Japanese camellia
Camellia japonica · Theaceae Popular
Polished, dark evergreen leaves and large, formal flowers in red, pink or white from late winter into spring. The aristocrat of southern gardens.
- Size
- 10 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early February to early April
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Japanese camellia
The planner designed this bed around Japanese camellia when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 7, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 722 that suit those conditions, and says below why Japanese camellia stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Japanese camellia × 1, red
- 2 Bloody cranesbill × 5, pink
- 3 Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' × 8, pink
- 4 Black chokeberry 'Viking' × 1, white
- 5 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 6 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 4, pink
- 7 Bowles' golden sedge × 5, chartreuse leaves
- 8 Virginia bluebells × 16, blue
- 9 Lady's mantle × 3, green
- 10 Black-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 11 Dwarf crested iris × 69, lavender
- 12 Easter lily × 5, white
- 13 Rain lily × 13, white
Why this plant
- The only red.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do black chokeberry 'Viking' and Bowles' golden sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 10 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 white mugwort (5 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 10 weeks. From early February to early April.
- 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: 13 of the 14 groups (93%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Black chokeberry 'Viking' and Japanese camellia anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. Dwarf crested iris repeats along the bed to tie it together.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Japanese camellia goes in a border
At 10 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ 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.
It needs acid soil, shelter from morning sun and wind, and shade at midday; under tall pines is ideal. The glossy foliage makes a handsome dark background all year.
- Winter and spring flowers in mild climates
- Evergreen screening in part shade
- Woodland gardens
What to plant with Japanese camellia
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: in flower together for three weeks, from late March; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- 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.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about Japanese camellia
Does Japanese camellia need sun or shade?
Japanese camellia 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 Japanese camellia grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 9. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Japanese camellia flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early February to early April. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 7 | Mid January to late March |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Mid January to mid March |
| Zone 9 | Early January to early March |
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 Japanese camellia be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 ft (300 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Japanese camellia plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Japanese camellia 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.
Is there a native plant like Japanese camellia?
Japanese camellia comes from China, Korea, Central & Southern Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Mountain laurel: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 20 in shorter, 8 in wider.
- Flame azalea: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 20 in shorter, 8 in wider.
- Carolina allspice: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 24 in shorter, 8 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Japanese camellia?
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 Japanese camellia?
Japanese camellia is over by early April. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Pieris 'Mountain Fire': from late March to late April, 6½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Rhododendron 'PJM': from late April to mid May, 5 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 Japanese camellia look like in winter?
Japanese camellia 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. It is grown for winter and spring flowers in mild climates as well.
Is Japanese camellia good for bees and butterflies?
Japanese camellia is visited by pollinators and songbirds.
More Camellia
- Camellia 'April Blush' Camellia japonica 'April Blush'
- 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
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 10 ft (300 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early February to early April; open bowls; red, pink, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 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.