6 Little-Recognized Camellia Details Clarify Why This Shrub Is So In style

Do you know that camellias are literally a part of the tea household? In the event you stay within the south like I do, you’re in all probability very aware of camellias as a result of they’re virtually all over the place. They sometimes bloom throughout the winter months, which is why they’re also known as the rose of winter or the queen of winter flowers.

They arrive in a wide range of colours together with pink, pink, white, and a mixture of these colours. Along with their lovely flowers, camellias are additionally identified for his or her culinary makes use of. The shrubs or small bushes are a part of the tea household and their leaves are sometimes used to make tea.

1. There are literally thousands of sorts of Camellias.

Native to Asia, there are greater than 200 species of camellias and 1000’s of types. Probably the most-popular sorts of camellias in America are japonicas, sasanquas, and reticulatas, says William Khoury, superintendent of gardens for the American Camellia Society and Massee Lane Gardens in Georgia. Some individuals create massive collections of various kinds of camellias, favoring the large blooms to exhibit at flower exhibits.

2. They bloom in three seasons.

By selecting varieties with staggered bloom occasions, your camellia flower show can final for months between autumn and spring. For fall colour, Khoury recommends rising sasanquas, which he describes as “sun-loving plants with small leaves and blooms.” Some japonica cultivars will bloom from fall into spring, too. Khoury notes that reticulatas “have the largest blooms, tend to bloom in late winter and spring, and can be more sensitive to cold.”

3. A summer-blooming camellia exists.

Khoury says there are new camellia hybrids that can bloom in the summertime at the moment in improvement by breeders. Considered one of these cultivars, “Wendzalea,” is already accessible within the U.S. Its ruby-red, semi-double blooms open from July to November, and once more from February by means of March. To create cultivars that bloom in summer season or re-bloom, camellias should be bred with a wild species from China, C. azalea (which isn’t a real azalea, as Khoury factors out). New cultivars are additionally being developed in fashionable colours like yellow and purple.

4. Some varieties can develop in colder areas.

These evergreen shrubs and small bushes aren’t particularly cold-hardy, so camellias have been restricted largely to USDA Zones 7-10. Breeders have created hardier varieties, although, and now there are a number of that may develop in Zone 6. One of many hardiest, Camellia japonica ‘Korean Fire’ might even survive with winter safety in Zone 5.

Jenny Rydebrink, founder and CEO of Gardenize, a cellular app for gardeners, presents some recommendation for these whose climates are too chilly to develop camellias open air. Rydebrink says that rising camellias in pots is an effective possibility, and presents the next suggestions:

• Hold camellias in cool however not freezing temperatures
• Give them as a lot mild as potential
• Water them sufficient so the roots don’t utterly dry out
• In spring, when temperatures keep above freezing, transfer the pots again exterior
• Simply don’t transfer the pots round an excessive amount of, Rydebrink warns, as a result of this may trigger flowers and buds to fall off.

5. Camellias are a part of American historical past.

In keeping with the American Camellia Society, the preferred camellia isn’t often grown in house gardens. It’s Camellia sinensis; the species used to make tea. This commodity, you could bear in mind, occurred to be what acquired thrown overboard throughout the Boston Tea Get together in protest of taxation with out illustration. This occasion was the primary to rally colonists collectively to battle for independence from Nice Britain, so you would say that camellias performed an vital position in beginning the American Revolution.

6. Coco Chanel beloved the flowers.

The camellia flower is alleged to have been a favourite of famed clothier Coco Chanel. Pictures of the elegant blooms confirmed up in her jewellery, purses, garments, and different merchandise. She’s additionally reported to have appreciated them as a result of they weren’t aromatic, in order that they didn’t compete along with her signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5.