I have compiled the top twenty winners in California
of the eighties, nineties and the first decade of two thousand. These
cultivars have won best or runner-up in their respective categories to
make the list. The first column lists the name of the cultivar, column
two, four, and six the rank by the number of wins in each decade, and
in columns three, five, and seven the number of wins in that decade.
You will notice that some columns have a dash. If the column has a dash
then either the cultivar had not been introduced yet or the cultivar
did not rank in that decade by not getting at least two wins.
I find it very interesting that the Japonicas did not change much as to what is winning. There were a few new introductions that caught the judgesʼ eye that were introduced in the nineties. Some cultivars fell out of favor in the last decade. The big consistent winners have been ‘Royal Velvet’, ‘Miss Charleston Var.’ and ‘Tomorrow Park Hill’ in the large to very large classes .In the medium japonicas, ‘Nuccioʼs Jewel’, ‘Margaret Davis’ and ‘Fire Dance Var.’ have been very consistent in remaining on top. In the small class, the top winners were not around in the eighties. ‘Red Hots’, ‘Spring Daze’ and ‘Paper Dolls’ have been doing very well, followed closely by ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Maroon and Gold’ which were around in the eighties. The miniatures top winners were ‘Something Beautiful’ (introduced in the nineties) and ‘Grace Albritton’. ‘Lemon Drop’, ‘Man Size’ and ‘Fircone Var.’ also stay consistently in the top ten.
The biggest changes have been in the Reticulata/Reticulata Hybrid class. Of the top ten winning cultivars, seven of them were not around in the eighties. ‘Emma Gaeta Var.’ which was number one in the nineties and ‘Harold L. Paige’ which was number one in the eighties are still in the top ten, but the last decade was definitely dominated by ‘Frank Houser’ and ‘Frank Houser Var.’ This is the category that has experienced the most new introductions of outstanding quality, so it is not surprising to see this big change.
In the Non-Reticulata Hybrid class, there have been no real standouts even though ‘Julie Var’., Waltz Time Var.’, and ‘Pink Dahlia’ have remained in the top ten through the decades. ‘Island Sunset’ introduced in this last decade has done well but can it hold on? The multiple categories have only two decades of statistics because I was not keeping track of them in the eighties. In the japonica multiple classes ‘Royal Velvet’ followed by ‘Nuccioʼs Carousel’ have dominated. In the small/miniature class ‘Man Size’ has been the most consistent. ‘Pink Perfection’ has also done well in the multiple categories. ‘Frank Houser’ and ‘Frank Houser Var’. did very well in the last decade, but did not make the list in the nineties because I think that most exhibitors’ plants were not large enough to produce enough blooms for multiples. ‘Emma Gaeta Var.’ is the top winner over two decades. ‘Nicky Crisp’ and ‘Waltz Time Var.’ were the most consistent winners in the Non-Reticulata Hybrid classes.
I hope you find these statistics interesting as well as enlightening as to how the judging has been consistent or inconsistent in what is being put up as winners. Those of you who are just starting out in camellias and are interested in becoming competitive hobbyists or have been with us a short time should look at those consistent winners. If you are limited in space in your gardens then perhaps this will help you to pick those cultivars that seem to have a better chance of taking home the trophies. I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did in compiling it.
