Growing the Winter’s Joy Camellia

Size and Appearance

The Winter’s Joy Camellia is an upright evergreen bush growing at a moderate pace to around 6 feet high and 4 feet wide. It is dense and bushy, with compact growth and a few longer, more arching stems. The leaves are leathery, dark-green and glossy, a bit more than 2 inches long and an inch wide, with a pointed tip and serrated edges. Flower buds develop over the summer months, mostly at the ends of the branches, singly or in clusters. The first blooms often open in October, and the flowers open in succession, meaning that blooming continues for months, certainly into December and often into January as well. That’s flowers for 3 or 4 months, at a time when nothing else will be flowering in your garden. The medium-sized blooms have about 18 fluted petals, and measure a full 3½ inches across. The petals are a beautiful medium-pink, clear and bright, surrounding a central brush of bright yellow stamens. A glorious bloom, and needing no dead-heading, since the flowers drop naturally as they finish, keeping the bush always fresh and lovely.

Using the Winter’s Joy Camellia in Your Garden

Once the leaves are gone from the trees, imagine the evergreen Winter’s Joy Camellia bursting into bloom among the bare branches. It’s perfect in your shrub beds, or standing on a lawn. Grow it on the north side of your home, or at the edge of a woodland.

If you are tired of boring hedges, then here is an idea. Plant a row of this glorious camellia, spacing them 3 feet apart, and enjoy a spectacular flowering hedge in fall and early winter, and beautiful glossy leaves and dense growth for the rest of the year – a perfect solution. It can also be grown as an espalier against a wall, a great idea in colder zones.

In warmer zones this is a great container plant, especially if you don’t have suitable soil in your garden. You can move it to suit the changing light through the year, and to enjoy it in bloom right outside your door.

Hardiness

Reliably hardy even to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit, you can bloom this camellia successfully in zone 6, in a sheltered location. It can be grown in all warmer zones, across a large part of the country.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Winter’s Joy Camellia grows best in partial shade, with protection from the afternoon direct sun, and sun in winter and spring, where the cold and sun can damage buds. Some morning summer sun is fine, and dappled shade beneath trees is ideal. Take some time finding the right location, as camellias don’t like to be transplanted if you find you have made a mistake. The soil should be moist but well-drained, acidic and rich in organic material, so good soil preparation is important. If you don’t have soil with a pH value of 6.5 or less, then growing in a pot using compost for acid-loving plants is a good alternative, and makes getting the right light levels easier as well. This plant is not drought resistant, so water regularly during the summer months.

Maintenance and Pruning

Generally free of pests or diseases, and often ignored by deer, the Winter’s Joy Camellia is easy to grow, once you have a good location and suitable soil. It doesn’t need pruning, but if you want to trim it as a hedge, or for other reasons, do this in spring, before the new buds develop, and don’t trim too much or flowering will suffer.

History and Origin of the Winter’s Joy Camellia

It took Dr. Ackerman a long time to breed his cold-hardy Winter Series camellias. The first was released in 1991, and the variety called Winter’s Joy was registered in 1997, although it had first bloomed in 1986. It is a hybrid plant derived from crosses between two species. For hardiness he used the oil-seed camellia, Camellia oleifera, and for early blooming he used the sasanqua camellia, C. hiemalis. The oil-seed camellia is grown extensively in China to produce tea seed oil, a cooking oil similar to olive oil. It is closely related to the sasanqua camellia.

Buying the Winter’s Joy Camellia at the Tree Center

Bring amazing color and bloom into your garden in late fall and early winter with the Winter’s Joy Camellia. You will love it, and we have some beautiful plants grown by a top specialist in camellia production. Finding the right spot and preparing the soil may take a little effort, but it will be rewarded many times over, every winter, bringing boundless joy into your winter garden – order now, while stock lasts.

