Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Calling all camellias! Show needs you

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 4, 2020

Trophy table at the 2019 Sacramento Camellia Show features many beautiful blooms. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

96th annual Sacramento Camellia Show this weekend

“We need to tell everybody, ‘Bring all your camellias! Bring in your flowers!’” said Julie Vierra, co-chairman of the 96th annual Sacramento Camellia Show. “Somebody must have some camellias left.”

This weekend, Sacramento celebrates its official flower. But recent warm weather has pushed many blooms over the top.

Several local members of the Camellia Society of Sacramento saw their flowers open weeks ahead of the show, the nation’s largest devoted to camellias. Hundreds of blooms usually line the exhibition tables. Public entries are welcome – particularly this March.

“With this hot weather, bushes are popping them out so fast, it’s scary,” said Vierra, whose garden was in full bloom two weeks before the show. “Thank goodness, we’re cooling down at night – but not enough.”

Set for Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8, the camellia show will be held for the second time at the Elks Lodge, 6446 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento. Entries will be accepted from 7 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday; beginners should make sure to get there before 9 a.m.

Even if you’ve never entered a flower show before, this may be the time to try. Camellias should be home grown (no fair raiding local parks or businesses). Members of the Camellia Society will help first-time exhibitors with set up and placement. They’ll identify camellia varieties, too.

For show entries, cut the camellia with about 4 to 6 inches of stem. (It will be trimmed down for display). Keep a couple of leaves on the stem, too. Carry the camellias to the show with their stems in water.

After judging, the show will be open to the public from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking are free,

Among the highlights will be a salute to Nuccio’s Nurseries , California’s legendary camellia hybridizer and grower. Dozens of bushes from Nuccio’s will be offered for sale.

This year’s commemorative show pin features a white camellia introduced by the famous hybridizer: Nuccio’s Gem.

Details: https://camelliasocietyofsacramento.org/

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

Sacramento Camellia Show Camellia Society of Sacramento Julie Vierra Elks Lodge camellias Nuccio's Nurseries

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Find our fall recipes here!

Thanks to Our Sponsor!

Local News

Sites We Like

Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Find our spring recipes here!

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!