Camellia flower - Japanese, red, Chinese white

The tea family includes such a plant as camellia. Natural regions of habitation - Japan, China, Sumatra, Java, Indonesia. Moravian naturalist G.I. Camelius first brought a new species to the territory of Europe in the second half of the 18th century, and the plant got its name from his last name. The flowering period occurs in winter or spring, it all depends on the variety.

Origin and description

Camellia flower is a small evergreen shrub or small tree with leathery elliptical leaves. In a garden, shrubs reach 1.5 meters in height. It is characteristic of branched stems to quickly lignify. If initially their color was green, then it changes to gray or brownish-light. Shoots are decorated with leaves with short petioles, growing alternately, with a smooth glossy surface.

Camellia appearance

If the height of the shrubs is small, then the camellia tree often reaches 20 meters in height.

Flowering begins with the emergence of buds on the tops of young shoots. Camellia flowers are large in size, in appearance they are similar to roses. There are a wide variety of shades:

• white;
• pink;
• crimson;
• yellow.

Camellia flowers can be double, semi-double, single, have several inflorescences, two-color petals with stripes and strokes. In the open state, the flowers remain for 7 days. Most varieties do not have any floral scent. The active growing phase begins after the end of flowering. Growth starts with large buds on the tops of the shoots next to the buds.

Types and varieties

To date, over 80 species of this plant are known with many varieties. You can get acquainted with the most interesting of them later in the article.

Japanese camellia

Shrub-type plant or tall tree that can reach a height of 10 meters. The leaves have an oval shape, leathery shiny surface of dark green color. The flowering phase begins in December and ends in April.

Flowers in Japanese camellia are found: simple, double, semi-double, their diameter can reach 50 mm. There are varieties with different colors of petals: white, pink, red, variegated. This plant variety will grow best in a cool room. If the camellia is grown in a greenhouse, then it will begin to form fruits. You can also grow a bush form outdoors, then it will be a wonderful garden decoration.

Japanese camellia

Alba

Plants belonging to this variety have a simple structure of flowers with white petals.

Winter rose

This variety is a hybrid derived from the classic Japanese camellia "Otome". The plant is interesting in that it can withstand frosts down to -26 ° C, therefore flower cultivation takes place not only in the southern, but also in the northern regions. The flowers are pale pink with white inclusions.

The first time "Winter Rose" begins to bloom in August and ends in November. If a tub with a camellia bush is in a cold room, then after the main flowering wave has passed, it will be possible to observe the appearance of single flowers for several more months in winter.

Plants bred by Tyumen specialists are also referred to as winter-hardy varieties. Some of their disadvantages are that they can only be grown in the garden; they are not suitable for camellias. The most famous is the "Empress".

Camellia chinese

The second name of the plant is Boheia's camellia or sinensis camellia (this is the official name in Latin), it refers to evergreen perennial shrubs. Despite the slow growth of the crop, owners will need to use scissors quite often to form the crown.

When compared with other varieties of camellias, the Chinese beauty has a less spectacular flowering. Pointed leaves of a dark green color are ideally combined with small white flowers with a bright yellow core. The flowers have a diameter of 4 cm. This variety is of great importance for the tea industry, it is specially grown for addition to the drink.

Tea camellia

Camellia sasanqua (mountain)

This variety was brought to Europe from Southeast Asia. The main difference is the size of the plant, the height of the sasanqua reaches only 5 meters.

The leaves are characterized by a dark green color, with the presence of a fluffy dark vein below the leaf plate. This camellia grows well both outdoors and in greenhouses or at home.

The flowering period lasts from November to December. Mountain camellia "gave" life to more than a hundred new varieties. The short stature of the shrub allows you to get dwarf varieties, which need to be looked after in the same way as for taller brethren.

Mountain variety

Mountain camellia has the following varieties:

1. Bicolor is characterized by the presence of petals with a wide pink border, while the color of the base is white.
2. The Chansonnier variety boasts soft pink double flowers.
3. "Cleopatra" is distinguished by the presence of simple corollas with elongated pink petals.

