Camellias are an old-time favorite flowering shrub in southern gardens. They produce an abundance of single to fully double blooms in a vast array of colors. There are probably thousands of varieties. When not in flower, their upright habit helps to create a fine evergreen background for a variety of conditions.

We plant around the house to cover foundations and to fill window-free walls, along fence lines and to add vivid color around outdoor living spaces, porches and patios. Camellias also grow well under the filtered shade of old street trees dominating the front yard. They also can be used as an informal hedge, partition or privacy screen, or limbed up into attractive tree form specimens.

There are two different main families of camellias: the 'Sasanqua' family, and the 'Japonica' family.

Sasanquas are camellias that bloom in the fall. They are graceful evergreen shrubs that clothe themselves with hundreds of blossoms set against a lavish background of dark green leaves. Sasanquas come in a multitude of color shades in red, pink, fuchsia, purple, white and variegated. Some produce single flowers while others produce full doble flowers. Their ability to flourish in full sun or shade allows for greater freedom of use in the landscape as an untrimmed low hedge or high screen, espalier, or in flowering shrub borders. The upright upright growing Sasanquas can reach 10 feet high and wide. The low spreaders at 4 to 5 feet high and wider.

Japonicas are camellias that bloom in the spring. The buds form in late fall adn begin to open when temperatures begin to warm in late winter to early spring. The blooms are larger as well and come in a vast array of colors ranging from shades of red, pink, rose, white and variegated. They have dark green glossy leaves that are larger than those of the Sasanquas and the growth habit is dense, upright and rounded. We plant these in areas where the late winter blooms will be protected from cold winter winds, on the south or east side of the home. They are great for use as a hedge or single specimen. We often use them on a wide space of windowless wall. They can also be limbed up to form an attractive tree.