Restoring the Lost Camellias of Hills & Dales Estate

In 2027, Hills & Dales Estate will host a visit from some members of the International and American Camellia Societies who will be having their international meeting in Macon. While this visit is several years away, we have been approached by the Societies to identify the camellias that have been lost from the estate throughout the years, from Sarah Ferrell to Ida Callaway to Alice Callaway. If possible, the Societies, via their various connections, hope to assist us in locating those lost camellias and re-home them at Hills & Dales. And so begins the research of what is here and what was lost.

Before we move on to the history that those three women shared with camellias, I must confess that my interest in camellias prior to writing this article was nearly zero. I had fallen out of love with this Southern plant and no longer noticed her beautiful fall and winter blooms. However, this research experience has reminded me of my first impactful encounter with this beloved evergreen plant of the Southern garden with its luscious rose-like blooms. This encounter with the two common species of camellia – Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua – was at a historic site in Charleston, South Carolina, called Middleton Place, also known as America’s oldest landscaped gardens. I was a young horticulturist on break with friends and begged them to visit this historic site. With little resistance, we embarked on an adventure that had us exploring walkways by which camellias were growing on either side like towering green walls. The camellias were in peak bloom. It was a magical experience, with live oaks and Spanish moss overhead, and around each corner was a beautiful statute or walled room.

After reflecting on those memories, a daunting task lay before me as I combed through the Estate’s documents to identify camellias in the current landscape and those that may have been lost. The following is what I found. Our records indicate that Sarah Ferrell began gardening at Ferrell Gardens, what we now call Hills & Dales Estate, 183 years ago in 1841. While we do not have many records from Mrs. Ferrell indicating the specifics of what she planted, her garden was often written about by others. One such article mentions spring blooming camellias, so we can presume that she did in fact have camellias. We have more records from Ida Callaway’s time at Hills & Dales Estate, although they are sparse. Through my digging, I found a document in her garden records listing numerous different “Japonicas” (Camellia japonica) including – ‘Alba Plena,’ ‘Candidissima,’ ‘Coletti Maculata,’ ‘Donckelari,’ ‘Imbricata,’ ‘Sara Frost,’ ‘Pink Perfection,’ and two others that were unidentifiable. Only one of these cultivars, ‘Pink Perfection,’ is still planted at the estate today. On the other hand, Alice Callaway kept much more extensive gardening records, which include dates, the location of the plant, and often where it was purchased. She also had a large collection of plant books, where she would record specific notes on what she wanted to plant, how the plant was doing, and if the plant had died or was lost.

With all this information, and past knowledge acquired by our previous Horticulture Manager, Jo Phillips, while she worked under Alice Callaway, I began compiling a list of all the cultivars of camellias that are here on the estate and the ones that have been lost. Even today, while flipping through one of Alice’s books on camellias, I located seven more varieties of camellias that she had once planted, unfortunately lost, that we did not previously have records of. So far, I have found over 75 different cultivars of camellias that have been planted at the Estate, 69 of which were introduced by Alice and at least six by Ida. Of this number, 42 cultivars have been lost and are no longer here. There may have even been more, but this is just what I have found so far. It appears as if the International Camellia Society may have their work cut out for them! Thankfully, we still have two more years. The gardening staff looks forward to gathering as many of these lost cultivars as possible to replant them along the walk to the Visitor Center to create a camellia walk, inspired by Sarah, Ida, and Alice. Happy camellia season! ~JB

The ‘Pink Perfection’ variety of Camellia japonica is still planted at the estate today,	Alice made a note in this book that her ‘Lady Hume’s Blush’ camellia was “lost.”
Ida Callaway’s list of ‘Japonicas.’	Alice Callaway’s plant book entry for camellias.