There was once a time when it was big business to ship camellias to places like Chicago and NY by the stem, for flower arrangements. But along came petal blight and it became harder. If you cut them really fresh the first morning they open, and take plenty of stem, inserted in a water pick, you may be able to it, if you can include dry ice or a "blue ice" pack inside. They need to be wired to a piece of cardboard and fixed firmly so they don't flop around and bruise. Some fiber-fill may help cushion them. I have some old articles on this that I will try to scan and e-mail to you. If you try this, I would love to know how it turns out.

These are some very good tips! Thank you. It may sound like a lot of extra work, but it'll be worth it to those friends that look forward to at least two more months of winter weather!

I'd suggest being sure the ones you send will stay on the stems. Most of my Japonicas aren't very good as cutting flowers because they tend to either wilt or fall off pretty quickly.

And I'd only use a guaranteed next-day delivery.

Thanks all. I also had a suggestion to take the blossoms and dip them in wax. They'll stay good for a few weeks that way. I'll try that and see what happens. See below for instuctions:

Waxing live flowers
photo: http://www.dsregion.org/garden_tour.html

Waxing is an excellent way to preserve camellia blooms and gives them a porcelain-like shine that lasts for many days, and sometimes weeks. A great time to do it is right before a freeze, or when you want to decorate for a party. Once waxed, they do not need a vase or water -- you can just display them on a plate or by themselves on a table. Several articles have been written in the American Camellia Society Journal and Yearbooks on waxing camellias. This is the method recommended in those articles. It is very simple and easy. A few extra directions and tips from learning the hard way are added.

Materials

paraffin (Gulf Wax) wax
mineral oil (grocery story or drug store)
large bowl of ice water (get it cold and take out the ice)
clock with a second hand
candy or digital thermometer (accurate temperature is critical)
fresh, dry camellia blooms
Note- A crock pot and a fry daddy will not work because they get too hot. For best results (if you plan to do this a lot) buy a pot (similar to an electric frying pan but deeper) with a temperature control. Rival makes one.

Process

1. Heat the wax and mineral oil to 140 degrees. Temperature is CRITICAL. If any cooler, the wax will become the globby (scientific term) and bead up on the petals. If any hotter, the wax will scorch the bloom and petals will turn brown. Digital or candy thermometers will work. Dont even think about using a meat thermometer. It is not accurate enough.

2. Apply the wax - Holding the stem, with the leaves pulled back, and cupping the base of the petals with your fingertips, gently dip the bloom into the wax Using a side-sweeping motion rather than pushing it straight in. Keep in only a couple seconds - just enough to coat it and then remove it. Give it a couple gentle shakes to eliminate excess wax.

3. Set the wax  Immediately dip the bloom into a bowl of ice water (take out the ice cubes). This sets the wax and cools the bloom. Move the bloom in from the side instead of pushing straight down in the water. If you push straight down, it makes the petals fold back and looks unnatural. It also helps if you hold the outer petals down with your fingers to keep them in place as you put the bloom in the ice water. Leave mine in the ice water for about 20-30 seconds. You can let them float in the ice water until the time is up. Make sure you periodically remove the small glops of wax from the ice water. They will stick to blooms you put in later.

4. Place the bloom on a newspaper and allow to dry and harden.

Tips

Pinks and whites are the best. The dark red blooms show the wax too much but you can experiment. The anemones (real full, tight petals like a carnation) donÂt seem to do as well as the others. The wax globs up too much because the petals are so close together. The thicker and stronger the individual petals are, the better the result. Very fragile petals do not last long. Some whites do very well and can last up to a month. They will last even longer if you put them in the refrigerator. (Great for parties or to take to work.)

Start with the whites, then pinks, then darker ones when you wax. The temp can be 138 for the lighter ones and around 140 for the darker ones.

Narcissus, tulip tree blooms, and roses work well with the waxing. Hang narcissus upside down to harden.

Spray the bloms with gold or silver spray paint when the blooms start to fade and turn brown. You will be able to enjoy them even longer. They make pretty holiday decorations.

Wax and oil - You will to need to mix enough so the wax mixture is deeper than the largest bloom you put into it. Once you do this, you will probably be hooked and want to mix up a lot. It is habit forming! You can keep the pot ready and use it anytime by reheating it. Here is what you will need for specific amounts of wax:

.5 lb wax .25 c oil 1.0 lb wax .5 c oil

Oh boy, you brought up one of my favorite subjects -- waxing camellia blooms !! They are great for display around the house, and also for taking to friends and shut-ins. They are beautiful.

Its so good to know that the waxing is a good way of preserving and mailing camellias to others. I also read in the attached URL that tulip tree blossoms (poplar) are good for waxing. I was thinking the same thing. They grow way up on top of 40 ft trees, but in May they fall to the ground and I can collect them. Also Southern Magnolia flowers would work? How about Dogwood? I'm very excited about the prospects of this method.