Camellias
Beloved by southern and western gardeners for its large beautiful flowers in winter and spring, the common camellia, Camellia Japonica , is a broad-leafed evergreen shrub. Its attractive, dense, shiny, dark green foliage sets off the blossoms beautifully. Camellias are very effective standing alone or planted in groups. They blend nicely with other broad-leafed evergreens, and are frequently mixed in shrub borders. Camellias commonly grow 6 to 12 feet tall, but may reach 20 feet in old age. They are sometimes single trunked and branching well up from the ground, the effect is usually a roundish, densely-foliage mass that is nearly as broad as it is tall. From October to May, depending on the cultivar, the plants are a mass of color, ranging from white through every shade of pink red. Individual blossoms measure from 2 1/2 to 5 inches in diameter and may be single, semi double, or double. They are especially attractive cut and floated in a shallow dish.
Camellias are native to China and Japan, and are hardy in Zones 8 to 10. They are available as containerized plants in your local nursery. They transplant easily into any type of soil that is high in organic matter and slightly acidic. Water when soil is dry 3 to 4 inches deep. These plants are shallow-rooted, so don’t cultivate around the roots.
C. sasanqua, the Sasanqua Camellia, is hardy to Zone 8, and blooms earlier, from autumn to early winter, than does the common camellia. This camellia is very versatile, with flowers ranging from white to pink scarlet. It is available as low-growing, sprawling shrub that is useful as ground cover and espalier, and also as an upright shrub ideal for hedges or screens.
