Valley Knudsen Camellia. ‘Valley Knudsen’ is a hybrid between C. reticulata and C. salvenensis, and when in flower at our retail store, this plant causes quite a stir. It has 5-6" hot pink flowers which are displayed with great flare against large dark green leaves. This shade of pink is one of the most vibrant in the Camellia world and it "carries" incredibly far. With C. reticulata in its linage, one would think that it would not be very cold hardy, but it has performed quite well in the S. C. Botanical Garden on the Clemson U. campus. We are growing it on its own roots where it is doing quite well. My original plant has survived -4°F in 1985 for a brief period with no damage under tall pines.
Zones 7b-9
