Camellia
Choosing the Right Camellia
With thousands of beautiful cultivars available, choosing the right Camellia can feel overwhelming. The good news is that there is a camellia for almost every garden. Some flower in autumn, others brighten the depths of winter, and many put on spectacular spring displays. Some stay compact enough for containers, while others mature into magnificent specimen shrubs. Start by identifying your climate, available space, and when you would like your camellia to bloom. This guide to choosing the right camellia and this overview of camellia types make selecting the perfect variety much easier.
Choose by Bloom Season
The easiest way to enjoy camellias for months is to combine varieties with different flowering seasons. Fall-blooming camellias, mostly Camellia sasanqua, begin flowering when many gardens are fading. Winter-blooming camellias provide welcome color during the coldest months, while spring-blooming camellias, often Camellia japonica, produce the largest and most dramatic flowers. Want continuous blooms? Mix fall, winter, and spring-blooming camellias, or use this month-by-month bloom calendar. If you want flowers for the longest possible season, browse these long-blooming camellias.
Choose by Climate and Garden Style
Not every camellia thrives in every climate. Gardeners in colder regions should prioritize cold-hardy camellias, while those in warmer climates have an enormous selection of both japonica and sasanqua cultivars. Think about how you will use your plant. Compact varieties are perfect for containers, entrances, and foundation beds, while larger cultivars make exceptional privacy screens, hedges, or specimen shrubs. Complete the planting with beautiful camellia companion plants for year-round interest.
Choose by Flower Color, Fragrance, and Form
Camellias offer an extraordinary range of flower forms, from elegant single blooms to lush peony-form and perfectly formal double flowers. Colors range from pure white through blush pink, rose, coral, crimson, and rich red, with many stunning bicolors and variegated selections. While most camellias are grown for their beauty, a number of cultivars are also delightfully fragrant. If fragrance is important, don’t miss the most fragrant camellias.
Five Outstanding Camellias
If you’re unsure where to begin, these proven performers are difficult to beat. ‘Setsugekka’ is one of the finest white fall-blooming camellias. ‘Yuletide’ lights up winter with brilliant red flowers and attracts hummingbirds. ‘Debutante’ is famous for its large shell-pink blooms. ‘Kramer’s Supreme’ combines vivid red flowers with exceptional fragrance, while ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ remains one of the finest white-flowering camellias ever introduced.
Before You Buy
A healthy camellia should reward you with decades of beauty, so choose carefully. Match the mature size to your available space, buy plants suited to your climate, and select bloom times that complement the rest of your garden. Once planted, proper care is simple. If problems arise, consult this guide to camellia diseases and pests, learn why camellia leaves turn yellow, discover why a camellia may not bloom, and follow these expert tips on pruning without sacrificing flowers.
The best camellia is the one that fits your climate, your available space, and your desired bloom season. Choose wisely, and these beautiful evergreen shrubs will reward you with glossy foliage and spectacular flowers for generations with very little maintenance.
