Massee Lane Gardens celebrates the 2023 Festival of Camellias and the 78th Anniversary of the American Camellia Society for the entire month of February 2023. Although camellias bloom from late fall through early spring, February is the peak of the camellia blooming season. Visitors can stroll pathways through nine acres of specialty gardens full of blooming heirloom, modern, and species camellia plants. Professionally guided tours and box lunches are available throughout the season for groups of ten or more. Tour lunches are available on a first come, first served basis. Boxed lunch tours are $25 each and will be served between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Lunches are provided by The Railroad Cafe of Fort Valley, Georgia. Tours may be scheduled before or after lunch.

• Each lunch includes choice sandwich with a pickle spear, bag of chips, chocolate chip cookies, and fruit cocktail.  Water, mayo and mustard on the side, and utensils, napkin, salt & pepper.

• Choices include ham & swiss, turkey & swiss, chicken salad, or club sandwiches. Please advise of any dietary restrictions when making reservations and placing an order for your group.

• Call toll free (877) 422-6355 to select the date of your choice and make reservations. Payment must be received two weeks in advance for luncheon tours. (Cancellations require a week’s advance notice.) Phone payments by credit card are accepted.
   

Admission will be free from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on February 4, 2022, to kick off the month of camellia fun. Come enjoy the Peach County High School Band's Sympony Section, performance on this very special day! 
 

BOTANICAL ART GALLERY:
Enjoy the beautiful botanical artwork of Atlanta, GA artist, Linda Fraser. Mrs. Fraser is a botanical illustrator of native plants in the southeastern United States.  Over eighty-five of her watercolor and colored pencil paintings travel as the exhibit, A Walk Through the Seasons.  The paintings are hung in chronological order, showing plants found blooming side by side in specific environments.  Although her paintings can be a means of identification, they are also enjoyed simply for the beauty of the flowers and the fun of finding the colorful insects and other critters hiding or chewing on the plants. Mrs. Fraser will also give a presentation on Southeastern Native Plants, “Growing Wild Things in a Polite Neighborhood” and discusses the plants and insects featured in her artwork.
 

IKEBANA EXHIBIT
The Middle Georgia Chapter of the International Ikebana Society. Ikebana is the art of Japanese flower arrangement, with formal display according to strict rules.  The exhibit begins February 4th, 2023, and should remain for at least several days.  Come out and enjoy these unusual and exciting flower arrangements.
 

CAMELLIA RAFFLE drawing will commence at 3:00 p.m. on February 4 where you can win a beautiful Camellia plant to continue growth in your own front yard!  Camellias produce an enormous amount of blooms and keep on producing for months.  You can propogate them, yeild seed, enter the annual Camellia flower show, share them with friends and family, display them around the house, or just enjoy the beauty right on the plant.  Camellias are great little conversation pieces.  You'll be the talk of the town with increased camaraderie, for sure! We hope you win!   You can buy your tickets here.
 

Families will enjoy Little Buds Day on Saturday February 11, 2023. The event and activities are free for children 12 and under.

ANIMALS OF GEORGIA.
The Macon Museum of Arts & Sciences will be conducting an "Animals of Georgia" wildlife program, featuring all sorts of animals for kids and adults alike. Young guests will also enjoy scavenger  hunts, art activities, fishing for toys, and pretending to sail around the world in an 18-foot inflatable slide ship or flying to the moon in a bouncy house.  The Peach County Fire Department will be here to entertain the kids with their massive firetruck, too!  Snacks are available in the gift shop.

CAMELLIA WAXING.
Guests will also enjoy a Camellia Waxing demonstration and workshop hosted by Jonanne Beckman and Jo Ann Dankel-Dobbs at 10 A.M. Many camellia lovers will wax their favorite camellias right before a freeze, or to prepare a large number of blooms for festive decorations. Dipping camellias in a wax and mineral oil mixture preserves the blooms for days (and sometimes weeks). It gives camellias from the garden a sheen that makes them look like perfect porcelain sculptures. Waxed blooms do not need a vase or water. They can be displayed on a plate, elegant bowl, or lined up on a table top. The waxing demonstration is free with garden admission, advanced registration is required.

