Camellia Show returns for 71st year

Even in the cold, dreary Alabama winter, you can still find blooming camellias.

The 71st annual Camellia Show will take place at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Feb. 15. This will be the program’s ninth year for only Birmingham-area residents to compete. Audience members can expect to see camellia blooms of many shapes and sizes during the public viewing.

Former Birmingham Camellia Society President Cindy Warriner, the wife of the current show chairman, said the camellia is a very special flower.

“The camellia has been the Alabama state flower for 60 years,” she said. “One of the special things about camellias, other than their beauty, is that they are evergreen plants and bloom in the winter when most other plants and trees have lost their leaves and yards look pretty bleak.”

Birmingham residents can come and put their camellia blooms to the test by entering the show.

The contest takes place from 8:30-10:30 a.m., with camellia blooms grown outdoors locally permitted to enter the show, according to the Birmingham Camellia Society’s press release.

Blooms that are deemed worthy by the society will receive awards and be shown at the public viewing from 1-5 p.m. This event is free to the public, but donations are welcome.

“Birmingham residents have been attending for over 70 years and know that during the coldest, bleakest season, they can come to the camellia show and see blooms so gorgeous they almost don’t seem real,” Warriner said.