The Huntington's camellia garden is one of the most diverse public collections anywhere and one of only five gardens worldwide to earn the International Camellia Garden of Excellence Award from the International Camellia Society. The collection includes some of the world's oldest camellia cultivars as well as new 21st-century introductions, both well documented in this lavishly illustrated, compact book. Reproductions of nineteenth-century botanical illustrations from the Huntington Library's rare book collections are also included. Those who grow camellias or want to, and those who appreciate their beauty, will find both pleasure and valuable information in this handsome book.

Ann Richardson earned her horticulture degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. At the Huntington, she served as curator of the camellia gardens and the Japanese garden for 13 years. Her articles have appeared in Fine Gardening Magazine, The Camellia Review, Public Gardens, and the International Camellia Society Review.

"This volume offers a succinct overview of the genus Camellia, including its history, flower forms, plant descriptions, and culture. A chapter on camellia culture covers planting, pruning, disbudding, and common problems. The book is illustrated with exquisite photographs by Don Normark and antique paintings from the Huntington archives."—Sunset

"From a brief history of camellias to a map of where to find them growing in Huntington Gardens, this lovely small volume tells us nearly all we need to know about this very unusual shrub."—California Garden

"Richardson draws on decades of experience in horticulture to present an array of facts on the history and cultivation of the camellia, including how they get their names, the differences between a cultivar and a species, and why some camellia flowers have stripes or splotches. She counsels that camellias are easy to grow and tells readers how, with just a small amount of care, they can produce a maximum of attractive plants and flowers."—The Camellia Review