Central NC is in the midst of one of its periodic droughts but the nursery has its own pond to supply water. I grew up in a small town in that area and remember the droughts as times of great excitement. The woods would catch fire and the fire bells and sirens would sound and what seemed like the whole town would turn out to protect the houses. In our neighborhood we children were organized into bucket brigades to pass water hand to hand from a hose attached to an outdoor spigot. We felt very important, but looking back on it it may have been just a method to keep us out from underfoot and out of danger. These things seldom made the news. Back then, droughts and fires were just part of ordinary life.

North Carolina is a camellia paradise. Here in northern Virginia west of Washington, the cold winters of the 1970s to early 80s killed off many of the gorgeous old camellias that once dotted our landscape. The new camellias I'm planting have been bred to withstand colder temps.