Tea Garden Celebration

$0.00

Tea Garden Virtual Celebration

October 21, 2020, 7PM ET (4PM PT)

Join us live for our coast-to-coast tea time and enjoy a high tea or an after-dinner sip as the authors share their own personal tea stories and inspiration for writing the book. Registration includes a single-use login for the virtual event. Optional with registration, a signed copy of Grow Your Own Tea, plus domestic shipping.

This event will be on Zoom. Details will be emailed no later than Oct 20th; please add teaflowergardens@gmail.com to your contacts to ensure they appear in your inbox.

Ticket types:

Virtual Event - Free
Virtual Event & Signed Book - $25

About the Book:

A comprehensive guide for growing and gardening with Camellia sinensis, Grow Your Own Tea delves deep into practical topics including site planning and soil preparation, sourcing and propagating from seeds and cuttings, raising and maintaining healthy plants, and the basic processes for harvesting the leaves and making tea to drink. In addition to sharing expertise based on decades of growing tea at Camellia Forest, the book draws from lessons learned from researching the experiences of a range from beginning through advanced tea growers. Last, but not least, the authors introduce readers to the little-known story of tea cultivation in the U.S. and inspire them to learn more about contemporary tea growers across North America and the British Isles. The book is richly illustrated with photos from Camellia Forest Tea Gardens and representative growers from our surveys, and highlights the beauty of the tea plant foliage and flowers in the garden.

Reflecting the authors’ passion for education, Grow Your Own Tea is written to be accessible and informative for all types of readers. Gardeners will learn about the gifts of Camellia sinensis, cousin to the widely known ornamental sasanqua and japonica varieties, while tea lovers will discover the joys of growing your own tea at home! Booklist calls it the “guide of guides to the cultivation of tea,” while Norwood Pratt (renowned writer on tea and NC native) says, “It will delight even the armchair gardener and casual tea lover.”

Meet the Authors:

Christine G. Parks, PhD of Camellia Forest Tea Garden

Christine Parks is owner/operator of Camellia Forest Tea Gardens in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Camellia Forest Nursery & Tea Gardens is a small, family owned and operated business with deep roots in Chapel Hill. The Nursery began with Christine's mother-in-law, Kai Mei Parks, as a tiny operation in 1979, and is nationally known for its diverse Camellia collection. Featuring our collection of Camellia sinensis specimens and selections, the tea garden was created to support and educate growers and tea lovers, hosting visitors for tours, community events, and workshops. Christine has nurtured the garden in its current location since 2005, expanding slowly with the help of volunteers, interns, friends, and family. Christine has been sought as a speaker at horticultural venues ranging from Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia to the UNC Botanical Gardens, and tea houses such as the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill and Dobra Tea in Asheville. Along with her coauthor, Susan Walcott, Christine is a founding member of the U.S. League of Tea Growers. Photo Credit: Milli Appelgren

Susan Walcott, co-author of "Grow Your Own Tea"

Susan Walcott is a tea enthusiast and emerita professor of geography. Her interest in and trips to learn about tea cultivation range from Atlantic coastal Carolinas through the Pacific Hawai’ian islands and China, and sipping butter tea in Tibet. Published journal articles and presentations focus on the history of tea growing in the U.S. since colonial times.

Follow Camellia Forest Tea Gardens:

Instagram: @camelliaforesttea

Facebook: @CamelliaForestTeaGardens

www.teaflowergardens.com (tea education and news)

teaflowergardens@gmail.com

Mark your calendars and get ready for fall blooms! Visit us at Camellia Forest’s Open House Weekends: October 2-4, 9-11, & 16-18.