LASER CUTTING PRESENTATION.
Jacob Kyle Peacock will show off his wares from tumblers to signs, and from jewelry to T-shirts.  He can even laser a photo to wood.  Presentation starts at 10 a.m.(unconfirmed)   Call (877) 422-6355 to make reservations.

FASHENHUES TECHNIQUE.
Learn how to stain ceramics with perfect shadowing with this extraordinary technique taught by Ruth Ann Jackson Butler of Texas.  Dogwood cross bisque and everything you need to complete the piece will be included in the $40 price of the class.  Call (877) 422-6355 to make reservations and advance payment or sign up here.

Middle Georgia Camellia Society will showcase hundreds of camellia blooms, showing the diversity of sizes, shapes and colors that make camellias such a prized addition to any garden. Entries (open to all growers and the public) will be accepted from 7:30 A.M. until 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Experts will be on hand to assist the public with preparing blooms from your home garden to enter in the show. The show will be open for public viewing, Saturday, around noon until 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00-4:00 p.m.


Show Contact: Tommy Martin
massee.lane.camellia.show@gmail.com
(478) 235-0096

MILESTONE CELEBRATION.
Enjoy our Silver Building Ribbon Cutting Event with local band performances to add to the excitement before strolling the gardens, Boehm porcelain collection, or the camellia show exhibits. Date and time TBA.

FOOD TRUCKS EVERY SATURDAY.
'D&D Burgers, Wings N Things' and 'Pee Wee's Bakery Sweets' food trucks will be serving the public with delicious lunches and treats.
 

FREE TEA TASTINGS.
To celebrate the contributions of the tea plant and its health benefits, complimentary tea will be served each Monday in February. Visitors will taste a different variety of Biron Tea, which is carried in the Massee Lane Gardens gift shop. Biron teas use traditional Western, Chinese, and Ayurvedic herbs. The teas are 100 percent natural and specially blended for taste and aroma, giving them exceptional flavor. The tea tasting is free with garden admission.

Andi Biron will discuss the health benefits of tea and how her company sustainably blends, bags, markets and distributes artisan tea from their factory at the Farmer's Market in Macon, Georgia.  

Biron has a master's in Nutrition Science and incorporated the insight and knowledge of many different cultures to select the best healing herbs for each blend. She will explain how her teas are designed to offer holistic experiences, from the physical body's sense of taste and smell, to the emotions where untapped potential and joy await.                  

Call now for Box Lunch and Guided Tour Reservations! Don’t delay in making your advanced, pre-paid reservations today. Tours and lunches are available on a first come, first served basis.

Professionally guided tours can be scheduled for groups of ten or more Tuesday through Friday in October 2022 - January 2023, and Monday through Friday in February 2023.

Tours are $10 per person, and feature admission to the Massee Lane Gardens; a video presentation on the history of Massee Lane Gardens, the American Camellia Society, and camellia species and cultivars; a short informative speech by a Horticultural Expert; and a professionally guided tour of Massee Lane Gardens.

Deluxe boxed luncheon tours are also available for groups of ten or more with reservations two weeks in advance for $25 each.  Lunches and guided tours are available now through April 2023. Click here to download and print the menu and boxed lunch order form.

Be sure to call  (877) 422-6355 to make or confirm reservations for your group's preferred date as well as note the scheduled date on the lunch order form. Please return the form by attaching it to an email addressed to giftshop@americancamellias.org or faxing it to (478) 967-2083. Payment must be received two weeks in advance for luncheon tours. Cancellations require a week’s advance notice. Phone payments by credit card are accepted.

Boxed lunches will be served between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the Annabelle Lundy Fetterman Gallery and Museum among breathtaking Boehm porcelain masterpieces. Tours can be scheduled either before or after the meal. Make your reservations early for the best scheduling options. Be sure to save time to visit our newly renovated gift shop and plant sale!

Massee Lane Gardens Hours and Admission

• Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.  Mondays 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in February.

• Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and free for children age 12 and under and American Camellia Society members.

• Massee Lane Gardens is located at 100 Massee Lane, Ft. Valley, Georgia.

• Call toll free at (877) 422-6355 to schedule a guided tour or to reserve a boxed luncheon. For more information, email ask@americancamellias.org.