I found it!

A few weeks ago when browsing over some gardening and nursery websites, a light went off in my head.  Why not grow our own tea?  I remembered reading awhile back about a tea plantation in Charleston, SC.  If it can grow in Charleston, why not Charlotte?  I couldn't remember ever hearing about or running across this "tea plant." I found out that it was a type of Camellia; Camellia Senensis to be exact.  This single plant is pretty much responsible for all of the common teas! Young leaves are plucked and the treatment and curing from there determines the type of tea.  Steeping just after picking produces white tea.  Drying and steeping produces green tea.  Bruising the leaves causes oxidation to take place.  When these bruised leaves are dried and steeped, black tea is produced.

After looking over a few websites that specialize in Camellias, I was tempted to order a couple, but I had some reservations.  It's the middle of June, so how would it survive the shipping?  How mature and what size would it be?  And the question I have with all my purchases, how long are we talking before it starts producing?

With all of those questions on my mind, I decided to search for a plant at a local garden center.  I would know the size of the plant, that the plant was healthy and I could talk to an employee regarding best practices for caring for it.  The search was on. Well, let's say the search might have been on, but it wasn't a very productive one. Garden Center after garden center knew nothing about it.  Some did, but had none in stock and didn't know where to find it. I lost count of how many nurseries I called, stopped by and looked at on-line.  I honestly think that it was over 30!  This morning I continued calling Charlotte area nurseries and the first try was a winner!  The employee told me that they had one left.  I asked him to stick it to the side and I would be right down to pick it up.

Just as I had hoped, he was able to tell me quite a bit about my newest addition to the garden.  It should be placed in a well drained area.  "Don't think that you're doing it any favors by watering too often", he told me. When it blooms, it produces small berries.  If you have ever heard of Teaberry gum, the flavor is from these same tea berries.  The Camellia will survive the winter, however it should be placed in a somewhat protected area.

Excited with this new information, I gladly paid for my "Tea Plant" and some Holly Tone fertilizer to make it happy since it likes acidic soil.  I can't wait to provide future updates on my latest backyard addition and my tea making adventures!