CityView Magazine

50 | March /April 2019 "Camellias are great for landscaping and add interest in the yard during times of the year when there is not as much interest. They are easy to grow, are low maintenance and are very well suited to the Fayetteville area soil and climate." tea station, air layering demonstrations, student artwork area and a Q&A time with local garden guru Roger Mercer. Why Japanese tea? You may be surprised to learn that the camellia hails from Japan and China but it also loves the warm climate of North Carolina too. Our state's five growing zones afford the easy-to-grow camellia a choice menu of temperatures and conditions, offering samplings of morning sun and high-filtered shade, as well as helpings of slightly acidic soil and help for dry feet, or well, those that want to stay dry. Most southern states provide the same, or some superlative of, these conditions, and are therefore good for camellias too. Alabama even touts the camellia as its state flower. As for the tea, the Camellia oleifera species is the source of tea-oil and the Camellia sinensis and Camellia assamica give us the leaf. e specific variety of the tea plant and the way the leaves are processed aer harvesting determine the type of tea that is created. e different teas you love to drink, from English Breakfast black to healthy green, are all made according to the way the leaves are processed aer harvesting. Who knew, right? It may not be a surprise that the most well- known and commonly found species of this evergreen shrub are the Camellia japonica and the Camellia sasanqua along with many hybrids of the two. Finally, the Camellia reticulata is the Yennen camellia. And since variety is the spice of life, the camellia is also well-seasoned in its color palette. Ranging in hues from so pinks and snowy whites to fiery red and purple-tinged, camellias cheerfully brighten up the otherwise dull landscape of the fall and winter months when they are in bloom. Some will even bloom into early spring.

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