SeeCalifornia.com

Camellias are in bloom in California and anyone who’s seen them knows the tell-tale signs–just look for the pink, white or red petals. Covering sidewalks in Temple City before the Camellia Festival, park benches at Pioneer Camellia Grove in Sacramento, and statues in the Camellia Garden at San Marino’s Huntington Library & Gardens, the flowers are beautiful but messy. This flowering plant is not a native to California. It actually arrived from Southeast Asia and became a common sight during the Gold Rush. Sacramento adopted the Camellia as its symbol and for many years celebrated with huge festivals. Today you’ll notice a Camellia International Dance Festival each spring, there are symphonies & schools using the “camellia” name, and carrying the torch to promote its history is the Camellia Society of Sacramento’s show March 7-8, 2015.  A city that still celebrates in grand style is Temple City near Los Angeles. Community groups decorate floats with camellias for the big parade on Feb. 21, 2015, part of an entire weekend of festivals, food, carnival rides and entertainment. Here are some Camellia Happenings in California, where people get a little giddy and some say “crazy” over camellias.