Leslie,
I have April Blush that's about 15 years old. It has the same parents as April Remembered so culture should be similar. I have it against the south side of a wooden fence and behind that is a neighbor's garage so it's fairly well protected from north wind although it can get a little from the west. I don't burlap or do anything special in winter. It gets a very little morning sun in winter. It's partially under a spruce tree and there is some shade from the house very early in the day. In summer it gets a bit more sun, but is shaded from the afternoon sun. It's almost 5 feet high and 3 feet wide. This year it has close to 100 buds, but I'm concerned because with this mild winter, a lot of the buds are starting to swell, and a few even show a bit of pink petal at the tips. If we get a cold spell, it could kill the buds. As far as the plant hardiness, the only time it had any real damage was the horrible cold spell of January 2004, when we had 3 weeks when the temperature never got above freezing, and several nights went below zero, with minus 6 one night. I thought it was gone, but by June, a tiny green speck close to the base of the plant (I had cut back most of the dead wood) sprouted, and today it's green and healthy.

I grow Snow Flurry, which is a fall bloomer, and that one is rock hardy here. Even in that really cold spell in 2004, it was barely touched. That one is against a south facing stone wall and partially under a holly tree. It has hundreds of blooms every year.

Good luck!

Thanks very much, Bill! I had read that protecting a very young plant with burlap could be helpful but 'April Remembered' is supposed to be one of the hardiest ones. If yours do well mine should too.

I have a great spot for it on the North side of a fence that would block early morning Winter sunlight. The house on one side and trees and shrubs on the other should block icy winds. Once the temps warm and the sun is higher the Camellia would get morning sun and filtered shade in the afternoon. My only concern is that we'll have to replace that fence soon and I don't want the Camellia harmed. I'll just have to stand guard over it. Smile.

I'm very excited about growing these two new beauties.

Leslie

In my experience, winter wind is more damaging than morning sun. A little burlap, especially on young plants, certainly would be helpful. Mine are all on the south facing sides, either the fence or the wall. I'll try to upload some photos later today. There are so many hardy types they should be seen more often here. Same goes for the cacti and succulents, and other drought tolerant plants. Most people just don't know that they can be grown here very well. I have those in the front garden because it's sunny all year and I don't want to have to water in summer.

Leslie,
Here are a couple of photos. First one is "April Blush" (Although it was supposed to be "April Remembred" - actually I don't see a huge difference in the two and I believe they have the same parentage). The second one is "Snow Flurry". This one is very hardy and blooms heavily in fall. With the mild winter this year, every bud opened all the way until after Christmas. Both are over ten years old, and while "April Blush" was killed almost to the ground in the exceptionally cold January of 2004, it has come back to become a 4.5ft. x 3 ft. plant. "Snow Flurry" I have trimmed back many times to keep it a little bushier, as it tends to spread a bit. But I've cut off some pretty large pieces early in spring and it has no problem filling in.

April Blush
{{gwi:507517}}

Snow Flurry

Oh my, Bill!

I'm even more excited about receiving my two lovelies in April. I asked that they be shipped the last week of April. Hope that is a good time and not too late. I'm not sure at what age they begin to bloom so I guess there's a chance 'April Remembered' will have already bloomed or will be in bloom when it arrives.

I ordered two-year-old plants because I wasn't sure if a younger plant (a 1 year old) would adapt better to our colder New England climate, or if an older plant (a 3 year old) would be hardier. So I compromised and ordered two 2 year old plants.

I'm happy to hear that 'April Remembered' will look like your 'April Blush'. It's gorgeous. I'll keep 'Snow Flurry' in mind for the future. I'd like to get a good white and possibly a red sometime...

Thanks very much for the advice and the pictures!