Mimosa Camellia Cuff

The camellia flower is a staple of any traditional Southern garden. They are most recognizable for their bold, bright pink to crisp white or deep red flowers that bloom through the coldest and darkest time of the year in the South.

They are the first promise of springtime when the days are short and darker than ever. The best part is that these prolific blooming flowers are generous with their beauty. The shrubs are usually so covered with flowers that there are more than enough to cut and share with neighbors and friends.

What a wonderful sentiment to be so overflowing with beauty at a moment when we need it the most (and need to share it.)

As a former landscape architect, this Southern classic had been at the top of my list to make for years. When Camellia Brand Beans reached out to see if we’d create one for them, I knew it was time.

The Camellia Brand has been a family-owned business from New Orleans since 1923. At one point, “95% of packaged dry beans sold in New Orleans were Camellia Brand.”

Bags of their beans have been on the kitchen countertops in my lifetime since I was tall enough to see what was up there. If you're from the South, it is likely that your mothers and grandmothers turned these dry beans into the best meal you remember. Camellia beans are quite literally in our Southern bones.

Hidden in each of our camellia pieces is a tiny red bean, as an homage to the company that’s fed us so well all these years.

Whether you love the flower or the beans or both, there is no denying the camellia is a fixture in our Southern culture.