C. japonica 'Anacostia' is a superior camellia introduced by the Nat'l Arboretum. They used 'Leucantha' which had proven winter-hardiness and pollinated it with 'Variety Z' which was selected by a Dr. Zimmerman from NYC which had proven winter-hardiness. Here is a plant on the Anacostia River.I like the quote from Dr William Ackerman: "Dr. Zimmerman found that it takes at least two years for camellia plants to become will established after being transplanted outside. Contrary to popular belief at the time, he found that outdoor camellias send their roots very deep into the ground." My experience in NE Maryland is that winter hardiness is greatly enhanced if the plant gets its roots deep into the ground and protected from winter sun. I have 'Anacostia' and it is blooming beautifully now, no winter damage. The above pix from USNA's Asian Valley.

Posted by lou_midlothian_tx z8 DFW, Tx (My Page) on Tue, Sep 3, 13 at 20:39 That is exceptionally beautiful. Are they available commercially? Posted by sluice z6a CO (My Page) on Mon, Sep 2, 13 at 23:25 Lushan or Mt. Lu is actually well known in American literature. American writer and novelist Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) grew up in a town in the range of Mt. Lu. She has an American classical novel The Good Earth which described Mt. Lu in great detail. The novel was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. Eventually, in 1938 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for The Good Earth "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces."

Betty, glad you found me again! :-) So sorry to hear about your niece. That must have been terrible. Yes, I think the fountain is pretty sturdy. Our grandson tried climbing it, but we got him out as I was afraid it could tip. Didn't, but just to be safe... I will post the link to where we got it from. Andy is a nice guy to deal with. Look on the Water Features page. It is the 3 tier New Orleans fountain. Hope this helps. Marylu Here is a link that might be useful: Decor Emporium/Victorian Fences

I'll take a stab at it, but remember my zone is quite a bit different than yours. As far as pruning, I prune here mostly because of winter die back. But this summer I learned that some of my roses get too big if left unpruned in spring. They have been in the ground 5 years and have probably reached maturity. Next spring they will be cut back in spring, whether they need it or not. This past winter was a cold one, but with all the snow cover most of my roses had little to no winter die back. Hence little pruning in spring. Lesson learned. I would suggest a light pruning in spring if no winter die back, then see how big the bush gets. It will be trial and error for a few years until you get to know your bush, in your climate, in your yard. As far as north side and ice during the winter...do you do any winter protecting? How cold do you get? One concern would be ice breaking down the canes. But as it is shaded in the winter, at least you would not have the freeze/thaw cycle nearly as much as if it got sun for part of the day. What I suspect will happen is that the plants/roses planted in the winter shade area will just be later waking up than those planted in sun/shade areas. The ground will not warm up as quickly as that in a sun area. If the ice has not affected other roses in that area, and if this rose is rated for the same zone as the other roses, I suspect it will do just fine. Lots of variables. Sorry. Keep in mind.....I'm no expert. :-) Just someone who has/is learning by trial and error! Also someone who likes to push the zone occasionally! Anyone else want to chime in??