Tidewater Camellia Club show on Nov. 23 at the New Hanover Arboretum

Fall is the beginning of camellia season. The fall and winter bloomers have set their buds, and they will soon be putting on a beautiful show. Now is not the time to prune your plants because you will remove those lovely flower buds and miss the show. Pruning should be delayed until spring.

So, what else should you be noticing soon with your camellias? Did you know the fall blooming camellias have a floral scent? Unlike the winter camellia japonicas which rarely have a scent, most fall sasanqua camellias are scented. Sasanquas will bloom from October through December and all at once, like an azalea.

Great varieties include Dream Weaver, Showa No Sakae and Snow Flurry. Japonicas will begin to bloom in November for early varieties like Daikagura or Christmas Beauty. Blooming will end in April for the late bloomers.

Also happening now with both sasanquas and japonicas are their “strange” seed pods. Japonicas will have pods that resemble small green apples that turn brown at maturity and hold 4 to 8 seeds. The Sasanqua seeds are much smaller with 2 to 4 seeds.

The seeds can be planted but rarely produce blooms similar to the original plant. Still, it is worth a try if you are curious and patient. It may take several years for the plant to bloom.

Come visit the arboretum, located at 6206 Oleander Drive in Wilmington, to see the hundreds of camellias in the garden during their bloom season. The gardens are free and open daily from 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Also, mark your calendars for Tidewater Camellia Club’s Fall Show on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the arboretum. See the club’s beautiful display of camellia blooms, get advice on camellia care and select a new camellia at the club’s huge camellia sale. Visit www.tidewatercamelliaclub.org for the list of camellias for sale and come early for the best selection.