Camellia 'April Blush'
Camellia japonica 'April Blush' · Theaceae
Semi-double, shell-pink flowers in early spring against glossy, dark evergreen leaves, on a slow, compact plant.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late March to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around camellia 'April Blush'
The planner designed this bed around camellia 'April Blush' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why camellia 'April Blush' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Camellia 'April Blush' × 1, pink
- 2 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 13, red
- 3 Leadwort × 25, blue
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 8, yellow
- 5 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 6 Coral bells 'Georgia Peach' × 3, red leaves
- 7 Easter lily × 5, white
- 8 Red spider lily × 7, red
- 9 Camassia × 5, blue
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only open bowls. The others are airy sprays, dense clusters, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only pink.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From late March to early May.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 9 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Brown-eyed Susan and camellia 'April Blush' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. There is more leadwort than anything else, 25 plants in all.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where camellia 'April Blush' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
One of the April series, bred in North Carolina for cold hardiness: camellias for zone 6. Plant it out of the morning sun, which damages frozen buds.
- Camellias for colder gardens
- Early spring flowers
- Evergreen structure in part shade
What to plant with camellia 'April Blush'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: in flower together for seven weeks, from late March; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese pieris: in flower together for six weeks, from late March; tall enough (8 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about camellia 'April Blush'
Does camellia 'April Blush' need sun or shade?
Camellia 'April Blush' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does camellia 'April Blush' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does camellia 'April Blush' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late March to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Mid March to late April |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Early March to mid April |
| Zone 9 | Late February to early April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should camellia 'April Blush' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many camellia 'April Blush' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is camellia 'April Blush' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat camellia 'April Blush'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after camellia 'April Blush'?
Camellia 'April Blush' is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Blue false indigo: from late May to mid June, 4 ft tall.
- Lupine: from late May to early July, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bleeding heart: from early May to early June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does camellia 'April Blush' look like in winter?
Camellia 'April Blush' keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is camellia 'April Blush' good for bees and butterflies?
Camellia 'April Blush' is visited by pollinators and songbirds.
More Camellia
- Japanese camellia Camellia japonica
- Sasanqua camellia Camellia sasanqua
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- The first flowers of spring
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late March to early May; open bowls; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Theaceae
- Comes from
- China, Korea, Central & Southern Japan
- Attracts
- Pollinators, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, salt
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.