Gardening: Bob’s Guide to Camellias For Winter Colour

With Christmas fast approaching most gardens look bare and drab, the only colour coming from the browns of the leaves which, frankly, are a curse.

There is occasionally the last of the roses but even the queen of the garden is looking sad and past her best; the last petals will soon go. Most of us turn to the traditional Christmas plants, poinsettias – in all their variety of colours from rich red to pure white – amaryllis, Christmas cactus, hyacinth, cyclamen and a few others. But as nice as these are, they do usually tend to be indoors plants.

It’s as if in these winter months in the garden, we do not dare to go outside. Yet, I’m finding time spent outside at this time of year – although shortened by the light – is both intense and rewarding.

I’m a big fan of winter camellias because if they are carefully tended they can be a delight when all the plants around them are dormant. They can produce that splash of elegance, of even the exotic. I defy any of you to find a more regal plant for the garden on a snowy or frosty day than a winter camellia which provides that most beautiful splash of aristocratic colour.

Lustrous leaves

As an evergreen plant their lustrous leaves are bold and wax-textured, with a wide range of shapes and forms. The history of their evolution in Britain has always fascinated me; they have developed as they are today because of a mistake (isn’t that usually the way in a garden?) When they first arrived in the late 1730s from the Far East they were truly elitist and thought to be tender.

They were cosseted in orangeries and other suitable heated structures associated with our stately homes and, as a result they did not always thrive. Then in 1814, someone apparently left a batch out by mistake and it was found that camellias survived outside in Britain in winter. Voila!!

That breakthrough widened their appeal so much that British nurserymen included them in catalogues and they became popular with a wide range of Victorian society. There are now more than 40,000 named camellias and across this spectrum they can be selected for many uses, apart from just being grown as a stunning shrub.

They can be grown as tall, thin, tightly clipped, formal hedges, or laxer, blowsy hedges. They can be grown as elegant standards, towering columns or even topiarised by a front door. They could also be an espalier or fan, tight against a wall.

Yuletide Glory

At this time of year, a plant such as “Yuletide” (left), with its glowing red petals surrounding a generous boss of compact golden stamens, will often be the star of the show. You might even have the luxury of blooms for your Christmas table as well.

They’re all easily grown in pots of ericaceous compost or in a spot in the garden which is sheltered from the winds and direct sunlight. I have mine at the base of a wall which I know is reasonably wind-proofed and partly shaded. If they are in a pot, the temptation is always to bring them indoors or to give them some protection in a greenhouse and I think that just takes away part of the pleasure – and daring – of growing them outside.

A Xmas Treat

The species sasanqua (left) is one of the easier types of camellias to grow. They will tolerate neutral soils of pH7 whereas many other species prefer pH 6.5 or below. Many also tolerate sunny conditions – but not the harsh brightness of direct sun – and they flower for up to two months from September until December.

Jennifer Trehane, author of Camellias, has said that her “Yuletide” flowers from late October to the beginning of March each year. To know how to follow all the tips and rules of growing camellias, Trehane’s book is a tremendous Christmas stocking filler. For other Christmas ideas why not have a look at my personal gardening wishlist?

Bob’s Ultimate Gardeners Gift Wishlist

by Bob Graham

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