The timing of the blooms on the camellia in our garden has become my own farmer's almanac. The photo above was taken Friday, March 15, 2013.
If you remember the winter of 2012/13, it was quite mild, and the bloom above appeared on March 4.
I took this photo on March 17, 2011,
and this one on March 17, 2010.
Though I know there's no connection between St. Patrick's Day and blooming camellias, it's a bit surprising that more often than not, the dates coincide.
Jeff: I looked back at the post I did last year or the year before that to see what Bowood Farm’s Ellen Barredo said about the name of the Camellia. She thought it might be Yuletide. I must have purchased it at Bowood about four years ago but don’t have the tag any more.
Nicki – do you know the name of the cultivar? Is it “Spring Promise”? Do you have a source for it? Thanks, Jeff Marsh