The first flowers to bloom in my garden are my camellias, which I just love. I have several varieties of them – mostly solid white and white with yellow stamens which I think look especially pretty planted near our yellow painted home.
There are a few legacy camellias on property that were planted before I managed the garden – mostly pinks. They are beautiful, healthy and mature so I leave them where they are.
I planted some new camellias this year in some of the shady places in my garden, replacing some failed roses due to a lack of sunlight. I enjoyed the process of shopping through all of the different choices at Van Windens Nursery in Napa and ended up choosing 4 species to add to my garden this year:
- Camellia japonica “Thomas D. Pitts’ (all-white flowers)
- Camellia japonica ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ (large all-white flowers)
- Camellia japonica ‘Silver Waves’ (white flowers with yellow stamen)
- Camellia japonica ‘Shiro Chan’ (amazing large white flowers)
Surprisingly, there are 100 – 250 species of camellias, with controversy surrounding the exact number. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of species to choose from. They come in a variety of colors – white, pink, dark pink and red, many containing the distinctive yellow stamen. There is even a yellow camellia – which I would LOVE to have – but they are only found in South China and Vietnam.
My favorite thing about adding camellias to my garden is that I get near-instant gratification. A 5 gallon container contains a robust plant. If you buy them in-season, there are already lots of flowers on each plant. The plants are full and the leaves are a gorgeous glossy deep green. Every camellia I’ve ever planted has transferred successfully from container to the ground. Camellias grow quickly and thrive in my garden in the Napa Valley. I would add camellias to my list of other favorite flowers – roses and peonies. In essence, I can completely count on them in my garden.
When I amend the soil in my garden in a couple of months, I plan to add some acidic soil to the areas where I’ve planted the camellias, which they will love. Then I can sit back and enjoy my camellias throughout the rest of the year.
What’s your favorite camellia species?
