"Camellia Bedelia"

My dad owns a local custom home building company, Tall House. Recently, he was working on a project and a camellia was in the way. Luckily, I was the recipient! I also was fortunate the plant still had the original tag on it and a lone bloom.

Its a Frank Brownlee Variegated Camellia Japonica: a late blooming japonica with a double deep red bloom.

Camellias are classic Southern (zone 7) waxy leafed evergreen shrubs that often bloom when little else is. In case you aren't sure of the differences in Camellias, here's the skinny. (There are hundreds of types so the exceptions are many!)

Camellia Japonica

• Bloom time: Winter - Spring
• Color: Red, pink, white, variegated
• Light: Prefers shade (especially in the morning) and needs protection from wind

Camellia Sasanqua (I have a "Setsugekka" sasanqua that has white blooms and has done well.)

• Bloom time: Fall
• Color: Red, white, pinks
• Light: Sun to part shade (more sun tolerant than Japonicas)
• Uses: Often used as an espalier on a wall or trellis, or in pots (as can be seen at North Hills shopping center)

Camellia Photos

This Camellia caught my eye at Sara P. Duke Gardens in Durham last Spring. Its an All American Variegated Japonica. I think of it as the peppermint camellia.


Camellia sansaquas grown on trellis' at my mother's house in Raleigh.


Here are some great Camellia resources, I've found:

• Camelia Japonica Cultivars (NSCU Cooperative Extension Service)
• Camelia Sasanqua Cultivars (NSCU Cooperative Extension Service)
• Mcdonald Garden Center Camelia Book