Camellia, Hybrid Camellia 'Scented Gem'

I obtained this plant in June of 2011 from the great folks at Nuccio's Nursery in Altadena, California. I have to mention their names as ...Read Morethey are great at what they do and they have a great selection of Camellias and Azaleas. They told me that Camellias need little sun and do not survive complete mid-day sun exposure. I left it in its gallon pot and placed it at the site where I wanted to plant it all the while watching for signs it was getting too much sun. I also wanted to plant it in January because for some reason another Camellia I planted when it was warmer didn't thrive and eventually died. I also tried to keep Camellias in pots but they also did not thrive. This could have been due to the difficulty of maintaining proper soil moisture in pots. The soil around here is sandy and rocky so I amended the planting hole with Camellia/Azalea soil and also added spagnum moss. I am carefull to not overwater and I was also careful when planting to not cover the top of the roots with soil as Camellias actually thrive when the top roots are allowed to "breathe". As for the flower, it has the strong sweet fragrance that I wanted and this Camellia is a great addition to my small but growing fragrant Camellia collection. Then I can say that contrary to popular thought Camellias with scent can be grown in the Santa Clarita Valley of California.