Dear luis_pr, It sounds as if your 'Eleanor McCown' is sporting to 'Kathryn McCown,' its common pink mutation. We have an 'Eleanor McCown' that has been producing that pink mutation for years. 'Kathryn McCown' is listed in _Camellia Nomenclature_. As far as 'Mine-no-Yuki' is concerned, we've grown that sasanqua for years; and it always blooms as white as the purest wind-driven snow. Maybe it's sporting? Could it be grafted onto some other sasanqua root stock and reverting to the graft?

Last week I called Nuccio's and asked for recommendations for camellias that would do well in full shade. They recommended the following: Buttermint, Nuccio's Pearl, Nuccio's Gem, Shiro Chan and I think Pearl Maxwell was mentioned as well. They discouraged me from Sasanquas. I believe the tag on Chandler Elegans at my local nusersery said it did well in full shade. On Monroiva's site the beautiful Bella Rosa (I saw this one at my nursery and ws taken with it) had contradictory information listed. The catalog description states full or part shade; under growing conditions it reads full to part sun. Mine No Yuki's description stated "full sun or shade." On the Monrovia site, several of the cams that Nuccio's had recommended to me said 'filtered shade' rather than full shade. It's hard (not having real world experience growing camellias) to know what might work out best in my low-light situation. Forrest Al, I am leaning towards your suggestion because of your great success with White Doves even though our climates may differ. Do you do anything special with your plants to get the great results you describe? Thank again for your suggestions and feedback.

This is obviously a little late in this discussion, but if you're still there, there are two other fragrant camellias I really love- the very sweetest strongly scented plant I know of is a lutchuensis hybrid from New Zealand called Quintessence. It's a white single with spreading growth- in fact, a true dwarf camellia. After 20 years+ it is still not more than 2' tall (c. 3' wide). It grows in a very protected garden in Portland OR with a sheet put over it when it snows. Would make a great container plant but don't let it get cold. I don't know where you'd buy it- a nurseryman friend brought it directly from NZ. The other is a single white/pink sport of Cinnamon Cindy called Cinnamon Scentsation (don't confuse this with the japonica scentsation). A friend has a large plant of this here in Portland and on a warm spring day I could smell that sweet plant from 6' away! Lovely scent- it's another hybrid by Wm. Ackermann whose lutchuensisXjaponica cross he named Cinnamon Cindy. If you'd like this, Kathy at the Van Veen Nursery in Portland OR will make you rooted cuttings of it for a very reasonable fee.

Here are excerpts from the Web Camellia Register about plant habits: 'Setsugekka': Leaves deep green, a little weeping. Upright, fast grower. Early flowering. 'Mine-no-yuki' AKA 'White Doves': Leaves, dull, dark green, sometimes variegated, 4 cm x 2.5 cm, slightly serrate, apices blunt acute. Habit is willowy, spreading, medium vigorous and blooms heavily. 'Winter's Snowman': Plant growth is upright, average and medium, with dark green leaves 7.5 cm long x 3.5 cm wide. You may also want to do an image search with your search engine of choice to get a visual idea of what these plants look like. If you're wanting shiny, dark leaves, Mine-no-yuki may not have leaves shiny enough? I don't see a camellia hybrid named 'White Snowman', but 'Winter's Snowman' is a cold-hardy Ackerman hybrid. I would be curious to hear from anyone who has grown these cold-hardy hybrids in warmer areas of the country? Here is a link that might be useful: Web Camellia Register