Middle Georgia Camellia Society

Middle Georgia Camellia Society Calendar & Comments Volume 3 Issue 4 April/May 2015 Festival of Camellias Flower Show The Massee Lane Gardens Camellia Show sponsored by Flint Energies was held on February 28-March 1, 2015. Total number of blooms exhibited was 605. Approximate number of attendees was 300. We enlisted four memberships for ACS and five for MGCS. Chuck and Bev Ritter of Melrose, Florida, won Gold Sweepstakes with 69 blue ribbon blooms while Fred and Sandra Jones of Moultrie, Georgia, took the Silver with 53. Best Bloom in Show--Unprotected was Black Magic entered by Fred and Sandra Jones while the Best Bloom-- Protected was Veiled Beauty entered by John Newsome of Atlanta. A complete list of winners can be found on the ACS website americancamellias.com. Black Magic Veiled Beauty Oliver Bowman Entering Blooms Class A, Japonicas, unprotected WORK DAY SET AT MASSEE LANE GARDENS Annual Picnic & Auction SATURDAY, APRIL 4 TH 9 AM 11:30 AM (or until finished!) 9:00 AM Coffee & Donuts 9:30 AM Pick your Project SPRING CLEANING OF SUN TRIAL GARDEN (Bring gloves, rakes, wheelbarrow, etc.) LEARN PROPER PRUNING TECHNIQUES (Bring pruning shears) CLEAN & PAINT ACS ENTRANCE SIGN ON Hwy 49 (Bring step ladder, paint brushes, etc.) Saturday, May 16 th At the Freshwater Home, 215 W. Church St., Fort Valley 5:00 p.m. Social ~ 6:00 p.m. Auction ~ 7:00 p.m. Meal WHAT TO BRING? Picnic Food Meat & Side Dish Plants and other items you think someone else wants! Lots of Money to Bid on Lots of Stuff!! A Fun-loving Spirit YOUR NAME BADGE! (Call Brenda if you have questions 825-1406) Page 1

Message from the President.All Work and No Play Throughout the camellia year the Middle Georgia Camellia Society provides a number of opportunities for its members. The last two scheduled activities for this year involve both work and play, and you won t want to miss either one. I hope you are gathering tools and other supplies, have your work gloves handy, and will join us for the April service project at Massee Lane. While its major purpose is to be of service to Massee Lane Gardens, it also provides learning opportunities through hands-on activities, and it meets one of our MGCS purposes by bringing members together in friendship and fellowship. What a day! To end the year on a really fun note, you must attend the annual picnic and auction at the beautiful home of Connie and Frank Freshwater in Fort Valley on Saturday, May 16 beginning at 5:00 PM. It s a time to visit with camellia friends and guests, enjoy delicious food (the MGCS has the best cooks!), and raise funds to help support our shows and special projects throughout the year. You may also be the high bidder and go home with beautiful new plants or other treasures from the auction, so don t forget your checkbook. Come join us as we work and play. Sandra Williams MIRIAM NEEDS HELP! From a home in North Carolina that's around 100 years old and still thriving; can you help us identify? BOARD MEETING SUNDAY, JUNE 7 th, 2:00 PM The Fetterman Gallery Massee Lane Gardens GREAT TO HAVE WILBUR & MARY WITH US FOR THE MARCH MEETING! April 4 May 16 June 7 Service Project Picnic/Auction Board Meeting Welcome New Members! Norman Race & Susan Beger Bob & Patricia Bennett Don & Sara Boyd Paul & Katie Dunn Dale & Regi Polk Dan & Tess Rebman Congratulations! Katie Dunn, is the winner of our People s Choice Award at our February Show. Katie & her husband, Paul, won a year s membership in MGCS as well as a camellia from County Line Nursery! C. Reticulata Frank Houser Katie selected Frank Houser as her favorite. This flower also won Best Tray of Three in the protected division. The blooms were grown and entered by John Newsome of Atlanta. Page 2

