Yes Steve, while our summers can be beastly, our falls and winters offer delights like Camellias blooming outdoors. But then you are probably skiing and building snowmen.
I haven't been downhill skiing for years, and I can't remember the last time I built an actual snowman. Maybe I should move to where I can see colors other than white in the winter. Actually, to be honest, our winters are milder than most think. We get days in the 60s in January, and rarely have snow stick around for more than a week or two at a time (KMS would describe a very different winter, but he is at least 1,000 feet higher than me).
Erica, I think Kanjiro is actually classified as Camellia hiemalis. It is also listed in camellia books as Australian Hiryo. It has a good form, long bloom season and some plants will have even more light shading in the center of the petals. IT is an excellent landscape plant and take more sun than many growers realize.
Kanjiro is a great one for group planting and it is a long bloomer. On landscape projects I often use them in curved beds and underplant with white Pansey for the season.
Thanks Mike and Anne. The nomenclature of camellias is not my expertise but the name was listed on the label at The Atlanta Botanical Garden and I usually defer to them. I will pass on the name question.
I was drawn to the color.