The second London Camellia Festival opened in London on Saturday, giving the public the opportunity of viewing the oldest collection of these plants anywhere in the world outside Asia. Camellias start to bloom toward the end of winter - early spring
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
The second London Camellia Festival opened in London on Saturday, giving the public the opportunity of viewing the oldest collection of these plants anywhere in the world outside Asia. Camellias start to bloom toward the end of winter - early spring.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
The name "camellia" was given to this beautiful flowering member of the tea family in the 18th century in honor of the Moravian Jesuit missionary Georg Joseph Kamel, a chemist and botanist, who introduced the camellia to Europe from the Far East.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
Camellia flowers, which usually have no smell, can be of various sizes and shades of white, pink, red or combinations thereof.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
The collection on display at the London Camellia Festival was put together at Chiswick House in London during the 1820s by the sixth Duke of Devonshire.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
The circumference of the trunk of the oldest camellia in the collection measures 1.27 meters. In 1825 camellia seedlings sold for five pounds five shillings, which in those days was about half the annual salary of a servant.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
The snow white flowers of the Welbankiana variety, which fade to yellow, are not typical of camellias, but they retain their shape.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
Even when their leaves fall to the ground many of the camellias keep their elegant appearance and colors, like this Elegans variety with large salmon-pink flowers.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
The Parksii camellia was brought from China in 1824. It has some unique qualities, featuring brightly colored mottled petals and, unusual for camellias, a subtle smell.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
The Rubra Plena camellia was one of the first to be introduced into Britain. It was brought over from China in 1794 for a major ship owner of the East India Company. There are many variations on this name, including Old Red and Queen of Denmark.
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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Smotrov
After the complete refurbishment of Chiswick House in 2010 and its opening to the public, the trustees of the Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, who are responsible for the upkeep of the house and grounds, decided to hold the first Camellia Festival, which took place last year.