Growing the Setsu Gekka Camellia

Size and Appearance

The Setsu Gekka Camellia is an evergreen bush with arching branches, growing 8 to 10 feet tall and wide. It is a sasanqua camellia, and this type grows as much as 12 inches a year, with an open form, and arching to semi-weeping branches. It is more graceful than the ordinary Japanese camellia, which can look dense and heavy in contrast. The leaves are leathery, and 2 to 3 inches long, with a smooth, glossy surface and they are dark green. They are oval, ending in a broad point, with fine soft serrations along the edges. The foliage stays green all year round.

Flower buds form over summer, and blooming normally begins in October, continuing with a steady flow of open flowers into December. Each bloom is 3 to 4 inches in diameter, with a circle of around 10 petals, in pure white. The petals are full, with an irregular undulating margin, typically with a notch in its center. The petals undulate and flow in a charming way, and this plant is sometimes called ‘Wavy White’ or ‘Fluted White’ because of this feature. In the center of the bloom is a prominent cluster of bright-yellow stamens, which make the petals look even whiter. These elegant and beautiful blooms are among the best available in this type of camellia, and they are also among the largest, putting on a stunning display every fall.

Using the Setsu Gekka Camellia in Your Garden

With its open, semi-weeping form, this camellia fits well into modern, casual landscapes. It is easier to use that most Japanese camellias, which are often heavy and dense, and look too formal for some settings. Plant the Setsu Gekka Camellia in garden beds or in woodland areas, where it will be right at home. The open form makes this plant very easy to train against a wall or fence, as an espalier, tying it back so that it takes up almost no room in the bed, but covers a large area. This is a wonderful way to grow these plants, especially if you don’t have a lot of room, and it really shows off their blooms well. It could also be grown in a large tub or planter, a good way to grow it if you don’t have suitable soil in your garden, or you need to give it some protection in winter.

Hardiness

The Setsu Gekka Camellia will grow in zone 7, where it should be planted in a sheltered area, and all through the warmer zones into zone 10.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Sasanqua camellia like the Setsu Gekka Camellia will tolerate more sun than other kinds, especially in zone 7. In hotter areas some afternoon shade is beneficial, and it will also grow in light full shade, such as beneath deciduous trees, or on a bright north wall. The soil should be rich, moist, well-drained and acidic, with a pH no higher than 6.5, and preferably lower, down to 5.0. Enrich the planting site with lime-free compost and use it as mulch. If you have alkaline soil this plant can be grown in a tub or planter, using potting soil suitable for acid-loving plants.

Maintenance & Pruning

Cool and moist soil, but not wet, is the way to grow camellias. Mulch each spring, and water regularly during dry weather. When training against a trellis, tie in stems when they are young, spreading them out as they grow. Pruning is normally not needed, but if you do need to trim, do it after flowering ends, before new spring growth develops. You can also prune away lower branches and create a more tree-like form over time. Usually pest and disease free, camellias are easy to grow once the soil and light are correct.

History and Origin of the Setsu Gekka Camellia

There are two kinds of camellias – the Japanese and the sasanqua. The Japanese camellia has always been more widely grown, probably because it was introduced into Europe and America first. Called Sazankwa in Japan, Camellia sasanqua was once used as a source of oil, extracted from the seeds. Numerous ornamental varieties have been known for centuries. The Snow, Moon and Flowers variety – ‘Setsugekka’ in Japanese – was listed in Japanese nursery catalogues in the early 20th century, and it seems to have been developed around 1898.

Buying the Setsu Gekka Camellia at The Tree Center

Sasanqua camellias should be grown a lot more. After all, there are many bushes that bloom in spring, but very few that bring us flowers in fall. There is a growing interest in beautiful plants like the Setsu Gekka Camellia, so our stock will go soon – order right away and bring magic back into your garden.

