2026 UPDATE: This year’s Aiken Camellia Show will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at the First Presbyterian Church at 224 Barnwell Ave. NW from 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Want to attend or enter a bloom? See full details here. Now for a bit more about camellias, the Aiken Camellia Show, and why you should go. But first, this disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I am no expert on camellias or camellia shows, just an enthusiastic bystander and child of the South, where one picks up a few things. Please let me know if there are corrections to be made.
About Camellias
The two most commonly grown camellia species in our area are Camellia sasanqua (native to southern Japan) and Camellia japonica (native to China, Korea and Japan). Both are evergreens and faithful, cool-season bloomers. As a rule, sasanquas tend to have smaller leaves, and they bloom earlier, beginning in autumn. The japonica, which is generally more prized by camellia fanciers, tends to have larger leaves, and it blooms later, beginning in early winter. The japonica makes a fine cut flower, whereas many of the sasanquas tend to drop their petals faster than you get them into a vase. Depending on the variety, a camellia may bloom for one to three months or longer.
Above: Sasanqua ‘Setsugekka.’ A lovely, long-blooming shrub that scatters a festive confetti of petals onto the lawn.
Above: Japonicas hold their petals and will stay fresh-looking for days. This is a japonica ‘Lady Laura’ from my brother’s garden.
There are hundreds of camellia species and thousands of camellia varieties, or cultivars. We have three camellia species in our yard — sasanquas, japonicas, and a single sinensis, the latter of which is the source plant for green tea and matcha. Throughout autumn, the sinensis produces dozens upon dozens of small, cream-colored flowers utterly laden with pollen. A single blossom can occupy a bee for several minutes collecting bundles of pollen.
Between the three species, we have about two dozen cultivars in our yard. Some sound like they stepped off either the society page or a Clue game board — Marie Bracey, Professor Sargent, Marjorie Magnificent, Mrs. Charles Cobb, and Dr. Tinsley. Others have more descriptive names, such as Yuletide, Alba Plena, Debutante, White Empress, and Taylor’s Pink Perfection.
Above: An arrangement of my mother’s favorites. Dr. Tinsley is at the center, surrounded by (clockwise, starting at 1:00) Marjorie Magnificent, Herme, Marie Bracey, Mrs. Charles Cobb and Professor Sargent.
Once you become acquainted with camellias, it’s impossible to have just one favorite among the many cultivars. Two of my longtime favorites are Dr. Tinsley (an intriguing beauty that exudes a mysterious, sweet nectar), and the perfectly decorated, pink, rose and white Herme, which was said to be the favorite of author Eudora Welty. There are always new favorites to discover, which is one of the many delights of attending a camellia show.
Life for a camellia in Aiken is about as close to heaven as it gets, between our warm and humid climate, our temperate winters, and the acidic soil. Plant camellias in an understory of pine trees, and they will reward you with a lifetime of relatively carefree growth and a long bloom season of colorful pink, coral, rose, red and/or white flowers ranging from delicate, graceful and ethereal, to showy and festive.
Above: In our yard, the sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ blooms from October to December. Unlike many sasanquas, a cut flower will last several days in a bud vase
About the Camellia Show
The earliest camellia show in our area may have been an Augusta show that was hosted by the Sand Hill Garden Club in 1932. Annual Augusta camellia shows commenced, which drew Aiken Garden Club members and other camellia fanciers across the region who vied for ribbons, silver bowls, and best bloom awards. Local camellia show attendees of that era included well-known Aiken names and garden club legends such as Phelps, Wilds, Henderson, Salley, McLean, Crosland, and Woolsey.
The very first Aiken Camellia Show may have been the one held by the Aiken Garden Club in 1934 at the home of Mrs. Robert H. Wilds on Hayne Avenue. Additional shows were sporadically held by various garden clubs over the next 20 years until 1954, when the shows became an annual Aiken tradition.
This year marks 70 years of the annual Aiken Camellia Show. During the 1950s, the show was held at the Aiken Municipal auditorium. A few of these shows were canceled due to cold-weather damage to the blooms and buds — a hazard for camellia shows. During the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s the shows were held in the Kennedy Junior High gymnasium. Since the mid-1980s, the shows have been held at various other venues, including USC-Aiken, the Aiken Mall, and area church gymnasiums.
While there have been a number of changes to the show over the years, two stand out as prominent in my mind. One is “gibbing,” the use of gibberellic acid to increase flower size and induce early blooming. The other is that, because increasing numbers of growers utilize greenhouses, a blast of winter freeze is no longer the death knell for a camellia show.
Above: A japonica ‘Herme’ with icicles and sleet.
Camellias under glass
I used to delight in visiting the greenhouse of a family friend and camellia grower in the 1970s-80s who kept camellias both outdoors and “under glass.” A camellia greenhouse is not a hothouse, but a cold greenhouse that protects from severe conditions. Attendees to the Aiken Camellia Show will notice that the blooms are categorized by numerous classes, most of which are further categorized according to whether the blooms were grown protected (under glass) or non-protected, which are defined as “those grown in natural surroundings without any man-made protection from the elements.”
My mother’s camellias
My mother, a hardworking, lifelong gardener of everything from kiwis to cabbages to calamondins — who, for decades kept a summer garden large enough to fill both the freezer and the canning pantry every year — also happens to love camellias. She’s entered a number of camellia shows over the past 50 years, but has also lost out to weather some years. Her most recent show was in 2019 at the age of ninety.
On the morning of the show, she went out into the yard at first light to select the best blooms. After labeling them and carefully packing them for transport, she took them to town to register them, then returned home to await the show later that day.
Above: My mother’s preparations for the Aiken Camellia Show.
Her odds of winning a ribbon would seem slim, given the caliber of competition and the fact that all of her blooms are grown outdoors and without the benefit of gibberellic acid. Much to her delight, four of her camellias won 1st place, and two won 3rd place. One of her camellias, a Herme, won a special award.
Even if she’d won nothing, attending the show was, as always, a special occasion. We oohed and ahhed over the lovely blooms and discussed which ones we might one day plant in our yard. We also enjoyed the flower arrangement part of the show, which featured contemplative and artful Japanese floral arrangements, called Ikebana.
Above: From the 2019 Aiken Camellia Show, held in the gymnasium of the First Presbyterian Church.
While there have been many changes to the Aiken Camellia Show over the years, the experience of attending a camellia show today is much like I remember from my early childhood. Whether you’d like to enter your camellias in the show, or simply enjoy browsing the dazzling variety of blooms, the Aiken Camellia Show is a pleasure to attend. Chances are, you’ll leave with a list of favorites. As traditions go, this one’s a keeper.
— Click here to get acquainted with the Aiken Camellia Society at their Facebook page:
— Click here to view a photo of the ‘Miss Aiken’ camellia at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC
In parting, a few words on the “Miss Aiken,” camellia. I don’t have a copyright free image of one, but you can see photos at the Brookgreen Gardens link, above, or visit one in person this February at the railroad depot at Union and Park this February. Or visit the one in Hopelands. I know of another ‘Miss Aiken’ in a southside yard, whose owners passed away about 20 year ago. This house has since seen two other owners. The latest owners likely don’t know about the treasure planted at the corner of their house. I breathe a sigh of relief whenever I drive by and see she’s there. One day I should stop by, introduce myself, and tell them the history of their ‘Miss Aiken.’
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Below: The newest addition to our camellia family, a sasanqua ‘October Magic Orchid’ which grows in a container beside the front door.
