A landscaping trend over the past few years is for happy, strong colours in gardens. After years of a vogue for soft pastel tones in garden plants, the mood is now more adventurous so you can enjoy vibrant, strong colours and be fashionable. Camellias are often overlooked when it comes to plants with strong colours, but there are some that work well with modern garden design.
‘Jamie’
This lovely hybrid has dark red semi-double blooms with golden stamens, and tapering dark green leaves. The flowers, which are medium-sized (7.5cm or 3″), appear from early May to mid September. The vivid red flowers would complement many other strong colours in the garden, for example planted against an ultramarine or purple painted wall. This is an Australian raised hybrid.
‘Tinsie’ (syn. C. japonica ‘Bokuhan’)
The tiny, anemone-like flowers have a single row of ruby red outer petals with a cluster of white petaloids at the centre. The plant has an upright open growth habit and fine, sasanqua-like foliage. This long flowering camellia would also look good against a really brightly coloured fence in the garden. Note: This japonica camellia is usually sold as ‘Tinsie’, but ‘Bokuhan’ is its correct name.
‘Buttons ‘n Bows’ (Camellia x williamsii Hybrid)
This is a variety with soft, shimmering formal-double flowers from mid April to mid September. The wavy, fluted petals are a delicate pink colour with just a hint of apricot. The plant is compact and bushy.
‘Bert Jones’ (C. sasanqua ‘Bert Jones’)
A strong growing sasanqua with semi-double cerise pink blooms with a silvery glow. The plant has whip-like growth which makes it ideal for espaliering, and the flower colour fits in very nicely with the strong colours being used in gardens today.
‘Snowdrop’
A charming, hybrid camellia with willowy growth and small, pure white flowers flushed with pink at the petal edges. The flowers are produced abundantly over a very long period. An Australian raised hybrid.
‘Night Rider’
New Zealand hybridist Os Blumhardt bred ‘Night Rider’, an upright plant with beautiful purple/red new growth and small, semi-double black-red flowers. This is another camellia which could look stunning planted next to a colourful wall or garden feature.
‘High Fragrance’
This is a fast growing hybrid with an open habit. It has very fragrant, pale pink flowers with darker petal edges and strong yellow stamens. Because of its beautiful perfume, this is the perfect camellia flower to bring inside the house and display in a float bowl. Glass bowls are ideal, but clear white or dark pink camellias also look stunning floating in a black bowl. Very shallow dishes are excellent for miniature camellias.
Availability:
Camellias are available at nurseries and specialist camellia nurseries Australia wide, including:
NSW
Camellia Grove Nursery, St Ives. Phone: (02) 9144 3402
Paradise Plants, Kulnura. Phone: (02) 4376 1330.
QLD
Hawkins Gardenway, 1666 Old Cleveland Road, Chandler, 4155. Phone: (07) 3390 1633. Fax: (07) 3390 1618.
SA
Newmans Nursery & Topiary Tea House, Tea Tree Gully. Phone: (08) 8264 2661.
VIC
Camellia Lodge Nursery, 310 Princes Highway, Officer, 3809, Phone: (03) 5943 2500, Fax: (03) 5943 2555, Web: www.camellialodge.com.au
WA
John Cole’s Nursery, Banjup. Phone: (08) 9417 9834.