Rows and rows of camellias at the Annual Winter Camellia Show

Jack Frost was definitely in the air when the judges arrived in Columbia for the Annual Winter Camellia Show, but no one acknowledged his presence. The judges were honored at a reception at Laurel Graydon, the home of Dr. and Mrs. Pete Denton on Friday evening prior to the show Saturday at Richland Mall. Show Chairman Donna Denton and the Camellia Society hosted the meal.

The Annual Winter Camellia Show, presented by the Mid–Carolina Camellia Society in cooperation with The American Camellia Society, was set up to receive camellia lovers and their prize camellias early Saturday morning.

Johnny Walker from Edisto Island, Parker Connor’s protégé, took the most awards, but it was Miles Beach of Mt. Pleasant who walked off with two of the top awards. There were many, perhaps hundreds of winners. Miles Beach won the Best Flower Grown Outside (unprotected). The trophy was given in honor of Shirley and Tom Knox of Columbia. He also won Best “Valentine Day.” This trophy was in memory of Charlotte Knox. The third top award was won by Richard Mims, the society’s president for eight years. It was the Best Reticulata, Linda Carol, which won for Richard and Katherine Mims of Lugoff, the Jim Pinkerton Memorial Trophy. (Reticulata is the most tender of the three better known species, C. Japonica, C. Sasanqua, C. Reticulata. They are not expected to tolerate as much cold or heat, have fewer blooms, but massive individual flowers, producing the largest and most spectacular of all the camellias.)

Miles Beach, Best Flower Grown Outside, Unprotected, winner of the trophy in honor of Shirley and Tom Knox and “Best Valentine Day,” trophy in memory of Charlotte Knox. Geary and Bonnie Serpas of Santee won Best Unprotected Reticulata Bloom with their Frank Houser variety. Tyler and Buck Mizzell of Santee won Best Bloom, large Reticulata, protected, with their Dora Lee. Irma and Jack Raines of Columbia won Best Local Bloom with their Spring Sonnet.

Officers of the Mid–Carolina Camellia Society are (l–r) Mary Wardlaw, secretary; Pat Pinkerton, treasurer; Richard Mims, president; and Donna Denton, vice president. Irma and Jack Raines’ “Spring Sonnet,” winner of Best Local Bloom Photos by Andrew H. CrossTyler and Buck Mizzell’s “Dora Lee,” winner of Best Bloom, Large Reticulata Protected Geary and Bonnie Serpas, “Frank Houser” variety, winner Best Unprotected Reticulata Lawanda C. Brogden’s camellia won Best Local Bloom, large/very large Edith Strasburger and Elsie Rast Stuart admire the camellias. Richard Mims’ Best Reticulata “Linda Carol,” winner of the Jim Pinkerton Memorial Trophy