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TRISHA MURPHY/Palatka Daily News – Virginia Walkup, president of the Melrose Library Association, shows some of the camellia bushes at her friend, Kathi Warren’s, home in Melrose.
A stroll through Melrose on Saturday morning may bring a sense of joy to those who pass by Trinity Episcopal Parish Hall, where they will see splashes of reds, pinks, candy stripes and whites in the quaint community, which is known to be a haven for artists and creativity.
“I love that camellias bloom in the winter to give our yards a pop of color when other plants may not be blooming,” said Keyna Ward, the chairwoman of the Melrose Library Association’s Camellia Plant Sale & Breakfast Buffet for the last nine years. “I have two camellia bushes at my home.”
The fundraiser sale will start at 9 a.m. at the church, 204 State Road 26 in Melrose, with a buffet-style breakfast and the camellia sale. The event will last until the food is gone and the plants are sold out.
Virginia Walkup, the president of the Melrose Library Association, has fond memories of her neighbors having camellias in their yards when she was a child growing up in Gainesville.
“They would let me pick them and take them to my teacher,” she said. “When we moved to Melrose in 1971, our neighbors also had camellias.”
That was a welcome site for Walkup.
“They shared them with us often,” she said. “My aunt also helped establish the Melrose Public Library and always had many varieties of them floating in a bowl in her home on Lake Swan.”
The 3-gallon potted plants will be available in a variety of colors and will sell for $30 each. The plants will be provided by Mark Crawford, the owner of Loch Laurel Nursery in Valdosta, Georgia. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.
“Mark will bring a variety of what is available at the time,” Ward said. “They usually have blooms on them so customers can see what they look like in bloom.”
Proceeds will be used to purchase books and help fund activities for children and adults at the Melrose Library, as well as fund the new Camellia Room expansion of the library, including furnishings.
The Melrose Library will also feature a book sale at the fundraiser, with every book to cost $1 each.
“Last year, we sold 150 plants by 10:30 a.m.,” Ward said.
Ward hasn’t made up her mind about the kind of plant she will purchase this year, but she knows it will be a good one.
“They are easy to grow and produce wonderful vibrant blooms,” she said.
Ward said the fundraiser started out as the Camellia Garden Show in 2015 at the home of Chuck and Bev Ritter in Melrose. The couple has more than 1,500 camellia plants on their property.
After several years, the fundraiser moved to the church and became a camellia sale and breakfast. The Melrose Library Association’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the Melrose community.
“By offering these healthy, beautiful plants at a reasonable price, we are helping beautify the community,” Walkup said. “We are also helping fund the programs and events at the library.”
The Melrose Library Association is open to new members. Visit MelroseLibraryAssociation.org to join or mail checks for $15 to the Melrose Library Association, P.O. Box 54, Melrose, FL 32666.
Those who join will receive the group’s newsletter informing them of upcoming events.
Walkup said her favorite camellias are the pink and variegated ones with pink and white. And she knows she will be looking for another favorite on Saturday to plant at her home.
“The ones with blooms and cool names catch my eye, like Pink Perfection and April Dawn,” she said. “Camellias are very easy to grow and do not require much maintenance. They require water and shade. Mine have not been affected by freezing temperatures. They are beautiful.”
