Cold Hardy Fall Bloomers
Where present, thumbnails can be clicked for a larger image.
Selections introduced by Camellia Forest are shown in blue.
Selections that are new this year are shown in green.
New Camellia Forest selections are shown in purple.
 CF ‘Autumn Spirit’ (zone 6A) -This exceptional selection starts blooming very early in the season with some of the most intensely colored flowers of any of the cold hardy fall bloomers. Many bright deep pink petals make up the small to medium sized peony form flowers. This bushy plant has small deep green leaves and is a moderate to vigorous grower. (C. oleifera × C. sasanqua F2 segregate) $12.00, $24.00 and $50.00
 ‘Carolina Moonmist’ (zone 6A) – A selection developed at the J. C. Raulston Arboretum by Dr. Cochrane. It is a very heavy bloomer with single pink flowers. The plant has excellent form with dense branching from the ground up and tolerates sun well. (C. oleifera × C. sasanqua) $12.00
 CF ‘Mason Farm’ (zone 6A) -This vigorous shrub has large white flowers with petals tinged with pink and it blooms freely in early autumn. About 30 years ago, we planted over 1,000 C. sasanqua × C. oleifera segregates in a very large, unprotected field known as Mason Farm near Chapel Hill. This individual was selected because it survived our coldest winter ever without any injury. The leaves are large, thick and leathery and occasionally yellow-white genetic variegation appears on leaves on scattered twigs. (C. oleifera × C. sasanqua F2 segregate) $15.00, $24.00 and $50.00
 CF ‘Survivor’ (zone 6A) -We believe ‘Survivor’ to be one of the hardiest Camellias and if you want to push the limits try one of these. It is a vigorous growing shrub and produces an abundance of single, white flowers in the early autumn. The upright and compact growth of this selection makes it an excellent choice for a large specimen or for use as a hedge. Its name stems from the fact that it was the solitary healthy camellia in a section of our garden after being exposed to -9oF. Now 30 feet tall, it towers over the other Camellias in this area. (C. sasanqua ‘Narumi-gata’ x C. oleifera) $12.00, $24.00 and $50.00
 CF ‘Twilight Glow’ (zone 6A) -This compact, hardy cultivar was selected from the same test plot as ‘Mason Farm’. The flowers are rose colored, single, and the blooms appear in the middle of the fall season, often near Thanksgiving. The flowers tend to open all at once and the blooms cover the whole plant for a spectacular display. The plant grows wider than tall and forms a nicely shaped and dense bush. (C. oleifera × C. sasanqua F2 segregate) $12.00, $24.00 and $60.00 TOO LARGE
Ackerman Selections
Dr. William Ackerman bred these plants at the National Arboretum after several cold winters when the only living Camellia plants left were Camellia oleifera. Dr. Ackerman used C. oleifera as one parent of many hybrids to increase cold hardiness while retaining the showier flowers of C. sasanqua and other species. We have found the cold tolerance to be similar to our own hybrids listed above. In general these plants are heavy bloomers and produce a colorful show in mid-autumn. Dr. Ackerman’s book, Beyond the Camellia Belt has more detailed information on these plants and culture in zone 7 and colder (we offer this book for sale, more info here).
‘Ashton’s Ballet’ (zone 6A) – The flowers of ‘Ashton’s Ballet’ are medium pink and rose form double. This blooms from October until December for us on an upright and vigorous grower. (C. sasanqua ‘Shikishima’ × C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’) $12.00
NEW ‘Ashton’s Pink’ (zone 6A) – The lavender pink semi-double flowers of ‘Ashton’s Pink’ open in late fall. This has dark green foliage and a moderate growth rate. (C. japonica ‘Billie McCaskill’ × C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’) $12.00
‘Ashton’s Pride’ (zone 6A) - From a distance ‘Ashton’s Pride’ is an unusual Camellia because the leaves are small and narrow and the branches tend to weep slightly. It sets huge numbers of buds which open pale pink and single. The bloom season is from October until December for us. The growth is vigorous and somewhat spreading. (C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ × C. sasanqua ‘Santô-zaki’) $24.00
NEW ‘Elaine Lee’ (zone 6A) – Dr. Ackerman reports that this has especially hardy white semi-double blooms in late fall. The plant is upright growing with dark green glossy leaves. (C. japonica ‘Mrs. Bertha A. Harms × C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’) $12.00
‘Frost Princess’ (zone 6B) - This is one of the showiest of Dr. Ackerman’s hybrids because of the relatively large double flowers and early bloom. The peony form flowers are a deep iridescent lavender pink contrasting well with the dark green foliage. The vigorous growth tends to grow at odd angles. This is one of the first C. oleifera × C. sasanqua hybrids released by Dr. Ackerman. (C. sasanqua ‘Bill Wylam’ ×. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’) $12.00, $24.00 and $50.00
 ‘Snow Flurry’ (zone 6A) - Almost pure white anemone form flowers are among the first fall blooming Camellias. This vigorous plant makes many long shoots which can be weighted down by the large number of flowers. When young, the growth is quite spreading and some pruning can train this into a nice rounded form. This is one of David’s favorites. (C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ × C. ‘Frost Princess’) $12.00 and $50.00
‘Winter’s Charm’ (zone 6A) – The lavender-pink flowers are semi-double to peony form and open in October and November. (C. sasanqua ‘Takara-wase’ × C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’) $12.00
 ‘Winter’s Cupid’ (zone 6A) – Small single white flowers with pink tips are produced in profusion. The leaves are small, dark green and somewhat leathery. The plant has an upright form with short internodes resulting in a compact habit. The first blooms open in October and others appear until December. (C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ × C. sasanqua) $12.00
 ‘Winter’s Interlude’ (zone 6A) - This bicolor anemone form flower blooms with the outer petals pink and the many small petaloids in the center white. The spreading growth matures into a rounded shrub with deep green leaves. The bloom season is late October into December. (C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ × C. sp) $24.00 and $50.00
 ‘Winter’s Joy’ (zone 6A) – This plant has upright to columnar growth with leathery dark green leaves. The flowers are bright pink, semi-double and bloom in November and December. ([C. sasanqua ‘Narumi-gata’ × ‘Shishigashira’] × C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’) $12.00 and $50.00
NEW ‘Winter’s Red Rider’ (zone 6A) – The small leaves and slow growth create an attractive smaller plant which can be used where a normal Camellia will be too big. So far this has grown slightly faster than ‘Winter’s Rose’ but should stay under 5’ for ten years. The single blooms are bright lavender pink with notched petals. This blooms from October through November. (C. ‘Shishigashira’ × C. oleifera ‘Lu Shan Snow’) $12.00
 ‘Winter’s Rose’ (zone 6A) - ‘Winter’s Rose’ is a dwarf Camellia! Ten year old plants will probably be 3 feet across and only 3 feet tall. Very pale pink double flowers are produced in profusion in the fall. (C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ × C. sasanqua ‘Otome’) $12.00 and $24.00
‘Winter’s Snowman’ (zone 6A) – Another upright grower with nice dark green leaves. The flowers are white, mostly anemone form and open in November and December. The new growth flushes have a nice wine color for some spring time color interest. An excellent choice for a hedge since it grows rapidly. ([C. sasanqua ‘Narumi-gata’ × ‘Shishigashira’] × C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’) $12.00 and $24.00
NEW ‘Winter’s Sunset’ (zone 6B) – For the variegation fanatics, here is a light green margined leaf that appears quite stable. The plant has moderate upright growth and medium lavender pink single flowers. (C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ × C. ‘Frost Princess’) $12.00
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