Happy Birthday Camellia

It will be a spring birthday every year when you plant the Happy Birthday Camellia. This gorgeous variety has large, 4 to 5 inch diameter flowers, packed with 60 overlapping petals, and they will amaze you with their stunning pink blooms, each one flecked and striped with darker pink, and each one subtly unique. They appear as early as February, or a little later in zones 7 and 8. Plus, this is a vigorous variety, growing rapidly into a strong, upright bush. It will soon be 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide, and will double that in time. The smooth, glossy, evergreen leaves are rich green, and look fabulous all year round. A perfect plant for partially-shaded beds, an ideal background shrub and also great for a stunning, informal flowering hedge. If you don’t have acidic soil, grow it in a pot, which can be brought inside to a cool, bright room for winter, where it will flower in January, with perfect blooms protected from the weather.

• Stunning large blooms are pink with darker flecking
• Big, full blooms with many petals
• Fast-growing and vigorous, with an upright form
• Grow in moist, acidic soil in partial shade for the best results
• Easy to grow in a pot, in any zone, with winter protection

Plant your Happy Birthday Camellia in a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, or somewhere in light shade, such as under open deciduous trees. Plenty of sun through winter is just fine. The soil should be rich, moist, and acidic, with a pH value of 5.5 or less. Slightly higher values will be tolerated if you use the appropriate camellia fertilizers. Water regularly, especially during summer dry periods. If you don’t have suitable soil, grow it in a pot, which should be brought into a cool, bright place for winter, unless you live in zone 9. Plants in the ground are hardy into warmer parts of zone 7. Use potting soil for acid-loving plants. Deer don’t eat camellias, and they rarely have any pest or disease problems if light, soil and watering are correct. No pruning is needed, and dead flowers drop naturally. Remove any branches that produce unstriped flowers.