Camellias around the world
The camellia is represented by about forty natural species, i.e. those that grow in the wild, mainly in Japan and China. There are also some in Thailand and Vietnam, but they are rather tropical species, which cannot be acclimatized in our gardens. Moreover, about 40000 selections have been created throughout the world, whose variations concern the flowers and the leaves.
The variations of flowers and leaves of camellias
In terms of flowering periods, we distinguish between autumn camellias, which start to flower from October 15th to December 15th, then winter camellias and finally spring camellias. The flowering of camellias lasts, thus, until May 15.
There are camellias with sophisticated flowers, large flowers or natural species with small flowers. As far as the foliage is concerned, there is also diversity: variegated leaves, small leaves, fine leaves, dark green leaves, light green leaves...
The culture of camellias
Camellias are mainly grown in acidic soils, such as those of western France, Brittany, and in ancient massifs. In Brittany, the camellia grows naturally and can live for several hundred years. On some old estates, you can find camellias that are more than 150 years old with trunks over 50 cm in diameter.
Most camellias like shade, except for the autumn camellias, which prefer the sun.
Depending on their shape, it is more or less necessary to prune them. There are upright camellias that can be pruned to order the silhouette, weeping camellias that don't need any particular pruning, or camellias that can be integrated into hedges and pruned directly with a hedge trimmer; you then obtain a compact hedge, almost like a cedar hedge, with flowers as well!
From creeping camellias to 10-meter high trees, there are truly camellias for every taste!
The hardiness of camellias
Concerning the cold hardiness of camellias, there is also a great diversity of cases. Tropical camellias are freezing, while others can withstand temperatures as low as -20°C. It is therefore important to be well informed about camellia varieties before making a purchase.
