Camellia: planting and care, plus the best camellia varieties to grow

By Veronica Peerless

Published: Thursday, 07 April 2022 at 12:00 am

Camellias brighten up many of our gardens in winter and throughout spring. They rival roses in their range of flower forms, sizes and colours and some are even scented. Unlike roses, camellias also have glossy, evergreen leaves – and no thorns.

The genus Camellia belongs in the family Theaceae, which originates in southeast Asia. The majority of the 250-plus species come from China, including the tea plant, Camellia sinensis.

The most widely grown species in gardens, however, is Camellia japonica, which originated in Japan but is also found on islands off South Korea and in southern coastal areas of mainland China. It has produced most of the cultivars grown for centuries in both China and Japan for the beauty of their flowers. Since the 1730s, when a camellia flowered in Europe for the first time – in Lord Petre’s ‘stove’ hothouses in Essex – camellias have spread around the world, and there are now thousands of cultivars.

Camellias are the most good-tempered, varied and versatile of shrubs. Anyone can grow them; everyone should.

IN BRIEF

WHAT 250 species of shrubs and small trees in the Theaceae family.

COMMON NAME Camellia.

ORIGINS Mainly China, Japan and Korea; some tropical species from Vietnam.

SIZE Varies from 1m to 20m, depending on species and conditions; most of those in this feature will reach 6m-9m in ideal conditions if left unpruned.

CONDITIONS Acid soil in a sheltered position in partial shade; hardy to half hardy.

How to grow camellia

Where to grow camellia

Most camellias, with the exception of Camellia sasanqua and its hybrids, enjoy some shade to bring out the best colours and encourage glossy green leaves. Some forms of Camellia japonica may be shy to bloom in very heavy shade, especially as young plants.

When do camellia bloom?

Most camellia flower between winter and spring but they also have bold evergreen foliage.

The best soil for camellia

In the wild, camellias often grow in well-drained, quite heavy but acidic soil so they do well in similar conditions and are often successful in London gardens, which tend to have clay soil. They will not tolerate chalky, alkaline soils or heavy soils that become waterlogged in winter. Light, sandy or sandy-loam soils are fine if they are mixed with plenty of leaf mould or home-grown compost ahead of planting, to help retain moisture in summer.