Living in the South during Christmas time may not bring snow…but it does bring beautiful blooming flowers of several types! When you say the word “southern” the camellia plant comes to mind instantly…but most people don’t know that there are more than 82 species of the plant and it actually originated from three camellias indigenous to Japan. In Japan the word tsubaki, coming from tsuyaba (glossy leaf) and ki (tree), is used for the most commonly used garden variety, the Camellia japonica. 
This variety spread worldwide as a garden plant after the 19th century, of which we have three in our back yard. These begin blooming in late winter, are unscented, and last only a few days after they bloom before falling to the ground. It is said that the Samurai did not like the camellia because it resembled a war prisoner having his head cut off.
However, this is a myth. Some of the greatest cultivars from the Edo Period (1603-1867) were from the Samurai. The blooms make a nice table arrangement floating in a bowl of water and the greenery is available all year long and lasts for weeks in a vase, which is great for flower arrangements of any type. 
What is amazing to me is the fact that several different colored blooms will appear on the same tree. Ours come in shades of dark red to the lightest pink and variegated, too. Other colors can be whites and creams both solid and variegated shades.
The other very common variety and staple to any Southern garden is the Camellia Sasanqua, of which we have the Crimson Bride cultivar in our front yard.
This is an early bloomer that appears in fall. It is a single blossom flower that can grow up to 12’ tall and looks much more delicate to me. Ours is actually more pink than crimson and it has a very mild, sweet fragrance that is intoxicating in the mornings lingering in our heavy southern humidity. The C. sasanqua is better than the C. japonica at taking extremely cold winters, but thankfully this is not a frequent problem in our area.
The camellia is used in teas, as well, but I’ll just enjoy it for the beauty.
Additional info from:
http://www.flowertending.com/camellia-flower.html
http://homepage3.nifty.com/plantsandjapan/page021.html
This variety spread worldwide as a garden plant after the 19th century, of which we have three in our back yard. These begin blooming in late winter, are unscented, and last only a few days after they bloom before falling to the ground. It is said that the Samurai did not like the camellia because it resembled a war prisoner having his head cut off.
However, this is a myth. Some of the greatest cultivars from the Edo Period (1603-1867) were from the Samurai. The blooms make a nice table arrangement floating in a bowl of water and the greenery is available all year long and lasts for weeks in a vase, which is great for flower arrangements of any type. What is amazing to me is the fact that several different colored blooms will appear on the same tree. Ours come in shades of dark red to the lightest pink and variegated, too. Other colors can be whites and creams both solid and variegated shades.The other very common variety and staple to any Southern garden is the Camellia Sasanqua, of which we have the Crimson Bride cultivar in our front yard.
This is an early bloomer that appears in fall. It is a single blossom flower that can grow up to 12’ tall and looks much more delicate to me. Ours is actually more pink than crimson and it has a very mild, sweet fragrance that is intoxicating in the mornings lingering in our heavy southern humidity. The C. sasanqua is better than the C. japonica at taking extremely cold winters, but thankfully this is not a frequent problem in our area.The camellia is used in teas, as well, but I’ll just enjoy it for the beauty.
Additional info from:
http://www.flowertending.com/camellia-flower.html
http://homepage3.nifty.com/plantsandjapan/page021.html
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