Thanks, Mindy. I'll check the Falmouth and Osterville stores (as if I have much money left by now).

Claire

Oh, what a mistake. I found a couple of hardy camelias at the Falmouth store. Now what? Do I plant them out, quick while the ground is workable, or try to harden them off somehow with an indoor-outdoor process? I have no halfway house for them, and they've been in the greenhouse at Mahoneys, so I don't think they'll be happy being plunked into the cold wet of a cape cod winter. Maybe I'll have to rig up some kind of leaf bin around them. One of them is already loaded with buds, though ... it's a variety that flowers in winter.

I also got some tall "long tom" pots, which I'm always looking for, for cacti and other plants that like good drainage. I think most of what I bought was 1/3 off, but to be honest I didn't check. There were some nice fountains and large concrete pots left.

i THINK you can winter those inside in a cool window no problem.that's what one does w/ non hardy camelias.
best,
mindy

eeks - the Winchester store has SEEDS out already.
ut-oh, I promised myself I would scale down this year.

Digging -

Were there any hardy camelias left at the Falmouth store? I was thinking of heading there tomorrow. Do you think they would be happy in an unheated basement window? It would be pretty cold, but not freeze, and they would get a few hours of light each day.

I've never been to Mahoney's but we are staying in Falmouth for a week, so I figured it was worth the trip. It sounds like a great place.

Lisa

Hi Lisa - I think I left one - there were only 3, and one was unlabeled ... or maybe it was in bloom already, a bright pink. (Sorry, my memory isn't so great!) I started by picking the tallest, narrowest one, and then went back and grabbed another that had buds. I didn't look outside, and I'm not sure what was out there, if anything.

Mahoney's has never been my favorite place, but it's getting better all the time. I've had some bad luck over the years buying what turned out to be barely rooted cuttings, but now I know what to look for and have gotten to know some of the staff (so I get some great deals there!).

Lisa, just call mahoney's and ask if they have any (they will put them aside for you I'm sure) and you can also ask your question about overwintering. They like cool.

Best,
Mindy

I checked the camellia forum, and found that these can be planted now. I just got one into the ground, and will keep a sheet nearby in case of a sudden cold snap. They take freezing temperatures in stride but, since I assume these need to be hardened off, I'll protect the plant at night for a week or so. In my house, there are no windows available that don't have radiators under them, and camellias don't like bright winter sun anyway - it scorches the leaves.

It seemed very strange to be out planting in December, but it sure felt good!