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Abundant, large, silvery white blooms with yellow stamens make a delightful contrast to the glossy, dark green leaves. A valued plant in the milder regions of the U.S. Mid season bloomer. Evergreen.  Moderate growing 6 to 8 ft. tall and wide, larger with age.  Filtered sun.  Cutting grown.

Performance and Requirements

Light needs: Filtered sun

Watering Needs: Needs regular watering - weekly, or more often in extreme heat.

Pruning Time: Winter after flowering

Growth Rate: Slow Growing

Growth Habit: Erect

Design Information

Companion Plants

FROSTED VIOLET CORAL BELLS
Heuchera 'Frosted Violet' P.P.# 15085

CHINESE ASTILBE
Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila'

LITTLE JOHN AZALEA
Azalea `Little John` (Southern Indica)

BRIDAL VEIL^® ASTILBE
Astilbe x arendsii 'Bridal Veil'^® (A. x a. 'Brautschleier')

EVERBLOOMING GARDENIA (GRAFTED)
Gardenia jasminoides 'Veitchii' (Grafted onto G. thunbergii)

VAUGHN'S LILLIE^® OAK LEAF HYDRANGEA
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Vaughn's Lillie'^® P.P.# 12982

AUTUMN BRILLIANCE^® APPLE SERVICEBERRY
Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' Pl.Pat.No.5717

CLEVELAND SELECT FLOWERING PEAR
Pyrus calleryana 'Cleveland Select'

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Companion Plants (Description): The beautiful silvery white blooms of Silver Waves pair with a huge assortment of perennials, shrubs and trees. Combine with the lovely purple blooms and foliage of Coral Bells, Astilbe, and Azalea. For those shady beds close to your outdoor patios, create a moonlight garden with white blooming Astilbe, Hydrangea, and Gardenia. Provide some filtered shade with small stature, white blooming trees like Apple Serviceberry, and Flowering Pear.

Design Styles: A must for Asian or woodland garden settings under large, old shade trees with filtered canopies.  Plant as a backdrop in mixed beds or as a foundation plant in high visibility areas.  Dress up a wall or garage as a shrub or train as an espalier for a formal look.

Care Information

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Provide well drained soil, rich in organic matter. Feed with an acid fertilizer after bloom. Keep roots cool with a thick layer of mulch.

Background Information

History: Camellias are native to eastern and southern Asia. C. japonica was imported into the Philippines but is native to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The genus Camellia was named by Carolus Linnaeus who named it for a Jesuit missionary Georg Kamel, who cultivated an important garden of local medicinal plants on the Philippine Island of Luzon in the 17th century.  Silver Waves originated at Nuccio's Nurseries in Altadena, CA.  Red camellias are a symbol of wealth and white Camellias signify loveliness. Silver Waves was a seedling from an unspecified japonica variety and was introduced in 1970 by Nuccio's Nursery of California.  Camellias represent longevity and faithfulness and have long been a primary floral component in Asian weddings.

Botanical Pronunciation: ka-MEL-i-a ja-PON-i-ka

Catalog Description: Abundant, large, silvery white blooms with yellow stamens make a delightful contrast to the glossy, dark green leaves. A valued plant in the milder regions of the U.S. Mid season bloomer. Evergreen.  Moderate growing 6 to 8 ft. tall and wide, larger with age.  Filtered sun.  Cutting grown.