Camellia of the Year

	Camellia of the Year
	Camellias of special merit recommended for the Gulf Coast
(c) 2004 Mississippi Gulf Coast Camellia Society
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Beginning with 2004, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Camellia Society's plan is to recognize annually a camellia variety which the society feels has exceptional merit and deserves greater use on the coast as camellia of the year.

Frank Houser Camellia Image

Frank Houser 2004 Camellia of the Year

Camellia Frank Houser is our 2004 selection. Frank Houser is semidouble to peony form camellia with a very large luminous red bloom. It is a seedling resulting from the cross between a Camellia reticulata and a Camellia japonica made by Dr. W. F. Homeyer Jr. of Macon Georgia in 1989.

Reticulatas are famous for their large blooms but are typically not cold hardy on the gulf coast. However when crossed with a Camellia japonica, the seedling offspring sometimes takes on both the reticulata's large bloom and and the japonica's winter hardiness. Frank Houser is such a plant. In addition to an solid red variety there is a red-and-white variegated form.

Other camellias of special merit. In the recent past (but before our Camellia of the Year designation) we have recognized Camellia Melissa Anne introduced by the late Dr. Legrand Audioun of Biloxi and Camellia Elaine's Betty introduced by Jim and Elaine Smelley of Moss Point. We highly recommend these two national award winning coastal introductions to gulf coast residents.