PlantFiles: Common Camellia, Japanese Camellia
Camellia japonica 'Tom Knudsen'

My camellias seem to be at odds with the profile. I'm in zone 10b and I have them in full sun. They seem to like the conditions just fine and are wonderful bloomers. I use a little Osmocote to make their soil acid. This seemed to make a big difference with blooming.

The deepest scarlet red I have seen in a camellia. Said to be quite difficult to propagate. It is a robust grower, but tends to be more upright and may take some time to 'fill out'. The leaves are very attractive--quite large, a deep, glossy green. I bought this shrub as a young plant from Trehane Nursery, UK, in January 1999. It is now around 6 feet tall.

It hasn't flowered every year well, but did suffer in early years from an infestation of scale insect, which if you are not familiar with can spread rapidly and cause the plant some distress, but is not fatal. I now have to keep a regular watch for scale insect. They attach themselves mostly to the lower midrib at back of the leaf, next to its stem. They are master camouflagers, and can be found on stems and around the joint between new and old growth. They leave a sticky excrement which will be found on leaves under it, and this can grow a black sooty mould--not damaging but unsightly. Scales can be found almost at any time of the year. They will hatch out under the leaves and seemingly turn into a long white streak of eggs. Regular inspection and 'squashing' is advisable.

Bred in the U.S.A. 1965 Maitland, it is a japonica cultivar. Flowers medium to large paeony form, season mid to late.

Flowers make a dazzling contrast with the glossy, dark green foliage. Another favorite in my garden!

Low-maintenance plant in my zone.