National camellia collection

Spring comes early to Mount Edgcumbe, lying as it does on the Cornish side of Plymouth Sound. In its favoured position, the delicate flowers of the camellias appear from January onwards, making it a welcome start to the beginning of the year.

The camellia collection of Mount Edgcumbe was started in 1976 with a gift of 70 camellias from the International Camellia Society. These were planted in the formal gardens by members of the society from various parts of the world during their visit to Cornwall that year.

In the following year, 100 camellias were dug up and carefully transported 50 miles from David Trehane's garden at Truro and re-planted in the higher amphitheatre, where the majority of the collection is housed.

Since then, cuttings of a great many varieties and species have been obtained and we have to thank the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley, the Crown Estate Windsor Great Park and The National Trust. We now have some 1,000 varieties and species in the collection.

We organise conducted camellia walks in the National Collection at Mount Edgcumbe.

International Camellia Society

"To foster the love of camellias throughout the world, and to maintain and increase their popularity"

The International Camellia Society was founded in 1962, and to date has members in 26 countries. The Society provides advice on cultivation, nomenclature, registration of camellias, and all fields of camellia interest.

Membership is open to everyone interested in camellias. To be a member of the International Camellia Society is to possess a unique international passport. In every country there is always someone eager to meet a fellow member, and to arrange for them to visit outstanding gardens and other places that generally are not accessible to most travellers.

The International Camellia Journal is published in November each year, and contains articles and news of camellia activities in all parts of the world.