Camellia
One of the
more glamorous stars of the garden, these (normally) evergreen shrubs have fabulous
flowers in shades of white, red and pink, and can be singles or showy doubles.
They can be upright or spreading and smaller
specimens are suitable for containers.
Although
we think of most camellias as flowering in the spring, there are some that have
been bred for autumn and winter flowering as well – usually those labelled Camellia
Sasanqua, one of the most obtainable being the red
Yuletide. These used to be quite rare and less hardy than
the spring flowerers (Camellia
Japonica and
xWilliamsii), but
recent varieties are much more robust.
However, all camellias hate alkaline soil (the leaves will go yellow),
so grow in ericaceous compost in a container if you don’t have acid soil. They
like dappled shade (but will go leggy in full shade), although
Sasanqua will
thrive in full sun, but they should not be planted on the east facing side of
the garden as the early morning sun can destroy flower buds if they have been
frosted the night before.
Oh, and keep
them well watered in summer as this is when the flower buds set – too dry and
they will all fall off…
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