Growing the High Fragrance Camellia

Size and Appearance

The High Fragrance Camellia is a fast-growing tall shrub, with an open habit, that will grow into an upright bush 10 to 12 feet tall, and up to 10 feet across. It grows rapidly, adding a foot or more each year when young, so it won’t be long until it becomes a flowering centerpiece in your winter garden. The leaves are 2 to 3 inches long, with a pointed tip and serrated edges. They are leathery, attractive and a dark olive-green with a soft gloss. Young spring leaves are glossy and tinted coppery-red, adding an attractive touch.

The first flowers may appear in February, or anytime into April, depending on your local climate and the peculiarities of any given year. The flowers are gorgeous, and nothing is traded in quality for that fragrance. Each bloom is 3 to 4 inches across, in a round, exuberant ball of about 30 fluted and twirled petals. The petals are shaded tones of pink, from ivory-pink to baby-pink, mixed with some scattered yellow stamens. This flower form is called ‘peony-flowered’ by camellia experts. Sometimes blooms don’t develop their fragrance until the second day but once it comes it is strong and sweet, perhaps reminiscent of jasmine or sweet peas. Flowers open in succession on this prolific-blooming bush, and each one lasts about a week, so the flowering season continues for a month or more.

Using the High Fragrance Camellia in Your Garden

With its unique open form this camellia is perfect for more casual garden beds and natural parts of the garden. It grows into an upright, arching bush that is wonderful behind other shrubs, or in the dappled shade of a woodland garden. With its long, open branches it is also perfect for spreading out on a fence, trellis or wall, the ideal strategy for growing it in a smaller garden space. Simply tie-back the branches as they grow.

Hardiness

The High Fragrance Camellia will grow well in all mild zones from 7 to 9, and of course anywhere at all if you plant it in a pot and give it protection during the coldest months. It will flower in a cool, bright porch, releasing its wonderful perfume into your home.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Grow the High Fragrance Camellia in partial sunlight, with morning sun and afternoon shade, or in all-day light dappled shade. An east or north-facing wall is ideal, or in the shadow of tall trees with blue sky above. The soil should be moist, rich and well-drained, and it must be acidic. A pH value of 6.5, or preferably less, is needed. If you don’t have suitable soil, grow it in a pot, which is of course ideal for colder areas too. Fill the pot with soil blended for acid-loving plants.

Maintenance and Pruning

the High Fragrance Camellia is normally free of pests or diseases, and easy to grow in suitable soil and light conditions. It needs no pruning, but it can be trimmed immediately after flowering, to keep it more compact and bushy, if you want. Fertilize plants in pots during spring and early summer with liquid camellia fertilizer. In colder zones bring plants into a cool, well-lit place when outdoor temperatures are below 40 degrees.

History and Origin of the High Fragrance Camellia

The hybrid camellias called ‘High Fragrance’ is the result of the skill, patience and work over many years of Jim Finlay, a dedicated breeder who lives in Whangarei, New Zealand. He began with the only scented camellia, a wild species called Camellia lutchuensis. This plant is frost tender, and has small, white, single blooms – but they are fragrant. Jim’s first success was the creation of ‘Scentuous’, a cross with the wild plant and a Camellia japonica variety called ‘Tiffany’. It is white with a hint of pink, and small, but it was a beginning. It first bloomed in 1976.Then, using another hybrid called ‘Saleb’, he brought in genes from a wild pink camellia called Camellia saluenensis. Finally, crossing again with a C. japonica variety called ‘Bertha Harms’ he had what he wanted – a bush that first flowered in 1985 with big, full, pink blooms and a delicious fragrance. What else could he call it? Since then no one has been able to create a fragrant camellia that comes anywhere near ‘High Fragrance’.

Buying the High Fragrance Camellia at the Tree Center

On a personal note, I have this wonderful bush in my zone 9 garden, and it really is a beauty. The scent is delicious and the flowers lovely. This bush has become well-known and very sought after – so our stock will go very soon. Order now, you won’t regret having this unique bush in your garden.

