Camellia

Camellias make elegant evergreen shrubs with gorgeous blooms produced throughout spring. They are ideal for a sheltered spot with acid soil or a large pot. Varieties need wall protection and full sunshine to ripen their buds and stems, but early morning sunlight on the buds in frosty weather can damage them. 'Jitsugetsusei' is a dense upright shrub with single pink blooms with masses of pale stamens in the centre. Where soils are unsuitable or spring frosts very severe, plants may be grown in large containers of lime-free compost and lifted in the protection of the greenhouse during bad weather