'Tama Americana' survived in my 7a yard. It doesn't look pristine, and of course it lost all its blooms.

Also, it's a really early bloomer (like late March-early April) and I often end up throwing a tarp over it to keep blooms protected! LOL!

It's gorgeous, but not the best for our region.

This post was edited by dave_in_nova on Sun, Jan 4, 15 at 15:33

Thanks. Still I am tempted to try it if it survived last winter for you.
Spring warms up very slowly here. If you view a map of the Ches. Bay, I'm right at the top. Warm southerly winds in late winter/spring are often cooled down by the chilly water. I can't say how many times I see on wunderground that DC is 60F in early March, Baltimore will be 55F, and I will be 50F-52F. The western surburbs of DC are even worse for it because they will get that very light "foehn" effect on some days. (worse - well, better as far the average human being is concerned! They will take all the warm days they can get. This is particularly common in Frederick, MD for some reason, or it just might be I'm more used to hearing that weather station reported on WTOP.)

Yesterday was illustrative, the high was 67F at National according to Capitol Weather Gang. The closest PWS on Wunderground was 55f...and honestly that was one of the warmest winter days I can remember here.

Well, if your spring warm-up is slower and more moderate, then maybe Tama Americana might just work for you. Perhaps it will bloom later.

I say give it a try and report back. I do not have experience with any of the other 'Tamas'.

My Tama Americana looks equally as bad this Spring as it did last Spring. It's not a particularly hardy one. Probably lost all the buds a second year in a row. Just sayin'

Thanks. Yeah, I still want to try it, but maybe not this year. With the bad luck we've had so far, a 3rd bad winter in a row seems not out of the question. And as for keeping it in the garage, I got sick of watering and worrying about the 50-60 or so plants I have out there. I need to get that number down a bit.

Well after a few weeks of mightily struggling against the temptation, I just bought a small one at Camforest! Who in their right mind would be buying camellias after this winter? However, the difference between my 'Aida' and the one at Longwood - hardly colder than me and the plant was in a sheltered spot around the non-public conservatories anyhow - absolutely confirms what I've always suspected about BLEs in borderline climates. You have to grow them lean and hard, so that they are ready for the stress of a cold winter. Their plant had reached 4-5' from a rooted cutting in only a few years. It was completely killed, not even able to come back from the roots. I have hardly ever fertilized mine, it's not in soil that would ever have been enriched, and it has grown very slowly. Perhaps a soil test would even say this soil had "poor fertility" for normal garden cultivation of plants and should be amended. But my 'Aida' was hardly injured last winter and only had moderate injury this winter.

However I am also convinced that borderline BLEs benefit from having some size on them too - up to a point. So I won't plant any of the camellias I just ordered for at least a couple years.

You're crazy. Well, I would certainly consider wrapping it in frost cloth for the first several winters...if this trend continues. Anything to keep wind and sun off of them in winter.