GCS President Jan Newton said the project reflects a broader effort to preserve Greenville’s horticultural history by documenting camellia varieties that may no longer exist while also reintroducing others that have survived in limited numbers.
“We called many nurseries and asked camellia enthusiasts from many states if they had any of these particular plants,” Newton said. “We exhausted our resources coming to the conclusion they truly are lost camellias.”
Three years ago, Newton invited nurseryman Mark Crawford of Valdosta, Georgia, to Greenville to collect cuttings from several surviving historic camellia bushes on private property in Butler County. Those included Pride of Greenville, registered in 1942; Pride of Greenville Variegated, Lee Ryan and Alabama’s Lurleen, among others. Crawford propagated the cuttings in Georgia, and the resulting seedlings were returned to Greenville last November.
“We were very lucky to know exactly where these four bushes were,” Newton said. “They were on private properties. There are none identified (so far) on any public grounds, including Beeland Park. Mark Crawford took the young scions back to Georgia and nursed them into seedlings. I picked up the seedlings in Valdosta this past November. Hopefully, we will see blooms of these famous camellias at our camellia show in January.”
The Greenville Camellia Society continues its search for additional historic varieties and has recently located several in Louisiana and Georgia, including Ed Jernigan, Lillian Jernigan, Alice Jernigan and Dr. Cy Echols. Newton said the long-term plan is to cultivate and multiply these varieties for planting at LBW and eventual sharing with the public for home gardens.
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