Speaker: Tom Nuccio.
On Monday, February 12, 2018, the San Diego Horticultural Society welcomes Tom Nuccio, of Nuccio’s Nursery, the single greatest commercial source of camellias in North America.
Stars of the winter and early spring garden, Southern California has the ideal climate for cultivating azaleas and camellias, including the all-important tea plant (Camellia sinensis). For over fifty years, the Nuccio family has hybridized and cultivated camellias and azaleas in Altadena. They own about eighty acres of land, of which about six are under cultivation.
Today, a band of brothers and cousins have carried on the Nuccio name with the introduction of dozens of camellia and azalea cultivars. C. sasanqua 'Yuletide', C. japonica 'Nuccio’s Pearl', C. japonica 'Silver Waves', C. japonica 'Tama Peacock', C. reticulata 'Curtain Call', and C. japonica 'Nuccio’s Bella Rossa', are just a few of the camellia varieties associated with the Nuccio family.
Join us to hear Tom Nuccio talk about his experiences with hybridization, growing, production, and new cultivar introductions. Be prepared to take down cultivar names and ogle at flower and plant samples!
The evening starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Congregation Beth Israel, 9001 Towne Centre Drive,San Diego. Parking is free and everyone is welcome. Admission is free for SDHS members and $15 for non-members. For more information, call (619) 296-9215 or visit www.sdhort.org.