Camellia japonica – Pink Flowering Evergreen Shrub (3L Pot)

An elegant evergreen with polished dark leaves and rounded buds that open into soft rosy pink flowers from late winter.

Camellia japonica grows into an upright, well branched shrub of around 1.5m to 2.5m tall and 80cm to 150cm wide. The leaves have a lacquered shine and look good in every month, so the plant earns its place long after the flowers have gone. Buds form through the autumn and open from late winter into early spring, which is what makes a camellia so welcome at that time of year.

Camellias must have acid or neutral soil. On chalk or limy ground they slowly yellow and fail, so in a hard water area grow this one in a pot of ericaceous compost and water it with rainwater. Give it partial shade with shelter from cold wind and from early morning sun, which spoils frosted buds, in soil that stays moist but drains freely. Once settled it asks for very little beyond a light shaping after flowering.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Japanese camellia
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 1.5m to 2.5m tall and 80cm to 150cm wide
• Growth Habit: Upright, well branched evergreen shrub
• Perfect For: Patio pots, entrances, courtyards and shaded borders
• Foliage: Glossy, dark green, held all year
• Flowering Time: Late winter to early spring
• Planting Position: Partial shade, sheltered from cold wind and early morning sun. Grows well in a large container of ericaceous compost.
• Soil Type: Moist, well drained, acid to neutral. Use ericaceous compost in a pot.
• Hardiness: Hardy across Britain, but frost spoils the buds and the open flowers, so give it shelter.
• Maintenance: Low. Light shaping after flowering.
• Seasonal Interest: Winter and spring
• Type: Hardy evergreen flowering shrub