Congratulations, Donna. My two whites, White by the Gate and Nuccio's Gem, are still covered in buds with no obvious sign of impending blooming yet. However, my Shishigashira started blooming too, about 1-2 weeks ago. Blooming season is either here or quite close. Anyone out there getting blooms of Yuletide now?

Going off topic for a second, I noticed recently that an azalea that I have by Nuccio's Gem is just downright awesome looking in Fall Colors: some green, some yellow, some orange and some reds! It is a Kurume Azalea so it stays short, about 3', and gives red flowers with a little pink on the flower. It is called Christmas Cheer.

My Coral Bells Azaleas are full of foliage color too, this year. Red, orange, and coral, with purple undertones. I have never seen them this colorful before. What a nice bonus!

I had noticed the fall colors on the azaleas also, but it is not just on the kurumes; our southern indicas have great oranges and purples as well!

No Yuletides yet, but we had our first Professor Sargent bloom yesterday. It was a colorful surprise on a grey day!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:517848}}

I saw a tall and expensive Yuletide for sale at Lowes and it was full of open blooms. Very nice looking and obviously, must have been easy to sell (except for this thing called t h e price).... Gets in the way of buying lots of camellias, doesn't it?

Price is a deterrant, for sure. But, on the other hand, I bought my shishis six years ago. I needed fifteen, but the store only had twelve in three gallon pots, so I settled for one gallons for the other three. Those three are barely the size that the three gallons were this many years later! So, I guess what we're paying for is time.

Indeed!