The multi-petalled white, heavily scented flowers open about this time here. Native to West Yunnan, Tibet and the West Himalayas, it was introduced into western gardens in 1918, and given the prestigious Award of Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1961, a guarantee of an outstanding plant.
TWO unfamiliar varieties have been bred by Bob Cherry, of Paradise Plants, at Kulnura, north of Gosford. Cherry, famous for his breeding of Camellia sasanquas, has been on plant-hunting expeditions to China and other regions in the Himalayas dozens of times looking for rare plants he can develop and bring to the public.
Michelia yunnanensis or “Paradise Perfection” as Cherry says “embodies the timeless mystery and peaceful contemplation of the temple slopes of China”.
This is a relatively new form with all the elegance and perfume of the common Michelia with the added bonus of more flowers and compact dense foliage.