The Gulf Coast Camellia Society’s annual meeting is hosted this year by the K. Sawada WinterGarden Camellia Club, based in Mobile, AL. The meetings have informative programs on camellia culture, the latest camellia varieties, and other topics of interest to gardeners. Meetings also provide opportunities for members to socialize with other camellia enthusiasts and establish friendships that can last a lifetime.
When: October 21-22, 2022
Where: Mobile, AL
Event Locations: Mobile Botanical Gardens and Bellingrath Gardens and Home
Registration
Event registration may be completed online through Mobile Botanical Gardens or by printing out and mailing in the registration form to the Gulf Coast Camellia Society.
Event Schedule
Friday, October 21, 2022
2:00 pm Board of Directors Meeting – Holiday Inn
5:00 pm Wine & Beer Reception and Seafood Buffet Dinner, and Plant Auction (Part I) – Mobile Botanical Gardens
Saturday, October 22, 2022
9:00 am Educational Program – Mobile Botanical Gardens
12:00 pm Box lunch and Plant Auction (Part 2)
1:00 pm Guided Tour of K. Sawada Wintergarden with Bobby Green
4:00 pm Complimentary bus transport to Bellingrath from Holiday Inn
5:30 pm Sunset Wine reception in the Garden – Bellingrath Gardens
6:30 pm President’s Banquet – Bellingrath Gardens & Home
Educational Program:
Mobile’s Great Camellia Nurserymen – Maarten van der Giessen
New Breakthrough Hybrids – Bobby Green (4-time Ralph Peer winner)
ACS/Gao plant trials update – Kip McConnell (PDSI) with Mark Crawford
K. Sawada Wintergarden story – Bobby Green, Forrest Latta, Seth Allen, Robin Krchak
Restoring Bellingrath’s Camellia Legacy – Todd Lasseigne (Banquet)
GCCS – Sixty Years of Excellence – Forrest Latta (alternate)
Accommodations
Holiday Inn, Mobile-Airport
GCCS Group Rate $129/night – breakfast included (40-room block expires 9/21)
Telephone 251-344-7446 (Robin Perkins)
Book Online
Event Highlights
Seafood Buffet at Mobile Botanical Gardens - What's on the menu and other great details
Catered by Georgia Roussos
Raffle Item
This year's featured raffle items include: A Derek Norman signed and framed camellia poster of 24 specimen camellia blooms selected from The K. Sawada WinterGarden. A Nall Hollis framed giclee reproduction of one of his camellia paintings based on a bloom he received from Bobby Green. A Louise Estes framed watercolor painting of a camellia. A booklet of reproductions of K. Sawada watercolor originals currently accessioned with the American Camellia Society library in Fort Valley, GA. Tickets are $5 per ticket; $10 for 3; $15 for 4; $20 for 6; $25 for 7; $30 for 9; $35 for 10; or $40 for 12. Raffle tickets may be purchased when you complete your registration for the event online or by mail. Raffle to be held during the President's Banquet at Bellingrath Gardens and Home on Saturday, October 22, 2022.
Mobile Botanical Gardens: K. Sawada WinterGarden
This garden is named in honor of Kosaku Sawada who immigrated from Japan in the early 1900’s and settled in Mobile. Sawada hybridized many camellias which are now famous around the world. This collection has been named a Garden of Excellence as determined by the International Camellia Society. Reclaimed materials from old Mobile were used here to create the Dodd Quarry at the upper end of the garden. The large, granite slabs as well as pavers and cobblestones were once part of an old graveyard in downtown Mobile. The massive decorative iron columns date to mid- 1800’s and once adorned the façade of a commercial structure long since destroyed.
Bellingrath Gardens and Home
Bellingrath Gardens and Home is a 65-acre estate of year-round beauty. Visit the Rose Garden, stroll along the Great Lawn, relax at Mirror Lake, learn about the wildlife and ecology of Fowl River on the Dwight Harrigan/ExxonMobil Bayou Boardwalk, wander through the Gazebo Garden and discover the peacefulness of the Asian-American Garden. Tour the Bellingrath Home, complete with its original furnishings and Mrs. Bellingrath’s extensive collections of antiques, china and silver. Built in 1935-36, the 10,500-square-foot home was designed by the prominent architect George B. Rogers.
PDSI Nursery: Loxley, AL
Plant Development Services, Inc. introduces plants that solve landscape challenges and have a high impact on the marketplace. Working closely with the nation’s top growers and breeders, Plant Development Services brings plants to market that have highly marketable and recognizable trait improvements, providing the resources and services necessary to ensure these new plant introductions are a success in the marketplace. Each plant is the result of evaluations, trials and research.
About the GCCS
The Gulf Coast Camellia Society was organized in 1962 for the purpose of extending appreciation and enjoyment of camellias. Members come primarily from the Gulf Coast Region which covers states from Florida to Texas. Camellia lovers from other states are welcome to join. The Society strives to provide information to its members about allaspects of the care and culture of camellia plants as well as the exhibiting and showing of camellia blooms. The Society also serves as a forum for members to share and exchange information and experiences with other members.