They bloom in fall and winter -- that is the great thing about them! And you have picked two nice varieties. Here is a link to some planting tips. (See below.) The main thing I have found is to plant them high in a wide but shallow hole, so they will not later sink below grade. And use plenty of good planting mix (it is worth it). Give them plenty of water during dry spells for the first couple of years until they get established. Here is a link that might be useful: Camellia Planting Tips

He's actually having the surgery here. Or HAD the surgery I should say. He's home and on the couch watching the tube and listening/watching the new videos I downloaded to his IPod. He says it hurts but he's so much more tough than me. I'd be in bed trying to sleep it off. :) I got the bed ready for him, but I should have known better. I guess I'd better get ready for a long week of Poker programs and The Discovery Channel. LOL (except when I take over for an hour tonight to watch Jon and Kate +8) Thanks again everyone! You are the best! Danielle

I'm sorry sweet, I appreciate the article but you took the wrong information from it and came to incorrect conclusions. Sealer 101.. The pigmentation itself is not fading it is being dispersed over greater area. The carrier (alkyd/oil base) takes a long time to come to final cure therefore it continues to "spread" the pigmentation deeper and deeper into the wood fibers. This happens not just with TWP but with any oil based product. How deep it dives is dependant upon the type of driers and resins used. This is what makes TWP a good quality product. It has the ability to carry deep into the wood and condition it with mositurizing oil. This is why I tout oil based products over water borne products. There is, of course, a point of diminishing return. The wood will only absorb so much oil and so much pigment before the product starts "layering". Applied as directed by the manufacturer the finish remains as an enhancement to the wood. It will expand and contract in harmony with the wood and allow mositure evaporation. When you pile on coats, every subsequent coat becomes not a part of the wood but a top coating. There may be some bonding of the resins that intially creates what seems like a desirable finish (John describes it as a sheen) but this is merely a top finish that is now susceptible to craking, flaking and peeling. Again, TWP by its very nature has parrafins that never really cure 100% so John has been lucky thus far and the finish has remained semi-pliable. At some point, this chemistry is going to break down. Not if...when. Perhaps it won't happens if the product is applied on regular maintenance schedule but waiting just a bit too long and it will start peeling. Once it does, the finish is ruined. Understanding stauration points, Sweet, you can easily understand how layering pigmentation will cause darkening. Take a crayon and shade in a box on a piece of paper. The first layer of wax will bond to the paper and the color will be as labeled. Go over that color again and the color will darken a bit. Go over that same box again and again and what happens? Not only is the color significantly darker, the top coats of wax are flaking and if you pick up the paper and shake it or cause stress to it, some of that wax will come right off. Understanding the science of why the Hyatt Method works and why it is destined for failure is what scares me. Now as nature erodes some of that oil and the top bond is broken (evidenced by readily apparent and dramatic color shift) the wood after a full year will be ready to accept more oil. This is when R-A-D comes in. It helps to make the wood readily accept the finish by actually breaking the bond of the former finish and removing some of it. Have you ever heard of "the moisture test" which is basically placing five or six drops of water onto a finish and seeing if it beads? Any oil/based sealer manufacturer will tell you, if the water beads at the surface, you cannot apply another coat of sealer. You either have to perform stripping or wait longer fro Mother Nature to do her thing. Hope this helps clarify things. One final note.. You have to understand the millions of dolars thrown at R&D by these sealer manufacturers yet stil they come out with crap that does not hold up for more than 12-18 months at best. If the technique to superior longevity was as simple as piling on layers with no increasing odds for premature finish failure, wouldn't it stand to reason that they would suggest it?

(((Gabby)))) My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours along with any others in "Ike's path". Just talked to our sister In Sugarland/Houston.... they had windows taped with mattresses up against them and had spent the day trimming tree branches. They were outside with most of their neighbors watching the sky. She mentioned tornados are a concern. I could hear the wind howling as we talked. I think this has convinced her to sell and move to Nevada!