Growing the Victory White Camellia

Size and Appearance

The Victory White Camellia is a vigorous evergreen bush that grows into an upright shrub reaching 10 feet, or even more in time. It will be about 6 feet wide. The leaves are leathery and 3 to 4 inches long, with small serrations along the edges and a pointed tip. They are a rich dark-green color all year round, with an elegant twist to the leaves, and even out of bloom this is a wonderful evergreen to give structure and form to your garden. You will see the flower buds developing through the fall and winter, gradually increasing in size and then, starting in the middle of winter, they will open. The pure-white blooms are large, 4 to 5 inches across, and each one is a full, spread out circle of about 35 broad, overlapping petals. The outer petals are rounded, and the inner ones gradually become more fluted and twisted. As the flower matures it opens to reveal a glowing heart of golden stamens. This bush blooms profusely, and mature plants carry hundreds of flowers in a season. The blooms open in succession over several weeks, with each blossom lasting about 7 days, before dropping neatly to the ground.

Using the Victory White Camellia in Your Garden

This superb shrub is ideal for planting among evergreens around your home, to fill corners or the spaces between windows. Plant at least 4 feet away from a wall. Use it in the background of shrub beds, with later-blooming plants in front. Grow it on a lawn as a specimen, or in a large tub or planter box. It can be turned into a stunning hedge or screen by planting in a row, spacing plants 3 feet apart.

Hardiness

The Victory White Camellia will grow well in all zones from 7 to 10.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Victory White Camellia grows best in partial sun, with some morning direct sun and shade in the afternoon. Dappled shade beneath deciduous trees, or against an east or north-facing wall are also good options, if there is clear sky overhead. The soil should be moist but well-drained, and rich with organic material. Make sure you use lime-free materials when preparing the planting area. The soil should be acidic, with a pH value of 6.5 or less. If you don’t have suitable soil, grow this bush in a large pot, using soil blended for acid-loving plants. This is also ideal if you live in a colder area and can bring your plant indoors for the winter.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests and diseases are rare with the Victory White Camellia, which is a vigorous bush that is largely trouble-free. Pruning is not needed, but if you do want to trim it, do this immediately after flowering has ended. Don’t trim branches in summer, as this will reduce flowering. Feed potted trees through spring and early summer with liquid fertilizer for acid-loving plants. Mulch outdoor plants in spring with lime-free compost or peat moss. Potted trees can be brought into a cool, bright place once night temperatures are regularly under 40 degrees. They will often bloom indoors. Don’t keep them in a hot room, but somewhere that is cool but frost-free. Place your plant back outside once the danger of frost has passed.

History and Origin of the Victory White Camellia

The Japanese camellia, Camellia japonica, has been grown in Japanese and Chinese gardens for so long that the first plants to arrive in Europe and America were garden plants from nurseries, not wild plants at all. These flowers, miraculously blooming in winter, caused an enormous rush of interest, both in the South and in Europe, where they were popular among the ‘rich and famous’. By the 20th century growing camellias had become a popular hobby, with new varieties developed by both nurseries and private growers. Japan was often the source for new material, and Japanese-Americans ran nurseries in America.

Kosaku Sawada came to America in 1910, after studying horticulture in Osaka. In 1914 he established a nursery in Crichton, Alabama, with a view over Mobile, that he named ‘Overlook Nurseries’. When his bride arrived two years later from Japan her dowry was a box of 500 camellia seeds. In the end it wasn’t those seeds, but later batches from two of Japan’s best gardens, sent by his brother, that proved the most valuable. From a sowing in 1931 he found several valuable plants, including one that first flowered in 1938. When Kosaku first saw the pure white blooms he knew he had won, so he called it ‘Victory White’.

Buying the Victory White Camellia at the Tree Center

There is nothing like having a piece of history in your garden, and the rich history of the camellia in America, and the unique background of this particular bush, is certainly worth having. You will love the Victory White Camellia in your garden, but order soon, as heirloom plants like this are always in enormous demand, but in limited supply.