From the past.. MR. & MRS. M. J. WITMAN Macon, Georgia Potluck Favorites..Troublemaker Toffee This story begins in 1918. Twenty-seven year old, Macon native, Mangus Mike Witman was a captain in the U.S. Army, stationed in France during World War I. On July 15-16, 1918, he was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in action while serving with the 7 th Infantry Regiment, 3 rd Division, American Expeditionary butter (no substitute Forces will in Fossoy, do!) France, and sugar by his brilliant 1/4 cup water ½ teaspoon salt leadership of his company. But the Silver Star was not the only thing Mike brought back from France. While there he ½ cup chocolate chips met Prune twenty plants year that old have Emilie now Jarasse, stopped who had blooming. been born in Correze, France, in 1898. Emilie was known by all her friends finely chopped pecans (or almonds, but we re from as Fertilize Lilette with and for 16-4-8. the next For 50 a plus large years, plant she (6 was or also known Georgia!) as Mrs. M. J. Witman. Following higher), sprinkle the war, Mike and of Lilette fertilizer returned at the to drip the U.S. where he In a practiced heavy saucepan, law in New combine York City butter, for a sugar, number water of years and before line. returning Water in to the his fertilizer hometown after of Macon, applying. Georgia. If The salt. Witmans Sprinkle purchased ½ of pecans a on farm bottom in what of an is ungreased now the Rivoli 13 x9 area pan. of Macon scale or and insect built their problems home. are Besides observed, practicing spray law and Cook various butter, civic sugar, duties, water including and salt serving over as medium chairman heat of to the hardcrack he remembers stage (302 ) when stirring the local constantly grocery and store, watching Bateman carefully. & Wade, local hospital with dormant authority, oil. Mike raised Now cattle. and through Bill Fickling the told me would Pour hot mixture (it will be VERY HOT) into pan over pecans. summer advertise water Witman if two weeks Black Angus pass without steaks for rain. sale. Lilette, who had a talent for garden design, began to transform the twenty acres of grounds surrounding their home. The Witman Sprinkle gardens chocolate consisted chips on of top several of hot formal mixture gardens, and allow a Japanese them to Mulch plants with pine straw 2-4 inches. If you garden, a stone lined water feature that required water to be melt. pumped When uphill the some chocolate distance melted, away from use a lake spatula on their to spread property it want to root cuttings, May through August is into an even coating. While the chocolate is still melted, sprinkle and lots of camellias, azaleas and other shrubs. The most visible feature was probably the large (30 x50 ) Lord & Burham the best time to do so. Now is also an excellent remaining pecans on top. Let stand for 2-3 hours to set, or chill glass greenhouse. Terry Johnson, Johnson s Nursery, says he can remember seeing it when he was a young boy full of for 30 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces and store in airtight blooming time to camellias put in practice including some the techniques of the new camellia we reticulata container. varieties with huge blooms. Both Mike and Lilette were involved learned with at our camellias Show and & Grow were among Workshop the founders in of the American Camellia Society when it was formed at the Dempsey Thanks for sharing, Tommy Martin (a/k/a Troublemaker ) January. Hotel in Macon in 1945. He served as president of the Middle Georgia Camellia Society in 1951. With the greenhouse, Lilette was able to pursue her interest in hybridizing camellias. She regularly exchanged camellia pollen with other hybridizers in California and even New Zealand. She had a real fondness for miniatures and received scions from camellia friends worldwide. Lilette and Mike traveled extensively to visit other camellia growers. In 1958, they spent several weeks on the west coast, visiting such notable camellia dignitaries as hybridizer David Feathers, Harold Paige and Dr. Ralph Peer. They also visited the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island in Canada, where they saw camellias growing profusely in that Canadian microclimate. Lilette was not only an excellent gardener, but she was also an excellent garden writer and her articles could be found in a number of Camellia Society Newsletters and Journals. Sadly, Mike passed away in 1970, but Lilette continued to pursue her hybridizing efforts releasing five new varieties in 1971, five more in 1972 and four in 1973. Lilette died in 1977 at the age of 79. The Witman Estate eventually was sold to attorney Carl Reynolds who lived there for twenty years. Reynolds must not have had much interest in gardening as the gardens were not kept up. About five years ago, the property was purchased by Roy Fickling, son of Bill Fickling. Bill told me that there are still 100 or more large camellias on the property, but they are about to be swallowed up by bamboo which has escaped from its original planting and spread over much of the property. Remnants of the original gardens, stone benches and water features still remain to remind one of what once was the love of a remarkable couple Mike and Lilette Witman. (From a program presented by Tommy Alden at our March meeting.) C. Japonica Petite Rosine hybridized by Mrs. M. J. Witman, Macon, Ga., 1972. Blush Pink. Miniature, formal double. Vigorous, upright growth. NOTE: Just discovered I had this one among my collection of miniatures. Tommy Page 3

