Fully hardy in Scotland

The Camellia x Williamsii Debbie started to bloom in March this year.

Debbie in our garden

I will show other Camellias we have in the garden, but Debbie has the starring role today.

Previously, I constantly went on and on about Camellia Willamsii Donation as being the best and most likely to flower in our Scottish climate. Not only did Debbie start to bloom before Donation this year, she is also better looking.

Here she is in our back garden, I planted it in this spot three years ago it has put on a good bit of growth and is now about 4ft 6in tall.

The first flowers actually appeared in early March, which I put down to the reasonably  mild Winter. Mild is probably an exaggeration, it’s just that there was hardly any frost. Even now, at the end of April, the noon temperature has seldom been above 10c.

In spite of my complaints, the Spring garden has been  quite stunning.

Plant details for Camellia x Williamsii Debbie

Flowers and foliage

Often described as flowering April/May, but it really isn’t unusual for the first blooms to appear in March or even late February. The beautifully shaped double flowers are pale to mid-pink.

The evergreen foliage is a dark, glossy shade of green.

Hardiness

Fully hardy in most areas of the UK

Position

Like most other Camellias, Debbie likes to be in partial, shade, although she can tolerate more sunshine than some.

However, avoid an East facing position as early morning sun can damage the flowers on those frosty early Spring mornings.

Soil

Free draining neutral to acidic soil

Height

Grows to a height of about 2 meters and a width of 1.5 metres. Although there is some suggestion, if it’s in the perfect position, it could eventually reach 4 metres in height, after 20 years.

Pruning

It’s fine to prune and tidy up your Camellia, but if you want flowers next year, you must prune immediately after flowers have gone over.

Feeding Camellias

The important thing about fertilising Camellias is doing it at the right time of year.

Wait until the flowers have just gone over and apply a liquid ericaceous feed every fortnight, whether in a pot or in the border. Stop feeding in the first week of July. Continue to water regularly, Camellias hate drying out.

Awards

RHS Award of garden merit

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Other Camellias in our garden

Camellia Williamsii Black Lace

This one was planted in a pot three years ago and sits by our garage door. I must admit, he gives Debbie a run for her money.

Camellia Williamsii Anticipation

Anticipation has to be one of the best for growing in a pot.  In our garden

Camellia Williamsii Donation

I can remember many years ago when a well known television gardening presenter informed us that growing camellia in Aberdeen was unlikely to be successful. However, he said if you must give it a go, Donation would be the safest choice.

Camellia Free Spirit

I have been holding back this post, patiently waiting for Free Spirit to open its very first bloom since planting it three years ago. Here it is, finally opened up on the 18th of May.

To be fair to the plant, the problem lies in the positioning of it in the garden. It gets smothered with tall perennials and stems from a climbing rose all Summer long

I have to move this little beauty before I kill it off altogether.

The courtyard in April

Amelanchier is the star of our courtyard in April