)
    Tyra

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  5. Monica the Garden FaerieNovember 9, 2009 at 3:03 PM

    That's OK, Phillip, we all have *I HATE BUCKTHORN* our little broken record rants. At least yours is *I HATE BUCKTHORN* positive! And since camellias don't grow here, I'm always happy to see them in any *I HATE BUCKTHORN* season! ;-)

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  6. UnknownNovember 9, 2009 at 3:46 PM

    I too am jealous! I am in Indiana and we are done for the year, but your blooms are lovely. I visited Leu Gardens in Orlando last March and they had lovely Camellias in bloom. Wow, enjoy them!

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  7. JimmyNovember 9, 2009 at 4:14 PM

    Phillip, I love the classic 'window pane' fence. It is so California arts and crafts.

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  8. Dirt PrincessNovember 9, 2009 at 4:51 PM

    I love camellias too! they never get old!

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  9. AaerelonNovember 9, 2009 at 5:03 PM

    I didn't even know Camellias existed until a few days ago. They're really nice and thanks for sharing!

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  10. LesNovember 9, 2009 at 5:38 PM

    My last camera really took bad photos of red flowers, now the new camera is not a problem. A very handy improvement for camellia time. I am so glad I live somewhere that these beauts can grow.

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  11. sweetbayNovember 9, 2009 at 6:25 PM

    Camellia Forest is less than an hour from me, I should go -- or perhaps not. ;)

    Your Camellias are beautiful!

    Try emailing brenda near eno on the Carolina Gardening Forum on GardenWeb: she found a Villes des Nantes.

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  12. GailNovember 9, 2009 at 6:26 PM

    They are so so lovely....and who wouldn't love those beautiful pink flowers! Excellent photos Phillip! gail

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  13. AnonymousNovember 10, 2009 at 3:39 AM

    Ah Phillip, they are exquisite. I was thrilled to see you got Chansonette. That is one that has grown well, if slowly for me when all others have died. The flowers are like I imagine a fairy princess dress would be, all delicate layers of shades of pink. Yummy! :-)
    Frances

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  14. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 10, 2009 at 4:44 AM

    Years ago every Friday morning on my drive to work I listened to a Sports announcer named Red Barber. He lived in Tallahassee FL. While I wasn't a great sports fan I loved his commentary because he was such a wonderful speaker and would throw in all sorts of interesing tidbits of information about various subjects. He had a great love of Camillias. He would rhapsodize about Camilias occasionally. Being from much farther north and not ever having seen such a flower I didn't understand his passion. Now that I have seen your photos and my gardening sense has been expanded I can appreciate his affection for this plant. These plants well deserve their fans.

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  15. Catherine@AGardenerinProgressNovember 10, 2009 at 8:40 AM

    Are those ever pretty! Do any of them have a fragrance? I saw some at a nursery this weekend and one had the best scent. I only have japonicas so I'll have to wait, luckily they both have lots of buds.

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  16. maría ceciliaNovember 10, 2009 at 5:23 PM

    Hello Phillip, your camelias are wonderful and the pictures too!!!
    My camelias are just gone but roses are blooming all over. It´s springtime here in Chile.
    Muchos cariños
    María Cecilia

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  17. Cathy in VirginiaNovember 10, 2009 at 7:05 PM

    I think you're blog is great and I just love your pictures. You're yard is beautiful! If you have any hints on how to prepare a new flower bed, I think that would make a great post.

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  18. Southern AspirationsNovember 11, 2009 at 4:26 AM

    Gorgeous!

    I will be trying to replant our camelia shortly- I think it's getting way too much sun (and is just in a terrible spot... but I didn't plant it!).

    Gorgeous. So fun to be able to have flowers in the fall/winter.

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  19. Dig, Grow, Compost, BlogNovember 11, 2009 at 8:15 AM

    Such beautiful flowers. So is your camellia count rivaling your rose count yet? :-) Love your new header photo.

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  20. CarolNovember 12, 2009 at 11:10 AM

    Lovely Phillip... I love the first shot especially... so delicate. I love love camellias too!

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  21. ggjjohnNovember 15, 2009 at 6:09 AM

    Phillip, I have a camellia question: I have a spot at the lake (Shoals Creek) very near the water--it gets strong afternoon sun (Western exposure) but sun is filtered up til about mid-day. I would like to plant camellias there that will grow fairly large to screen the area below a deck which is built there. I do have irrigation--do you think they will do well there, and what varieties would you favor? Thanks for your great blog! I am a newcomer to it.

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  22. Phillip OliverNovember 16, 2009 at 9:10 PM

    Thanks for visiting Lilcharlotte! Camellias usually prefer some shade - how much sun do they actually receive? There are lots of good varieties - send me a personal email and I'll send you more details.

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  23. Annie in AustinNovember 17, 2009 at 12:28 PM

    You've got some beauties, Phillip! I didn't meet Camellias until we moved here, and at first only knew them from plants at a nursery rather than in anyone's garden. The first one I saw outside was 20-feet tall in Seattle ...not exactly in the South, was it!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  24. Randy EmmittDecember 2, 2009 at 10:03 AM

    Phillip,

    Been taken in by camellias in fact we bought 8 different new ones this fall. Your Pink Icicle is a new one to me, the rest you posted are in bloom right now at Sarah P Duke Gardens, I took photos there of 35 different camellias in bloom a week ago and posted them to my site.

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