Camellias, with their beautiful foliage and large, showy flowers in a wide range of forms and colors, seem to have everything. No wonder they are so popular everywhere they can be grown. But for many flower lovers, who instinctively bring any flower to their nose, they are missing one important thing – fragrance. The dream of fragrant camellias has been with us almost as long as they have been growing in our gardens. Although many breeders have tried, it took the dedication of someone in New Zealand to bring us the High Fragrance Camellia, the very best of a very small number of camellias with attractive flowers and sweet fragrance. This is not just a passing, ‘maybe’ scent – no, a bush in flower fills the air around it with a delicious aroma reminiscent of jasmine or sweet peas, that every lover of scented flowers will adore. Either for yourself or for a loved family-member, this is a plant that every camellia lover simply can’t be without.

Growing the High Fragrance Camellia

Size and Appearance

The High Fragrance Camellia is a fast-growing tall shrub, with an open habit, that will grow into an upright bush 10 to 12 feet tall, and up to 10 feet across. It grows rapidly, adding a foot or more each year when young, so it won’t be long until it becomes a flowering centerpiece in your winter garden. The leaves are 2 to 3 inches long, with a pointed tip and serrated edges. They are leathery, attractive and a dark olive-green with a soft gloss. Young spring leaves are glossy and tinted coppery-red, adding an attractive touch.

The first flowers may appear in February, or anytime into April, depending on your local climate and the peculiarities of any given year. The flowers are gorgeous, and nothing is traded in quality for that fragrance. Each bloom is 3 to 4 inches across, in a round, exuberant ball of about 30 fluted and twirled petals. The petals are shaded tones of pink, from ivory-pink to baby-pink, mixed with some scattered yellow stamens. This flower form is called ‘peony-flowered’ by camellia experts. Sometimes blooms don’t develop their fragrance until the second day but once it comes it is strong and sweet, perhaps reminiscent of jasmine or sweet peas. Flowers open in succession on this prolific-blooming bush, and each one lasts about a week, so the flowering season continues for a month or more.

Using the High Fragrance Camellia in Your Garden

With its unique open form this camellia is perfect for more casual garden beds and natural parts of the garden. It grows into an upright, arching bush that is wonderful behind other shrubs, or in the dappled shade of a woodland garden. With its long, open branches it is also perfect for spreading out on a fence, trellis or wall, the ideal strategy for growing it in a smaller garden space. Simply tie-back the branches as they grow.

Hardiness

The High Fragrance Camellia will grow well in all mild zones from 7 to 9, and of course anywhere at all if you plant it in a pot and give it protection during the coldest months. It will flower in a cool, bright porch, releasing its wonderful perfume into your home.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Grow the High Fragrance Camellia in partial sunlight, with morning sun and afternoon shade, or in all-day light dappled shade. An east or north-facing wall is ideal, or in the shadow of tall trees with blue sky above. The soil should be moist, rich and well-drained, and it must be acidic. A pH value of 6.5, or preferably less, is needed. If you don’t have suitable soil, grow it in a pot, which is of course ideal for colder areas too. Fill the pot with soil blended for acid-loving plants.

Maintenance and Pruning

the High Fragrance Camellia is normally free of pests or diseases, and easy to grow in suitable soil and light conditions. It needs no pruning, but it can be trimmed immediately after flowering, to keep it more compact and bushy, if you want. Fertilize plants in pots during spring and early summer with liquid camellia fertilizer. In colder zones bring plants into a cool, well-lit place when outdoor temperatures are below 40 degrees.

History and Origin of the High Fragrance Camellia

The hybrid camellias called ‘High Fragrance’ is the result of the skill, patience and work over many years of Jim Finlay, a dedicated breeder who lives in Whangarei, New Zealand. He began with the only scented camellia, a wild species called Camellia lutchuensis. This plant is frost tender, and has small, white, single blooms – but they are fragrant. Jim’s first success was the creation of ‘Scentuous’, a cross with the wild plant and a Camellia japonica variety called ‘Tiffany’. It is white with a hint of pink, and small, but it was a beginning. It first bloomed in 1976.Then, using another hybrid called ‘Saleb’, he brought in genes from a wild pink camellia called Camellia saluenensis. Finally, crossing again with a C. japonica variety called ‘Bertha Harms’ he had what he wanted – a bush that first flowered in 1985 with big, full, pink blooms and a delicious fragrance. What else could he call it? Since then no one has been able to create a fragrant camellia that comes anywhere near ‘High Fragrance’.

Buying the High Fragrance Camellia at the Tree Center

On a personal note, I have this wonderful bush in my zone 9 garden, and it really is a beauty. The scent is delicious and the flowers lovely. This bush has become well-known and very sought after – so our stock will go very soon. Order now, you won’t regret having this unique bush in your garden.