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Spectacular, dark red, formal blooms are accented by deep red veining. Flowers make a dazzling contrast with the glossy, dark green foliage. A prized plant of the milder regions of the U.S.  Early to 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: Moderate Growing

Growth Habit: Erect

Design Information

Companion Plants

WINTER GEM BOXWOOD
Buxus microphylla japonica 'Winter Gem'

MINT JULEP^® JUNIPER
Juniperus chinensis 'Monlep'

AUGUST BEAUTY GARDENIA (GRAFTED)
Gardenia jasminoides 'August Beauty' (Grafted G. thunbergii)

KINPAI AZALEA
Azalea `Kinpai` (Satsuki hybrid)

SIENNA SUNRISE^® HEAVENLY BAMBOO
Nandina domestica 'Monfar' P.P.#14693, Can. PBR Pend.

BLACK JAPANESE MAPLE
Acer palmatum 'Nigrum'

JAPANESE PAINTED FERN
Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'

CHINESE DOGWOOD
Cornus kousa chinensis

CUNNINGHAM'S WHITE RHODODENDRON
Rhododendron x 'Cunningham's White' (H-2)

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

NIKKO BLUE HYDRANGEA
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue'

LITTLE BECCA^™ FLAX LILY
Dianella caerulea 'DCMP01' P.P.# 18452

AVALANCHE EVERGREEN CLEMATIS
Clematis x cartmanii 'Blaaval'

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Companion Plants (Description): The outstanding, formal blooms on this Camellia pair best with other garden classics such as Boxwood hedges, Juniper topiaries from Monrovia's Italianate Collection, as well as fragrant Gardenias. To stay true to its Asian heritage, plant with Azalea, Heavenly Bamboo, Japanese Maple, Fern, Dogwood and Rhododendron. For those shady beds close to your outdoor patios, create a patriotic garden with this beautiful red Camellia by adding white and blue blooming plants such as Astilbe, Hydrangea, Flax Lily and Clematis.

Design Styles: Be sure to keep this beauty in viewing distance in patio beds, containers or decorating the foundation plantings around your house.  Great as an espalier to cover walls.  If set back in a woodland setting, plant in mass and compliment with low growing perennials.  A wonderful specimen in Asian gardens and believed to bring wealth if planted at the entrance to your home, as are other red flowering plants.

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.  Tom Knudsen was a chance seedling found in 1956 by Frank Maitland of Sylmar, CA.  Red camellias are a symbol of wealth and white Camellias signify loveliness. 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: Spectacular, dark red, formal blooms are accented by deep red veining. Flowers make a dazzling contrast with the glossy, dark green foliage. A prized plant of the milder regions of the U.S.  Early to mid season bloomer. Evergreen.  Moderate growing 6 to 8 ft. tall and wide, larger with age.  Filtered sun.  Cutting grown.