Camellia japonica

Camellias are standouts in the winter garden. While everything else is dormant and the landscape languishes in the bleakness of winter, camellias are at their best. Bright, bold flowers sparkle in colors of red, pink, white, and all colors in between. Blossoms may be single, double, or semi-double, and several flower forms are recognized. With appropriate selections, gardeners can have camellias in flower from late winter to early spring. 

Camellias are prized not only for their showy flowers, but also for their evergreen, glossy foliage. Camellias effectively fill their place in the landscape even when no blooms are present. Like many other groups of plants, they come in all sizes and shapes. Choose from dwarf varieties to ones that become tree-like at maturity.

Culture 

Select a site for your camellias very carefully. They should be planted in partial shade. Acidic, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter is preferred. Maintain a two- to four-inch layer of organic mulch around the base of camellias, but keep it a few inches away from the stem.

The American Camellia Society recommends applying fertilizer in early spring after the blooming season and danger of freezing weather has passed. It advises an application of 16-4-8 slow-release fertilizer with trace elements at the rate of one tablespoon per foot of height. About four months after the first feeding, apply 5-10-15 with trace elements. In October, a small feeding of 0-20-10 should aid in bloom production. The society cautions that too little fertilizer is better than too much. Young plants should be fertilized regularly. However, older established plants may not require fertilizer at all.  

Tea scale and spider mites are the most frequently encountered camellia pests. Diseases include die back, petal blight, occasional root rot, and algal leaf spot. Effective control can be achieved with a variety of insecticides or fungicides. Cultural practices, such as providing air space in and around shrubs and removing spent blossoms, help to prevent diseases. 

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More than 2,300 cultivars of named camellias are recognized by the American Camellia Society. Embellishing our landscapes are cultivars of Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), Sasanqua camellia (C. sasanqua), tea-oil camellia (C. oleifera), and other species (C. sinensis, C. reticulata and C. salvenensis).

Perhaps the showiest flowers are borne by Camellia japonica. However, it is the Camellia sasanqua that covers itself with blossoms and is most showy in the landscape. For all its showiness, though, the flowers shatter easily and fall from the shrub much more quickly than those of C. japonica. C. japonica blooms over a much longer period of time, but the number of blossoms present at any one time is fewer. 

At a Glance

Camellia japonica, C. sasanqua

kuh-MEE-lee-uh juh-PON-ih-kuh; C. suh-SAN-kwuh

Size: 6-12+ ft. tall/6-12+ ft. wide

Hardiness: USDA Zones 7-9               

Family: Theaceae (Camellia)                

Salt tolerance: Slight

Other common names: Sasanqua, japonica

Origin: China, Japan

Relatives: Camellia sinensis (tea); Stewartia pseudocamellia (Japanese stewartia)

Propagation: Grafting, layering, seed, or cuttings; those grown from seed may not come true to type