Tall and full is priority over color though. I dont know if any grow fast. I could use few names of some other nice camellias as well because I have to replace 3 current Azaleas with Camellias as the Alzaleas are toxic to our goats.

SJN, I am a big fan of C. 'Rosa Plena' which is readily available in NE Florida/Jax area. If you can't find it close to you and are willing to come toward Jax, try Williams Plant Nursery. They carry a lot of camellias.

I loved the photos of your cute little goats!!

Carol in Jacksonville

Hi Carol. Good to see you posting :) I will certainly look into that one. Its beautiful! Thanks for the nursery lead. I will be checking it out. I know Gore's Nursery in the Dinsmore/Callahan area also has Camellias, although, I haven't really looked all through their selection. They carry a lot of tropical & sub/tropical fruit trees there now and I noticed big groups of Camellias for sale when I was up there last time.

We got our two little Nigerian Dwarf doeling babies delivered the other day. They are so tiny compared to the larger Lamanchas!

Trying to make the plant hoarding work out with the goats now lol. Not an easy task haha.

I know you said that you don't care too much about the flowers but that was one of my most important criteria. I'm not too crazy about the yellow stamen on camellias and I love the formal double forms of camellias because they mostly hide them. Google "camellia flower forms" if you are interested in seeing the major forms of the camellia bloom.

My Rosa Plena (also spelled Rosea Plena) plants have been fast growers, too.

Thanks for your input! It sounds like yhey may be too slow for the shed coverup then. I had a huge Cestrum nocturnum there. It was lovely and huge but could freeze to the ground in the winter leaving a bare area on our rare freezes. The cestrum had to go so I was thinking something non-toxic and doesn't die to the ground in the winter. Hmmm now I dont know what to getfor that area lol. I would put a rose there or even a citrus but I dont think there is enough sun to make them happy. Hydrangea is supposedly goat toxic so I cant do that either.

I still want some Camellias for the Azaleas replacement though. I could probably plant them this fall? It doesnt freeze much here in recent years.

ETA sorry for all the typos..my phone is hideous to type on lol

PS - I had a flashback from the times when my aunt lived in Ocala.... if you want to select specimens to use, why don't you take a short drive to Orlando during the times sasanquas or japonicas are in bloom? Visit the Harry P. Leu Gardens off Lake Rowena? You may need a mask and a credit card if they are like many small shops around here that are temporarily going cashless. They have an awesome collection of camellias, roses, azaleas, etc. Most camellias are in the south central part of the property.

https://www.leugardens.org/

Apart from the fact that compact, tidy and full shrubs like camellias typically require decades to grow large what's to stop the goats from eating the camellias or other replacement shrubs for the azaleas? And if you have to fence off the goats to keep them from destroying the newly planted shrubs what about just putting fencing between the animals and the azaleas?

No too risky if they get out, azaleas are one of the plants that can actually kill them. With the storms in FL etc a tree limb could fall on a fence and they could get out. I just am assuming they will get out at some point and taking precautions lol. I might just plant some groups of bananas there for now. I have many pups that I can move over there and its free lol. I dont really care about the dumb azaleas anyways because they are the plain old pink ones. They were here when we moved in and are scraggly looking.

luis, I have been to Leu Gardens although I wasnt looking for Camellias at that time lol. Good idea though. I might do that once all this Corona junk is over with.

'pink snow' has been one of the more vigorous growers in my collection. it is a sasanqua and is just about to burst into full flower. it will grow tall. my plant is at the southern edge of woods and gets a good dose of winter sun. the flowers are small, pink with exposed stamens. it gets its name from the blanket of pink petals which carpet the ground after flowering. the bees like to visit this one because they can get at the pollen.

Thanks Jeff. I looked up Pink Snow and its adorable. Its a plus that the bees like it because I am finally getting bees this coming spring! I also read that it blooms Oct-Dec. which is nice!

Northern Lights, a sasanqua, grows like crazy for me. Hiryu is another strong grower for me. Both are generous with blooms.