my 'white-by-the-gate' normally blooms in december and usually has some flower damage from the weather. many blossoms are spoiled by frost but they can be beautiful when they escape the freeze during warm spells. they are pure white, formal-double form.

Jeff,could you post a picture of white by the gate?I just purchased 2 of them and they are 2ft tall.I want to see how tall they get.Do you have them in shade or sun?My 2 i put in full shade,will this hurt the flower when in bloom?I am 30 miles west of washington Dc.Thanks,Steve

steve,
i don't have a shot of the entire shrub and assume you don't want to see one of individual flowers. i can tell you that my shrub is about 7' tall and it is sited near the side of my carport (east exposure) flanked by a large pine and catalpa about 20' away where it gets late morning sun for about 3 hours or more until mid-day, then shaded by the carport.
some sun will help with flower production but an eastern exposure with early morning sun hitting the frosty blooms will spoil them.

Thanks Jeff,Steve

Well Jeff, I do have a White By The Gate. It is planted under a very tall pine on the NW corner of my house. Do you think this is a good or bad location? It blooms for a long time but does get those brown flowers/buds due to weather. Steve, mine is about 5-6' tall and very upright in form.

'September Morn' ('Yohei Haku') is one of the finest truly early white japonicas. As the name implies, this camellia blooms in September and will continue blooming through October, November, and longer. It is an informal double and an antique, or heritage, variety. The camellia literature states that 'September Morn' will sometimes have a faint pink cast. Color, no doubt, depends on climate and soil. Our two 'September Morns' are growing in red clay in the shelter of slash pines and wax myrtles. Rather than having a faint pink cast, the blossoms have a hint of pale yellow in their throats. All in all, a very pleasing flower, lacking the stiff formality of imbricated doubles. 'Alba Plena,' introduced to British horticulture in 1792 and North American horticulture shortly thereafter, is another excellent, early variety. 'Alba Plena' is readily available in the nursery trade; however, 'September Morn' may be hard to find. Our plants came from Cofer's in Athens, GA. I bought two gallon-sized 'September Morns' from Cofer's in the early 1990's. There were three plants altogether--two in one pot, one in the other. I planted them in a clump of three. Two of them lived, and one died. The two living plants have thrived on neglect. Even in this year of severe drought, they have produced some beautiful early fall blooms.

'September Morn,' and 'Daikagura,' with its several strains and sports, are both excellently early japonicas. 'Marie Bracey' is another fine early japonica.

If you look on the Camellia Forest Nursery's Website, you will also find a number of early flowering japonicas that have been recently developed by Clifford, Kai Mei, and David Parks.

Re: pictures of White By The Gate

This link is thanks to Pender's Nursery and it shows the bloom better than my picture, which came out a little out of focus.

http://www.pendernursery.com/Catalog/Detail/camelliajaponicawhitebythegate.html

My picture was taken at the end of the year (Dec 25 2007). I mention it so you know when it blooms here. It should be bloom "close" to that in GA.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s111/llluch/100_3294.jpg

Luis