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exhibitor for at least 30 days before the show.
"Our entries come from North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Virginia. We have also
had entries from Georgia, but their plants
are usually bloomed out by our show,"
Kubeny says.
Kubeny and his wife, who live in
Lillington, joined the Fayetteville Camellia
Club about 12 years ago aer reading
about the club. e show was then held at
Methodist University.
"We bought a couple of camellias and
joined the club," he says.
Southern treasure
Camellias have been popular for
centuries. A popular legend says that a
Chinese emperor enjoyed a caffeine buzz
from drinking water laced with camellia oil.
It was the first recorded caffeine buzz in
human history, the legend recalls.
e story goes that in 2737 B.C., Emperor
Shennong was boiling his drinking water
when leaves from an overhanging branch
fell into the water. He took a chance that the
leaves would enhance the taste. He liked the
brew so much that it became a popular tea
Top left, the Atomic Red variety
was used to demonstrate how to
properly display the blooms; Above,
Jeannie Roppoli displays a bouquet of
camellias; Left, Ross Kubeny disusses
how to prep flowers for the judging.
