Camellia ‘Sweet Emily Kate’

Sweetly fragrant, Camellia ‘Sweet Emily Kate’ features charming, small, blush pink flowers, 3 in. wide (7 cm), shading to pale pink at their heart. The pleasing peony form of the blooms allows for an elegant mix of raised petals and petaloids (small petals). The exquisite flowers are happily produced over a fairly long period extending from mid to late season (January to May in the Northern Hemisphere; June to October in the Southern Hemisphere). The luxuriant evergreen foliage of glossy, dark green leaves is handsome year-round. ‘Sweet Emily Kate’ is a Camellia hybrid resulting from the cross of Camellia japonica and Camellia lutchuensis.

• Slow-growing, this medium-sized evergreen shrub has a weeping, pendulous habit and grows up to 6-8 ft. tall and wide (180-240 cm)
• A part shade lover, this plant is best grown in consistently moist, acidic, organically rich, well-drained soils. Will thrive in full sun once established, provided that the roots are kept cool and moist. Provide a site sheltered from cold, dry winds, as buds and flowers may be damaged by cold winds.
• May be attacked by aphids, scale insects, and vine weevil
• Mass in mixed shrub borders for dramatic winter blooms. Great flowering shrub for woodland gardens or as a screen and hedge. Perfect as a specimen plant and may be effectively grown in tubs or large containers.
• Apply a root mulch (leaves or shredded bark)
• Prune after flowering. Prune to thin branching and to control size and shape.

Camellia lutchuensis is a deliciously fragrant native to southernmost China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, where winters are mild. Prized by breeders for its fragrance, this camellia is actively incorporated in the development of fragrant Camellia hybrids. Slow-growing, this camellia species makes a lovely shrub of upright, open habit, generally no taller than 9 ft. (270 cm). Its evergreen, glossy dark green foliage is attractive year-round. Blooming from late midwinter to early spring, its small to medium flowers, with pink-flushed outer petals, are pure white and clustered at the branch tips. Unfortunately, Camellia lutchuensis is not cold-hardy (USDA Hardiness Zone 8 – 9).