Camellia on my patio (Camelia)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Camelia
Date:	16/03/09 (360 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: winter and spring colour

Disadvantages: ?

I sit here typing by my French widows looking out at the garden in the sunshine. My eyes fall on a pretty pink Camellia.
This Camellia is one that my Dad grew in a pot. I have it now to add some spring splendour to my garden.

The camellia is an evergreen shrub the serrated leaves a dark glossy green, Depending on variety the camellia will grow between 2 and 20m tall

Again depending on variety the camellia flowers from October through to April. The flowers come in several colours from Reds through pinks to white. My pretty pink one has been flowering about a month now. Camellias flowers have between 5 and 9 petals and the showy flowers can be from 1 to 9 cm in diameter. Mine is about 6 cm.

My camelia looks very much like the one pictured here.

My camellia is doing well in a pot but will grow in a border, I think I will transplant mine into a border, will be easier to keep moist in the summer .I read it is best to grow in a little shade ..... I have just read though camellias do not like chalk soil mine is very chalky so maybe I will revise moving it.

I shall prune mine when the flowers drop off, new flowers will grow on shoots that grow in the spring.
I hope I manage to keep this camellia of my dads alive for a few years as my parents loved their garden and plants.

Camelias can be quite expensive On line I have seen them between £12 and £50.

Camellias are not a native plant of England; I believe they originate from china, not sure when they were introduced here.

Summary: A pretty flower in the winter spring season