Gary Long, the Head Gardener at Trewithen near Probus will be going on the camellia appreciation tour to China in March.
 | | Camellia in boom |
The trip will include a visit to the Merryland Resort which is built around the Ling Lake in 6000 acres of picturesque grounds. The gardens and surrounding hills have over 400 species of camellia. Gary says: "My inspiration for going to China is mainly to learn more about the Genus Camellia flower and to see it in the wild. I hope to have the opportunity to study over 200 species of Camellia, learn about cultivation techniques and compare native and wild plants with some of our cultivated specimens here at Trewithen." China has around 12% of the worlds flora so this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Gary to see other species of plants in the wild.
 | | Pink camellia |
During his stay Gary will meet local experts at the Camellia festival. He will visit the local Camellia society and visit the Jinhua Hanguang Camellia Research Institute which has over 200 species, combining planting, research with marketing and sales. He will also visit The Jinhua Inernational Camellia Species Garden which is a 25 acre park which has the largest number of camellia species in the world. | 
