Don Vandervort, Head Homeboy, has written more than 30 DIY home improvement books, been a segment host on HGTV, served as MSN.com's home improvement expert and written countless magazine articles.
If you live in the mild coastal areas of the United States and British Columbia, you're in camellia country. From September through May, camellias in shades ranging from white to pink to red add color to a winter garden. The rest of the year, they show off glossy, dark-green foliage--the kind home pastry chefs prize as the ideal form for creating chocolate leaves to decorate cakes.
Though camellias are considered mild-climate growers, newer varieties are now available that can take more cold. If you live on the fringes of areas where camellias thrive, look for extra-hardy varieties such as April Blush and April Dawn; Polar Ice, Snow Flurry, and Winter; and Bette Sette, Ice Follies, Pink Icicle, and Spring Icicle.
If you live in the mild coastal areas of the United States and British Columbia, you're in camellia country. From September through May, camellias in shades ranging from white to pink to red add color to a winter garden. The rest of the year, they show off glossy, dark-green foliage--the kind home pastry chefs prize as the ideal form for creating chocolate leaves to decorate cakes.