In the 19th Century camellias were perceived as being tender greenhouse plants which could only be grown by the largest landowners with huge conservatories. All this was to change with the discovery of what we now know as Camellia saluenensis by the famous Chinese planthunter George Forrest in 1918. This was a new species of camellia unknown in Western Europe
Camellia japonica (from Japan) had been introduced to Europe some 100 years before but it was generally considered simply as a foliage plant as it only had very small red flowers
Seed from Forrest’s new discovery was sent back to Caerhays Castle in Cornwall. The owner, J.C. Williams had funded all of Forrest’s previous expeditions to China but his primary interest was in rhododendrons and not camellias. More........