Transplant after purchase into a pot

After purchasing a plant, it will need to be transplanted. There are no big difficulties in this operation, nevertheless it is worth remembering that the camellia is a rather capricious flower. In order for the green beauty to feel good, it is recommended to adhere to certain rules.

What is needed for landing

Before starting work, you need to have some important things on hand:

• Sour soil. If the land is purchased, then it is worth choosing suitable for azaleas, rhododendrons;
• Loosening agents (pine needles, perlite, pine bark in small pieces);
• Drainage;
• A pot several cm larger than the existing one.

Purchased camellia

Some home plant owners prefer self-made soil. For camellia, you need soil of the following composition:

• sod land - 1 part;
• peat - 2 parts;
• sheet - 2 parts;
• sand - 1 part.

An important point. Camellia Sasankva, like other representatives of this species, prefers an acidic habitat, therefore this indicator should be 4.5-5 pH.

Humidity and temperature

The plant needs a moderate moisture content.

From spring to summer, a star among domestic plants needs warmth (+ 20-25 ° C). When the budding period begins, the indicator is reduced to + 18 ° C, it is not recommended to set the temperature higher. Flowering in most species occurs in the period December-February, the temperature is set in the range from +8 to + 12 ° С.

Step-by-step planting process

In order not to make mistakes when transplanting a Japanese camellia and not only, it is worth observing the following recommendations:

1. Take a pot, it can be previously sterilized in boiling water and dried thoroughly.
2. Put a drainage layer on the bottom of the container;
3. Prepare the soil.
4. Using the transshipment method, remove the red camellia or other other variety from the existing container, without shaking off the earthen coma, without washing it with liquid, transplant it into a new pot.
5. Fill the empty space with prepared soil.

Reproduction

Plants can be propagated in two ways:

• cuttings;
• planting seed.

When using the first option, the camellia will bloom after 2 years. For reproduction, take semi-lignified shoots. The most favorable time for the procedure is late spring - early summer.

You can choose a suitable shoot by color, it should be brown, and the presence of a well-developed growth bud is also required. It takes about 120 days to root. The optimum temperature for soil and air is + 23 ° C. Warmer climates lead to bud growth rather than root formation.

Seeds

With the seed method, it will be possible to see the flowering camellia only after 5-8 years. Seed ripening occurs in mid-autumn. They need to be collected and planted. For more successful germination, the container is partially darkened. This technique is somewhat complicated, but thanks to it, strong and healthy seedlings are obtained that will reproduce well.

Room care

Now is the time to talk about what kind of care the camellia flower needs at home.

Irrigation mode

White camellia, like the rest of the plants in this group, is moisture-loving, so do not forget about regular spraying at a time when there is no flowering period. Adequate humidity is maintained by placing the pot in a pallet where damp pebbles or expanded clay lies.

Spraying procedure

The frequency of watering depends on the temperature regime. Plants need a moderate introduction of moisture, if the room is up to + 20 ° C. It is important to control the topsoil that needs to dry out.

When the temperature rises, watering is made more abundant, they continue to monitor the state of the earth. It should be loose and dry well. Overflows lead to the fact that the buds of the plant begin to fall off, the leaves become brown in color.

Top dressing

For camellia, conventional fertilizers are used that are suitable for deciduous plants; preference should be given to those brands that contain the most nitrogen. The frequency of application is year-round with a 20-day break. If the green beauty was recently transplanted, then feeding begins after 30-50 days.

During flowering

During this period, it is necessary to regulate the number of inflorescences and remove excess ones. Their excess will lead to the fact that the plant itself will get rid of the excess, or the size of all the flowers will be less than desired, it will not look too beautiful. To prevent this from happening, no more than 2 inflorescences should be left on one shoot. It is also important to monitor the moisture content of the soil, it should not be waterlogged or too dry.

During the rest period

Here you need to monitor the temperature in the summer, monitor humidity, prevent drafts and protect the plant from direct sunlight.

Thanks to selection, to date, a large number of varieties have been obtained, suitable not only for warm regions, but also for the Moscow region. If there is a desire, then every plant lover can choose a suitable option for himself, both outdoors and at home.