Debutante Camellia

The Debutante Camellia is a beautiful evergreen bush, with bold, glossy foliage, reaching 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. In late winter and early spring it puts on a brilliant display of large, peony-like flowers, in exquisite shades of rose pink, lasting for many weeks in succession. This variety is one of the most prolific bloomers of all the Japanese camellia varieties, and it is an excellent plant for woodlands, areas beneath deciduous trees, as an informal screen, in Asian-themed gardens, or in planters and boxes.

• Ball-shaped flowers of twisting pink petals, like a peony
• Blooms for months between winter and spring
• Beautiful deep-green, lush evergreen foliage
• Grows well in light shade and acidic soil
• Easy to grow in pots to provide the ideal conditions

The Debutante Camellia is hardy in zones 8 to 10, and it can also be grown in sheltered gardens in zone 7. For good growth the soil should be moist, rich, well-drained and acidic, with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. It grows in filtered light or bright full shade, but not in deep shade, as found beneath large evergreen trees. If you don’t have suitable soil conditions – or even if you do – it can be easily grown in pots, using soil blended for acid-loving plants, and in colder zones those pots can be overwintered in cool, well-lit porches, sun-rooms or conservatories, where they will bloom undamaged.