Blooming Camellias in My Greenhouse
There's always something beautiful to see in my greenhouse.
Here in the Northeast, all the garden beds are bare and put to be for the season, but inside my greenhouse are gorgeous blooming camellias - dense shrubs with brilliant evergreen foliage and exquisite flowers. These shrubs blossom prodigiously for weeks, from late fall to mid-spring, showing off beautiful shades of white, cream, pink, and red.
Enjoy these photos.
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- In all, I have five different greenhouses. This one is designated the tropical greenhouse. It works by heating and circulating air to create an artificial tropical environment. The entire structure is built using heavy gauge American made, triple-galvanized steel tubing. To simulate the best subtropical environment, we try to keep the temperature in this house between 50 and 85-degrees Fahrenheit with some humidity.
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- On one side of the greenhouse are my camellias. These are from Nuccio’s Nurseries, Inc. in Altadena, California. Camellias thrive in mild climates from California to Florida and are available in thousands of cultivars. Most shrubs reach a height between six and 12 feet, and just about as wide.
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- The leaves of a camellia are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, and glossy. These are the buds of ‘Pink Wings’ – when in bloom, it will feature soft pink, medium to large, irregular semi-double flowers.
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- Camellia flowers come in mainly white and shades of pink or red, and various combinations.
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- Buds start to form in mid-summer and then open from fall through early spring. These are the buds of Camellia ‘Elizabeth Weaver.’
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- And this is what it looks like in full bloom. Camellia ‘Elizabeth Weaver’ has large formal double flowers in coral pink.
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- ‘Silver Waves’ features showy white round flowers with yellow eyes at the ends of the branches from late winter to early spring. Different varieties of camellias come in various shapes: anemone, single, semi-double, formal double, rose-form double and peony form. Their flowers are usually large and can be about four-inches in diameter.
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- Camellia ‘Ferris Wheel’ is white with multiple red and pink streaks in various lengths throughout the flower and striking yellow anthers in the center.
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- This Camellia ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ flower is still unfurling. Their blooms are usually large and conspicuous, one to 12 centimeters in diameter.
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- Close by, ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ fully open – a pure white, perfectly formed camellia flower with three to four inch blossoms. It is one of the most popular camellia varieties.
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- I am so happy these camellias are thriving in my greenhouse. Camellias are part of the Theaceae or tea plant family, including the most common ornamental species, C. japonica and C. sasanqua.
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- This is ‘High Fragrance’ – with large, light pink, semi-double flowers and an alluring scent.
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- When selecting a spot for a potted camellia, be sure it gets partial shade and protection from hot afternoon sunlight, as container-grown camellias dry out much faster than shrubs planted in the ground. Also water the plant deeply whenever the top two to four inches of potting mix feels dry to the touch and let it drain completely.
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- ‘Frank Houser’ is a hybrid that shows off incredibly large, deep glowing pink to red blooms with darker veins.
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- ‘Elegans Champagne’ is a showy and elegant cultivar with voluminous, anemone-form flowers in champagne pale pink to ivory – a true heritage plant and a popular favorite in Southern gardens.
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- ‘Silver Lace’ has large, silvery white, yellow-centered, semi-double blooms that contrast the glossy dark green leaves. When it comes to fertilizing, feed with a good quality fertilizer specifically for camellias or a general 10-10-10 fertilizer in spring after the flowers have dropped. Avoid feeding camellias after July, as late feeding can cause bud drop.
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- ‘Nuccio’s Pearl’ shows off full double blooms and pure white petals edged with an orchid pink blush.
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- ‘Debutante’ has abundant, large, light pink, peony-style blooms densely packed with clear pale pink petals.
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- ‘Ragland Supreme’ is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Mature flowers are a creamy milk white.
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- ‘Can Can’ has soft rose colored flowers with pale pink striations at the base, occasionally, small bright rose splashes and irregular, very pale pink to white borders.
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- Large, semi-double soft pink blooms appear from late fall into winter on this variety, ‘Taylor’s Perfection.’
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- This is japonica ‘Ave Maria,’ just opening. It features small to medium flowers with up to 50-petals in a delicate silvery pink color.
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- And here it is in full bloom. Camellias have a reputation for being somewhat difficult to grow, but if one is willing to meet their needs, they’ll thrive with a long bloom season just when it is needed most. I am looking forward to seeing all their stunning flowers throughout winter. I will be sure to share more of their delightful blossoms in future blogs.
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