Growing the Leucantha Camellia

Size and Appearance

The Leucantha Camellia is a dense, upright evergreen bush with glossy foliage. It will grow in time to be 8 feet tall and it could reach 5 or 6 feet wide. The stems are upright and slightly arching, giving a more relaxed, open look compared with other, stiffer, varieties. The leaves are about 3 inches long, tapering to a short point, with noticeable serrations around the edge, and a tough, leathery texture. Even when it is not flowering this is an appealing and eye-catching shrub. Blooms develop slowly through fall and winter, and usually open in March or April. This is late for camellias, and this variety is terrific for extending the period you can enjoy camellias in your garden. The flowers are 3 to 4 inches across, with 20 or more broad, open petals forming a graceful circle. In the center is a dense cluster of yellow stamens, and together this creates an outstanding look. Blooms open in succession over several weeks, with each bloom lasting 5 to 7 days.

Using the Leucantha Camellia in Your Garden

This more ‘natural’ looking camellia is perfect for a more relaxed garden, fitting well into semi-wild settings perfectly. White is always such a versatile color that it fits in everywhere, with all other flower and foliage colors. Obviously this shrub also belongs in a white bed, or among evergreens around your home, against a wall, or, let’s face it, anywhere at all. It grows well in a large tub or planter, and would look perfect placed on a terrace or patio.

Hardiness

The Leucantha Camellia is hardy from zone 7 to zone 9. It may also be hardy in sheltered spots in zone 6, for instance against the wall of your home.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Leucantha Camellia will grow best in partial shade, sheltered especially from the hot afternoon sun. Against an east or north-facing wall is ideal, or in the dappled shade from overhead deciduous trees. The soil should be moist, rich in organic material, but well-drained. It needs to be acidic too, with a pH value no higher than 6.5, and preferably lower. Although it is possible, with work, to lower the pH of your soil a small amount, in practice this rarely works, and certainly not for long. If you don’t have suitable soil, the best way to enjoy this lovely bush is to grow it in a pot or planter. Use a potting soil blended for acid-loving plants, and make sure your pot has a drainage hole. Keep the pot outdoors all year round in zone 8 and 9. In all cooler zones bring the pot into a cool, well-lit place for the coldest months, when night temperatures are below 40 degrees. Although resistant to much lower temperatures, bringing frozen plants indoors, and then putting them back out into frozen conditions, is not a good idea. Shelter your plants until outdoor nights reach 40 degrees, or 50 degrees if the place you kept them was warm.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests and diseases are rare with well-grown camellias, but white flowers do sometimes turn brown and fall before opening properly. This usually happens during unusually wet springs, and don’t spray your bushes with water when they are blooming. This is normally just an infrequent occurrence, and not a serious, long-term problem. No pruning is needed with this bush, but if you do want to trim it for shape, do that immediately after the flowering season is over.

History and Origin of the Leucantha Camellia

The Japanese camellia, Camellia japonica, has been grown in Chinese and Japanese gardens for centuries. Some of the very first plants in America did not come directly from Japan, but via Europe. The island of Manhattan was not always skyscrapers, and Michael Floy was an early nurseryman there, who owned farm land at the ‘upper end of Broadway’, he said, where he grew plants and sold seeds. He brought one of the very first camellias over from England in 1800 for a gentleman in Hoboken. In 1827 he moved his nursery to Staten Island, and remained there until his death in 1847, by which time the land had, of course, become extremely valuable. In 1838 he listed a variety called ‘Leucantha’ in his catalog. The name is a Greek word meaning ‘white’, and it could be a natural form or variety, which may have been found in Japan and then brought by Mr. Floy to America from England. Whatever the details of the story, this beautiful plant is still with us today, a true heirloom and a gorgeous piece of American history.

Buying the Leucantha Camellia at the Tree Center

There is nothing like having a piece of history in your garden, especially if it is as beautiful today as the day almost 200 years ago that it first arrived in America. You will love the Leucantha Camellia in your garden, but order soon, as heirloom plants like this are always in enormous demand, but in limited supply.