Follow-up for Grafting Workshop Graft growth buds should be starting to swell, if not don't worry even if leaves have dropped. Graft will keep trying to grow as long as the scion is still alive. Keep enough water on the plant to keep moisture in tinted graft cup. Over watering will make the leaves drop. When new leaves start to grow, (probably within the next month) you will vent the tinted cup on and off to toughen up new leaf growth. When new leaves darken and get tougher you may remove graft cups. If leaves start to look distressed put the cups back on and try to remove a few days later. Be sure to leave grafts in shade until they adjust. At this time start normal watering, but don't apply fertilizer till next spring. Good luck with your grafts and let me know how they do. I grafted 97 within 3 weeks of our class and so far have had only one to die. Remember, if the graft does die, remove cups and start watering plant. It will be good for another graft next year. You should be finishing up your pruning as soon as possible. Time to apply first fertilizer, it will give plants encouragement to grow. You must have new growth to have blooms. Fertilize again early summer and then late summer for larger blooms. Keep plants watered but not too wet or roots will die. Watch for insects and spray if needed. Be sure to attend meetings and purchase Gibb to treat buds, then if you are lucky you will have blooms for October and November shows. Buds should be treated a few days apart starting around the first of September. We have members that will be glad to show you how. Looking forward to having all of our new friends and members to come be a part of our club and participate in our shows. Your Camellia Friend, Grady Stokes Prune plants that have now stopped blooming. Fertilize with 16-4-8. For a large plant (6 or higher), sprinkle of fertilizer at the drip line. Water in the fertilizer after applying. If scale or insect problems are observed, spray with dormant oil. Now and through the summer water if two weeks pass without rain. Mulch plants with pine straw 2-4 inches. If you want to root cuttings, May through August is the best time to do so. Now is also an excellent time to put in practice the techniques we learned at our Show & Grow Workshop in January. Potluck Favorites Troublemaker Toffee butter (only real butter can be used) sugar ¼ cup water ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup chocolate chips finely chopped pecans (or almonds but we re from Georgia) In a heavy sauce pan, combine butter, sugar, water, and salt. Sprinkle ½ of pecans on bottom of an ungreased 13 X9 pan. Cook butter, sugar, water, and salt over medium heat to hard-crack stage (302 ) stirring constantly and watching carefully. Pour hot mixture (it will be VERY HOT) into pan over pecans. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of hot mixture and allow them to melt. When the chocolate is melted, use a spatula to spread it into an even coating. While chocolate is still melted, sprinkle remaining pecans on top. Let stand for 2-3 hours to set, or chill for 30 minutes. Break into bitesize pieces and store in airtight container. Submitted by Tommy Martin Page 4

Following our business session, Tommy Alden presented a program on Middle Georgia Hybridizers. He pointed out that about 25 people from the Middle Georgia area are responsible for registering over 200 blooms with ACS. Tommy chose to feature two of these hybridizers. Dr. Frank Wilson of Leslie, former member of MGCS, registered Adalyn, Drama Girl Tison, Springhead Gem and Whoopee. Mr. & Mrs. M. J. Witman of Macon were instrumental in helping form ACS. Mrs. Witman hybridized several varieties and Mr. Witman was a past president of Middle Georgia Camellia Society. (See p. 3 for more) Executive Committee President: Sandra Williams Vice-President: Tommy Alden Secretary: Brenda Alden Treasurer: John Gamble Board of Directors Class of 2015 Tommy Couch Connie Rainey-Freshwater David Williams Preston Phillips Grady Stokes Bonnie Wirsing Class of 2016 William Khoury Debbie Liipfert Tommy Martin Warren Thompson Liane Trieman Middle Georgia Camellia Society (MGCS): The MGCS is a non-profit, education organization, chartered on January 10, 1948, primarily to stimulate and promote interest in the camellia. Its purpose is to: March Annual Meeting Special thanks to our hospitality committee who gathered on Thursday morning to make our annual membership meeting truly special. The tables were adorned with beautiful spring arrangements and pastel napkins. Special guests for the evening were Burke & Pat Murph, son and daughter-in-law of Elizabeth Scheibert and Gary Stickler, friend of Debbie Liipfert. Also attending were three new members Sara Boyd, Sue Humphreys and Lucy Jarrett. Following an hour of visiting and socializing, a delicious meal was served by Donna Matthews. After our meal, we went into our business session. Of particular interest was a decision to redo the entrance sign on Highway 49 for the American Camellia Society at Massee Lane Gardens. Stimulate and extend the appreciation of camellias and to promote the science of camellia culture in Middle Georgia and to encourage private and public planting of camellias. Bring together in friendship and fellowship camellia growers and those interested in camellias in Middle Georgia. Organize and conduct camellia shows within the area. Assist local growers through discussions and dissemination of information on the general culture of camellias. Page 5