Quitman Camellia Club hosted Camellia Exhibition

Quitman, GA—Beginning on February 4^th and continuing to February 5^th, the Quitman Camellia Club hosted their annual Camellia Exhibition to showcase the flower titled Camellia. Local gardeners and gardeners with experience brought beautiful, colorful Camellias to show everyone who wanted to see them. The flower known as the Camellia has a long, rich history and so many more benefits than simple beauty. Some of that knowledge was shared with all who chose to visit the Quitman Agriculture building during the Exhibition.

Camellias are recognized today with more than 200 varieties. Originally from the Orient, the Camellia was known as the Tsubaki. To the Chinese it is known as “Cha hua”, the tea flower. According to the American Camellia Society, “The total number of named camellia varieties is believed to be as high as 20,000, although this figure is constantly increasing.” The Camellia tea flower or Camellia sinensis is a tea plant that flowers only once a year in the fall. The Chinese often used this type of tea for trading with the East India Company when bringing tea to Europe first began.

The history of the Camellias is by far a long and wonderful bit of history. You can search your local libraries for more information on the history or you can search your local college libraries for more information. Another site is the American Camellia Society who offers some of this flower’s rich history.

Shown in the Exhibition were many in a variety of colors and types. The Camellia Japonica as well as several hybrid varieties gave the attendees of the exhibition a lot to smile about with the colors and the smells. Those who visited were also given information on the types shown as well as the owners who brought them.

From 11 to 1 p.m. visitors were able to learn the art of waxing flowers. Julie Swann demonstrated the technique that went into waxing these lovely flowers and patrons who viewed it were thrilled to learn that technique.

Marian Jones, organizer for this exhibition, posted, “A heartfelt thank you to all that helped, brought camellias to exhibit and attended. The Garden Club of The Garden Club of Quitman camellia event. We appreciate your support. It was a lovely event. The venue was beautiful and really allowed the camellias show their beauty.”

The Garden Club of Quitman would also like to invite all local Brooks County residents to join the club. Those interested in joining may contact Marian Jones on Facebook at The Garden Club of Quitman. Meetings for this club are held on the 2^nd Tuesday of the month from September through May at the BC Museum and Brooks County Museum and Cultural Center. Their next meeting will be held there at 4 p.m. on March 14^th.

The Garden Club of Quitman has been a local club in Brooks County for approximately 56 years. According to Nancibeth Shealy, “First show was held at the episcopal Church, the second show was at Westbrooks school, then we moved to the Ag building. Before that the last Camellia Show was held in 1967 I believe.” During these times and before the camellias were shown off and on in Quitman but were discontinued every now and again throughout the years.

This club, the Garden Club of Quitman, is also connected to the American Camellia Society located in Ft. Valley, Georgia. If you would like to know more about the American Camellia Society, you can find them at https://www.americancamellias.com or call them at (478) 967-2358.

Camellias symbolize in the United States love, adoration and longing. One of the camellia types is used for tea, another is used for the State of Alabama as the state flower, Quitman takes on the name Camellia city due to the abundance of camellias grown throughout the area; they bloom in the fall and winter months, are beautiful in their array of colors, and like many flowers they can make a bad day turn good just with a view of them.