It was donated to the Philip Foster Farm by Dr. Mike Malone of Estacada in 2006, but the Farm was undergoing changes in its facilities at the time.
Volunteer Sam Morse began digging the huge root system on Labor Day weekend of 2006. It soon became clear that the job was bigger than Sam's shovel.
Willy Rademacher of Estacada Bark and Nursery joined in the digging, bringing a large tractor to pull out the shrub and load it into Sam's Toyota pickup for the trip to Linda Bonner's garden in Eagle Creek, where it rested in the shade for three years.
On February 16th, 2010, Sam prepared a hole at the Philip Foster Farm. The next day, Bill Patterson's Nursery of Eagle Creek donated equipment and labor to haul the camellia to the Farm and settle it into its new home. Juan Manuel Reyes and Antonio Guzman did the last bit of expert shoveling.
Local businesses and volunteers continue to make the Philip Foster Farm a beautiful and authentic heritage site for all our guests.
