The Pensacola Camellia Club has a show and plant sale every year on the second weekend in December. Hobbyists from at least five states enter over 1,000 blooms in what is considered to be one of the top shows in the southeast.

The blooms are placed into two categories: those that are grown in a protected greenhouse environment and those that are grown outdoors as most home owners would landscape their home garden. Camellia blooms vary greatly in color, form and size.

The show is open to entries from any camellia grower whether you have only one bush or hundreds. We encourage everyone to participate. There is a classification of “Novice” for new camellia growers to compete for prizes with their blooms. If your plant does not normally bloom in the month of December, club members are available with easy to follow instructions to force your plants to bloom early. Membership is not a requirement for attending meetings or placing blooms in the show.

Click here for results of our Dec. 9, 2023 Show

Our 2022 Camellia Show was our fifth year of participating in the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program instead of giving awards of crystal or ceramic pieces to the winners of the various bloom categories. The NAS Marine Corps representatives looked their finest as they accepted our member’s generous donation to the children of Escambia County.

For those who haven’t heard of the Toys for Tots program, it was started in 1947 by a United States Marine Corps Reserve group in Los Angeles, California as a community service project to help bring joy to the lives of less advantaged children at Christmas. The following year, the program expanded into a nationwide campaign by the Marine Reserve units.

This year we are again asking club members, who are able and willing, to bring in new, unwrapped toys to the November 21st membership meeting. If you prefer to make a cash donation instead, we will do the toy shopping for you.

Any members needing help getting their gift donation to the meeting can call the club number 850-780-0410 or email Louise Seitz, newsletter editor for assistance at pensacolacamellia@gmail.com.

I hope you are as excited as I am to be a part of this extraordinary and meaningful program to help make a child’s life more enjoyable at Christmas. I thank you in advance for your participation.

Pensacola Camellia Club Officers