By Barbara Tuffli, December 2008, president of American Camellia Society, with artwork designed by Descanso Gardens

 

The American Camellia Trail is an exciting new project that the American Camellia Society is developing in partnership with public gardens that have notable collections, across the country.  It currently encompasses 41 gardens -- a beautiful strand of camellia jewels draping along the coasts of the U.S.  See a partial map here.

 

The first camellia plants were brought in 1797 to America, where they were grown in New England greenhouses.  It wasn't long, however, before their culture spread south and west, as camellias were found to flourish in the coastal regions of the country.  Different regions in the United States, including the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts, offer distinct and beautiful specimens. The most commonly planted species in this country are C.sasanqua, C.japonica, and C.reticulata, but hybrids have produced some remarkable results.

 

American Camellia Trail Gardens are divided up by Coast.  Pick the Coast of interest and click on "more".  Maps, websites and information are provided on each of these beautiful gardens.  Four of the gardens -- Huntington Gardens, Descanso Gardens, Massee Lane Garden (the gardens of the American Camellia Society), and Norfolk (Va.) Botanical Gardens -- have already won the accolade of ICS Garden of Excellence. 

 

Full details about the gardens on the trail, with a complete list of them all, can be found on the American Camellia Society website: http://www.americancamellias.org, following the link to "Gardens". For a direct link to the page on Gardens: http://www.americancamellias.org/display.aspx?catid=4

 

For more information, contact Celeste Richard, ACS Operations Manager, at the following e-mail: crichard "at" americancamellias.org or Barbara Tuffli, President, American Camellia Society, who chairs the American Camellia Trail project, at e-mail: btuffli "at" yahoo.com