I can't locate the old thread about this, but someone wanted to see the old Camellia at Pilnitz Palace in Germany that has its own portable greenhouse which has been wheeled over the top of it on railroad tracks every winter since 1776.
I finally found the photo:
That's a beautiful slide!
Thank you very much, Guy.
Dax
I forgot to mention that the half tree visible at right is a huge Quercus rubra planted there in 1779. Dax, were you the one who wanted to see the Camelia? I forgot who it was, just remembered that someone asked about it a month or two ago.
Guy S.
That was shirleyt that wanted to see the pic,and ofcoarse I was interested myself.Thats fantastic,would you guess the size at 50' h and 50' wide,it really is hard to guestimate,but judging from the Q.rubra it would be at least that.Thank you for "digging" it out,it takes my breath.Mike
Mike, as I recall it was about 40 feet. Frankly, I was so fascinated by the fact that they built it its own greenhouse on railroad tracks and that it's been covered every winter since 1776 that I didn't look as closely at the tree itself as I should have.
I have some other shots of VERY old (many centuries) camellias in southwestern China, planted at Buddhist shrines and thus age-documented in the temple records (if you can read Chinese!). But those are slides and I'd have to scan them before I could post them. None of them are nearly as large as the Pilnitz Palace tree anyway.
Guy S.
Oh oh oh, go ahead. My girlfriend can read and write Chinese. She grew up in China and didn't move here until about 15 years ago. She's proficient in several different Chinese dialects. I can get her to translate anything that shows up in your images.
I already have it translated by the Chinese friend I was travelling with -- that's how I knew how old the trees were. It just takes too much time to dig out the slides, clean them, and scan them. Maybe next winter when things slow down. Right now I have several hundred new images that need editing and filing, and if that front doesn't bring major rain soon I gotta get back outside and start hauling water again . . .
Guy S.
I'm getting just enough rain here to stave off me having to haul my happy rear out to water for another week. So far this spring did not present me with a deluge to rot everything out like the last few years with all the flooding. Let's just hope this "normal" year continues as I don't think my plants can handle another drought.
THAT'S what I need for my purple leaved Davidia! As the Guinness folks say, BRILLIANT! Speaking of Guinness, what time IS it?
