The Camellia Club of Mobile

Officers	Governing Board
Maureen Kennedy - President	Larry Heard-Past President
Zack Kervin Vice President	Harrirt Nihart
Carolyn Oyler- Secretary	Don Oyler
Debbie Smith - Treasurer	Eddie Robinson
	Jim Smelley
	Marie Stringfellow
	Justin Stamper

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

This is a new feature that will be updated periodically.

The C. Reticulata cultivars ‘Frank Houser’ and ‘Frank Houser Variegated’ consistently receive the highest number of awards at camellia shows . ‘Frank Houser’ originated from a seedling of the Reticulata hybrid 'Buddha' x Japonica 'Steve Blount' that was cultivated by Dr. Walter E. Homeyer. Although Dr. Homeyer was initially unimpressed by the bloom, his close friend and neighbor, Frank Houser, admired it so much that Dr. Homeyer named the plant after him and registered it in 1989. A virus-variegated form of the Reticulata hybrid 'Frank Houser' was subsequently registered in 1990 by Marvin Jernigan. ‘Frank Houser’ was honored with the National Halll of Fame award in 1965.

Bloom ranking for camellia cultivars can be found at ACCS Bloom Ranking Archives

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

T. W. Bower of Mobile produced a graft of 'Doctor Knapp on 'Mathotiana variegated understock. The bloom from this graft did not resemble the scion or the rootstock. It was classified as a graft chimera. The term chimera comes from Greek mythology and was depicted as a creature with a lion’s head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail. When applied to biology it means. an organism having tissues from different organisms. Presumably, a growth bud that originated at the graft union developed with tissues from the rootstock and the scion. Mr. Bower named the cultivar for his daughter Helen Bower. Belle Fontaine Nursery in Theodore, Alabama began selling it in 1964

Helen Bower was shown on the cover of the July 1964 ACS publication THE CAMELLIA JOURNAL. You can see a picture of Helen Bower by going to Camellia Library - General Search Feature and typing Helen Bower.

Another graft chimera originated from a graft of a camellia japonica on a Camellia sasanqua, You can read about this at Yearbook-1970-Camellia Daisy Eagleson-A Chimera.pdf

CLICK TO SEE AN AI GENERATED CAMELLIA STORY

AREA CAMELL;IA SHOWS

WANT TO SEE AND BUY SOME GREAT CAMELLIAS?
GO TO ONE OF THESE SHOWS:

December 5, 2026
Ozone Camellia Club
Slidell City Auditorium, 2055 2nd Street, Slidell, LA 70458
Show Chair/Contact: Robert Taylor
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): Karyn K. Taylor
Show Schedule: Ozone Camellia Society Show Schedule - Fall 2026

December 12, 2026
Pensacola Camellia Club
Jean & Paul Amos Performance Center, 1000 College Blvd, Bldg 23, Pensacola, FL 32504
Show Chair/Contact: Christi Hankins
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): TBD
Show Schedule: Pensacola Camellia Club Show Schedule - 2026

January 3, 2027
Northshore Camellia Club
Greenwood Event Center, 75082 LA-25, Covington, LA 70435
Show Chair/Contact: Stella Allen
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): Jim Campbell
Show Schedule: Northshore Camellia Club Show Schedule - 2027

January 16, 2027
Camellia Club of Mobile
Abba Shrine, 770 Hitt Road, Mobile, AL 36695
Show Chair/Contact: Maureen Kennedy
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): Jim Campbell
Show Schedule: Camellia Club of Mobile Show Schedule - 2027

January 23, 2027
Camellia Club of New Orleans
Lapis Center-New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboil Circle, New Orleans, LA 70124
Show Chair/Contact: Nick Piazza
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): Paul Huerkamp
Show Schedule: Camellia Club of New Orleans Show Schedule - 2027

February 6, 2027
Mississippi Gulf Coast Camellia Society
Lyman Community Center, 13472 US Highway 49, Gulfport, MS 39503
Show Chair/Contact: Tony Jacquette
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): Jason Dean
Show Schedule: Not Presently Available

February 13-14, 2027
Baton Rouge Camellia Society
Burden Botanical Gardens Welcome Center, 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Show Chair/Contact: Lynn Vicknair
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): Joe Holmes
Show Schedule: Baton Rouge Camellia Society Show Schedule - 2027

February 13-14, 2027
Greenville Camellia Society
Lurleen B. Wallace Community College Wendell Mitchell Conference Center, 750 Greenville By-Pass, Greenville, AL 36037
Show Chair/Contact: Mary Bates and Jan Newton
Head Judge(s)/Judges' Chairperson(s): Tommy Alden
Show Schedule: Greenville Camellia Society Show Schedule - 2027

I AM FREQUENTLY ASKED ABOUT WHERE YOU CAN BUY CAMELLIAS LIKE THE BEAUTIFUL ONES DISPLAYED AT CAMELLIA SHOWS. MY ANSWER IS THAT YOU PROBABLY CAN'T. LOCAL NURSERIES ARE NOT LIKELY TO CARRY THEM. SOME CAN BE FOUND BY MAIL ORDER, BUT SHIPPING COSTS MAKE THEM VERY EXPENSIVE. COME TO OUR SHOW TO SEE A GREAT SELECTION OF CAMELLIAS FOR SALE' AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET ADDITIOAL GREAT CAMELLIA VARIETIES' JOIN OUR CLUB AND LEARN HOW TO PROPAGATE YOUR OWN.
The Camellia Club of Mobile Meets the 2nd Sunday
of the Month at 2:00 p.m. from September to April at the Jon Archer
Agricultural Center1070 Schillinger Rd. N. Mobile, AL

A PREVIOUS CAMELLIA SHOW