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 Reception and Seafood Dinner – Mobile Botanical Gardens
Saturday, October 22, 2022
9:00 am Educational Program – Mobile Botanical Gardens
12:00 pm Box lunch and Plant Auction
1:30 pm Guided Tours – K. Sawada Wintergarden & PDSI nursery
5:00 pm Champagne/Wine in the Garden – Bellingrath Gardens
6:30 pm President’s Banquet – Bellingrath Gardens & Home
Educational Program:
Mobile’s Great Camellia Nurserymen then and now – Maarten van der Giessen
Sasanquas: The New Hybrids – Bobby Green (4-time Ralph Peer winner)
ACS/Gao plant trials update – Kip McConnell (PDSI) with Mark Crawford
K. Sawada Wintergarden as camellia catalyst – Bobby Green, Seth Allen, Robin Krchak
Reflections on GCCS History and Traditions – Forrest Latta (Seafood dinner)
Reclaiming Bellingrath’s Camellia Legacy – Todd Lasseigne (Banquet)
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 - What's on the menu?
Catered by Georgia Roussos
Raffle Item
This year's featured raffle item is... Tickets are $5 per ticket or $10 for three. 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.