Description
I fell in love with this stoic broadleaf evergreen when seeing them for the first time as a kid. With my dad driving through dreary cold wet late winter in Vancouver, my head was on a swivel to catch glimpses of glorious pinks, reds, white flowers on a dark green back ground of glossy leaves. Today, its charm still has me captivated. Large flower buds swell with the longer late winter days and burst forth to herald the coming of spring. There is no scent, but there is pollen for the bees to gather for spring buildup. Easy to care for. Seed is from mixed sources so the seedlings will be entirely unique.
Needs good summer moisture as this plays a major role in its flower quantity and quality the following bloom (this applies to all Camellia).
- Seed Count: 5-7
- Collection Date: Oct 2022
- Hardiness Zone: 6-10
- Height and Width: 5m x 5m
- Preferred conditions: Full to semi sun; well draining deep humus rich evenly moist soils
- Germination test type: float; hand sort
- Family: Theaceae
How to germinate Camellia japonica seeds:
Seed cannot dry out and will be kept in cold stratification. Doesn’t need much prompting to germinate when given gentle warmth. I recommend baggie sowing it and pricking out the transplants when the root is a couple of inches long. Transplant into deep containers and give indirect light and warmth to continue growth. Seat in the garden after frost has passed to ensure continued growth. Mulch well and provide moisture until established. Keep an eye on the bag while in cold stratification as I’ve discovered they will sprout in the fridge. We have grow lights in the house, so if any do sprout during the winter, it isn’t a biggie. Fast growing seedlings. Needs deep pots for happy roots and thus happy plants. Due to the hard nature of the seed coat, you might have to break parts of it away so the seed root can escape. The seed is large so its fairly easy to handle
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