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From the Garden |
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Camellia japonica
This broadleaf evergreen has been highly hybridized and, as a
result, the showy flowers can range from white to varying shades
of pink and red. Variegated varieties appear in single, semi-double,
anemone, peony, rose and double forms. Its glossy,
serrated leaves are dark green, resembling those of a laurel.
Outdoors, it grows into a large shrub ranging in size from
7 to 12 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide.
The plant is hardy in United States Department of Agriculture zones
7 through 9, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada zones 8 and 9.
It flowers in late winter and early spring. For optimal flowering
in cooler regions, keep it in a greenhouse where the temperature
can be regulated from 45°F/7°C to 50°F/10°C.
It does not cope well with significant changes in temperature and
humidity; hence, it should not be moved outdoors during the
summer.
The Camellia is a native of Asia Minor and is named for George Joseph
Kamel (1661 to 1709), a Moravian botanist who spent
many years studying plants in the Philippines.
Freelance photographer Vicki Morell shot this specimen during a break
in Vancouver's recent incessant rainy weather.
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