This time of year there are so many plants that are at their peak that it is hard to choose a favorite. One that always makes the cut is the yellow Camilla ‘Jury’s Yellow’. I didn’t know that there were yellow Camilla’s until a few years ago. I had a client that wanted one included in her garden. At that point I had to order them from Oregon and they came to me in a box UPS.
Lovely double flowers are very impressive in their size. Soft yellow with cream in the centers brighten up the landscape from a distance and are equally lovely from close up. Typically loving an acid soil with good moisture it makes a great background plant. It could also be a specimen at the end of a path or surrounded by other spring blooming plants. Part-shade to shade is best with a smaller structure than most camillias.
Orchids have become easier to purchase for the home garden. Close to me is Far Reaches Farms. They have many orchids that are fairly easy to grow. No reason why not to try! Very sweet little Pleione formosana ‘Blush of Dawn’ looks like a tropical beauty. It is hardy with shelter in our area, and grows in the shade to part sun in moist soil. Good drainage is important and is sometimes achieved by planting in a hollowed out log. It blooms in May and increases as it gets established. I have an orchid from my old garden so I put them together in the part shade by near the upper pond.
