Some Camellias coming into flower

These are just a few of my Camellias which are coming into flower about now. One in fact has been flowering for several weeks, but the weather has not been suitable for good flowers.

To clarify, I should mention that I have many of the autumn and winter-flowering "Sasanqua" or "Hiemalis" varieties of Camellias, but while I love them, i do not regard them with the same affection as the "Williamsii Hybrids" and other more classic large-flowered Camellias. One of the problems with names of Camellias is that they are super-fertile (in general) and so chance seedlings arise, and nobody can be totally sure of their parentage (and hence which "group" to place them in.

This is one of my all-time favourites - "Bryan"
It is a Camellia williamsii x reticulata hybrid.
I grew this plant or another very similar to it in Canberra.

The weather has not been kind to Camellias this year. Yesterday, I decided to take my chances, in case I should miss out completely on recording some of these plants in flower. That was because of the horrendous "August Winds" which blew on schedule this year (unlike previous years).

I believe this to be E.G. Waterhouse,
but I am not quite sure yet.
I want to see several flowers open fully before I am positive.
This is a lovely petite flower with a delicate "picotee" edge
Yet another Camellia with the distinctive "fuchsine" colour
which is typical of the "Williamsii Hybrids" group of Camellias.
This is a lovely delicate flower.
That flower (above) is quite small,
but not as tiny as many of the other "species" Camellias
such as those descended from C. rosaflora.

By contrast, this is a veritable "monster" of a flower.
The flowers are at least 6 inches across, some may be more.
It is my only true C. reticulata.
The leaves are nearly twice the size
of "normal Camellias" (the classic "Japonicas").
I bought it as a "seedling" of Dr Clifford Parks.
But the true Camellia "Dr Clifford Parks" is said to be a sterile plant
So who knows?
I am prepared to grow it to see how it survives the winds of Robertson.

Many are obviously heavily in bud, and will probably flower for several weeks, but others are less certain, especially those which I moved this year because of the house renovations work which is going on. Those plants were pruned heavily to help them survive the move, and in some cases I only left a few buds on, for them to just "prove" themselves.