A visit to Camellia Forest

[Bonsai Nut]

Oh, Spring! A time of rejuvenation and recovery! And a time to check out new nurseries in my new home state of North Carolina!

Many of you know that I am a big fan of Tom Nuccio's nursery in Altadena, CA. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that we had a big camellia nursery here in Chapel Hill, NC. I had run across Camellia Forest nursery in the past on a number of Google searches, because they carry a number of uncommon species. So when I discovered they had some large princess persimmons for sale, it was the only excuse I needed for a mid-week road trip.

Camellia Forest Nursery
620 N Carolina Hwy 54 W
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
(919) 968-0504

They have a large retail and mail-order business. Mail-order for smaller stock... retail for the 15 gallon containers (!)

I was able to set up a mid-week appointment for a visit, and the nursery owner David was there to walk me around for a quick tour. Though they don't focus on conifers, they had a selection of smaller, healthy stock, including some unusual cultivars.



Did you ever visit a nursery where you wanted to dig up the trees they had "casually" placed in their landscape?



If you judge a nursery by the number and size of their containers, Camellia Forest wins a prize



But wait! Where are the camellias, you ask? It is unfair to visit a camellia nursery when they aren't in bloom... but here is an idea of the width and breadth of their selection. Rooted cuttings...



Larger stock...



Camellias neatly organized by cultivar...



I could not leave without taking some photos of their landscape trees. An interesting trident maple cultivar...



A large needle juniper. I believe it is a J. rigida.



And casually in the parking lot... the largest princess persimmon I've ever seen.



I am a big persimmon fan, and picked up a 15 gallon female and 10 gallon(?) male. I could barely squeeze them both into the back of my SUV.



I thoroughly enjoyed the visit, and appreciate the time David spent with me at the nursery. If you happen to be in the market for camellias, definitely keep them in mind! And if you find yourself in Chapel Hill with a nursery craving, I recommend you check them out!!

 

[vp999]

Nice...I need some big trunk PP too.

 

[vp999]

Any chance we can get a peek at the trunk on your 15g PP when you get a chance? Thank you Supreme Leader !!!

 

[Potawatomi13]

Oh Mighty one..............A question for a friend (Nao) please. Did they have or do you happen to know where to find D. virginiana Yamadori or Bonsai suitable bigger trunk tree by chance? Crazy hot wonderful nursery.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Any chance we can get a peek at the trunk on your 15g PP when you get a chance? Thank you Supreme Leader !!!

I should be cleaning it up today. It has a lot of suckers and seedlings in the pot.

Oh Mighty one..............A question for a friend (Nao) please. Did they have or do you happen to know where to find D. virginiana Yamadori or Bonsai suitable bigger trunk tree by chance? Crazy hot wonderful nursery

Funny you should ask... I asked David the same question. He looked amused; because they grow commonly (natively) around there. When I said to him I had never seen a large one in the wild, even though I know they should be everywhere, he pointed to several large trees around the field we were standing in. "Those are all American persimmons" he said. He did not have any for sale however...

 

[BrightsideB]

I bought some small tree’s from them in the past online. I think I will try to visit next time I’m in that area. Things keep tempting me to move up into North Carolina.

 

[Pitoon]

@Bonsai Nut those pics of plants in pots is like candy to my eyes! I'm planning to make a trip out there one day. That picture of the pots.....that's probably several thousand dollars worth of plastic sitting there.

You coming up to the Potomac show this weekend at the US Arboretum?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

@Bonsai Nut those pics of plants in pots is like candy to my eyes! I'm planning to make a trip out there one day. That picture of the pots.....that's probably several thousand dollars worth of plastic sitting there.

You coming up to the Potomac show this weekend at the US Arboretum?

No... though please take pictures to share! Next year will be much better for me... this year my daughter is graduating from college, our house is in construction, etc. Next year looks far more feasible. Only about a six hour drive for me! I have family just outside of DC!

 

[penumbra]

Dang! Another place to visit in NC.

 

[Ruddigger]

Nuccios is amazing, but that place is really cool too. Princess persimmon? Doesnt get better than that!

 

[GGB]

I ordered tea plants from them about 6 years ago (maybe 7). I remember thinking the price was very fair for the size of plant at the time. They used to sell ume too, which I remember thinking was pretty unique. They probably still do I just don't frequent the website anymore

 

[19Mateo83]

I should be cleaning it up today. It has a lot of suckers and seedlings in the pot.


Funny you should ask... I asked David the same question. He looked amused; because they grow commonly (natively) around there. When I said to him I had never seen a large one in the wild, even though I know they should be everywhere, he pointed to several large trees around the field we were standing in. "Those are all American persimmons" he said. He did not have any for sale however...

They are easy to spot in the woods. The bark of mature trees is very unique. I have plans to try some air layers this year on a known female that is a heavy fruit producer. They have a nice nursery, I’m going to have to stop by next time I’m out that way. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Kanorin]

I should be cleaning it up today. It has a lot of suckers and seedlings in the pot.


Funny you should ask... I asked David the same question. He looked amused; because they grow commonly (natively) around there. When I said to him I had never seen a large one in the wild, even though I know they should be everywhere, he pointed to several large trees around the field we were standing in. "Those are all American persimmons" he said. He did not have any for sale however...

from both my own limited experiences and some club members that I have talked to - American Persimmon are quite finicky to transplant. Plus they like to grow in sandy soil, so that probably makes yamadori collection very tough.

I ordered a 25 pack of bare root seedlings this year and not a single one has budded out…looks like most of them succumbed to some kind of pathogen that turned the roots and lower trunk black.
I also sprouted a few from seed and none of those have made it either…Not sure how such a temperamental tree has survived as a species!

 

[Potawatomi13]

from both my own limited experiences and some club members that I have talked to - American Persimmon are quite finicky to transplant. Plus they like to grow in sandy soil, so that probably makes yamadori collection very tough.

I ordered a 25 pack of bare root seedlings this year and not a single one has budded out…looks like most of them succumbed to some kind of pathogen that turned the roots and lower trunk black.
I also sprouted a few from seed and none of those have made it either…Not sure how such a temperamental tree has survived as a species!

WAIT! Don't discard. I bought 2 in Dec. They wound up getting potted up bare root. Roots normally black. Kept on bottom heat outdoors all Winter and just started growing last week of April. 100% success .

 

[JoeR]

Ah man that's awesome! I will definitely be making a trip there now, thanks for the heads up especially on the princess persimmon

Not super bonsai related, but did you happen to see their stock of tea camellias?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Not super bonsai related, but did you happen to see their stock of tea camellias?

I saw them - two greenhouses full - but I did not check cultivars. It is quite a large place. I visited during their "by appointment only" hours, and though I didn't feel rushed, it was very apparent they are a working nursery and a lot of people were going about business. I could have stopped and talked to any/all of them for hours, but I didn't want to intrude.

Funny side story... David was working in an area where they had just poured a large concrete slab, and David was setting up block walls around the exterior. I asked what he was building and he said "it is for my bark". However I heard it as "it is for my bar". I gave him a strange look and wondered, for just a moment, if he was going to have a micro-brewery or something in the front of the nursery I explained my confusion and David laughed and laughed.... "that's a good one, I'm gonna use it!" LOL a laugh at my expense is a good laugh!

 

[vp999]

How big of the trunk is the 15g that you bought ?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

How big of the trunk is the 15g that you bought ?

Not too big... because it is a multi-trunk. I removed at least 20 smaller trunks - anything that wasn't currently bearing fruit. I have about a dozen left. The two main trunks are about 2" diameter at the soil.