Camellia flower - Japanese, Red, Chinese White

The Tea House family includes a plant such as camellia. Natural habitats - Japan, China, Sumatra, Java, Indonesia. Moravian naturalist G.I. Kamelius first brought in the second half of the XVIII century a new view of the territory of Europe, by his last name the plant got its name. The flowering period falls on the winter or spring period, it all depends on the variety.

Origin and description

Camellia flower is an evergreen shrub of a small size or a small tree with the presence of leathery leaves in the shape of an ellipse. In the garden, shrubs reach 1.5 meters in height. For branched stems, it is characteristic to quickly lignify. If initially their color was green, then it changes to gray or brown-light. Shoots adorn leaflets with short stalks, growing alternately, with a smooth glossy surface.

Camellia appearance

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

Flowering begins with the appearance of buds on the upper parts of young shoots. Camellia flowers are large, in appearance they are similar to roses. Shades are the most diverse:

• 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 odor. The phase of active vegetation begins after flowering. Growth comes from large buds on the upper parts of the shoots next to the buds.

Species and varieties

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

Japanese camellia

A shrub type plant or tall tree that can reach a height of 10 meters. The leaves are oval, leathery shiny surface of a 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 color of petals: white, pink, red, variegated. Best of all, this species of plant will grow indoors with a cool temperature. If camellia is grown in a greenhouse, then it will begin to form fruits. You can grow a bush form in the open ground, 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 obtained from the classic Japanese camellia "Otome". The plant is interesting in that it is able to withstand frosts to -26 ° C, because flower growing occurs not only in the southern, but also in the northern regions. Flowers have a pale pink color with white inclusions.

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

Still winter-hardy varieties include plants bred by Tyumen specialists. Some of their drawbacks are the fact that they can be grown only in the garden, camellias are not suitable for rooms. The most famous is the "Empress."

Camellia Chinese

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

Compared with other varieties of camellias, the Chinese beauty has less spectacular flowering. The pointed leaves of dark green color are ideally combined with small white flowers having 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 supplementation in the drink.

Tea Camellia

Camellia Sasanqua (mountain)

This variety was brought into 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. Such a 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 undersized shrub allows you to get dwarf varieties, which you need to care for as you would for taller brothers.

Mountain variety

Mountain camellia has the following varieties:

1. “Bicolor” is characterized by the presence of petals with a wide rim of pink color, while the color of the base is white.
2. Variety "Chansonnier" boasts pale pink terry flowers.
3. "Cleopatra" is characterized by the presence of simple corollas having elongated pink petals.

Transplant after purchase in a pot

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

What you need for landing

Before starting work, it is necessary to have at hand some important things:

• Acidic soil. If the land is purchased, then it is worth choosing suitable for azaleas, rhododendrons;
• Soil disintegrants (pine needles, perlite, pine bark in small pieces);
• Drainage;
• Pot more available by a few cm.

Purchased Camellia

Some home plant owners prefer soil made by themselves. For camellia, the soil of the following composition is needed:

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

An important point. Camellia Sasanqua, like the rest of the representatives of this species, prefers an acidic habitat, because this indicator should be 4.5-5 pH.

Humidity and temperature

The plant needs a moderate indicator of moisture.

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 landing process

In order not to make mistakes during transplantation of Japanese camellia and not only, it is worth following the following recommendations:

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

Breeding

There are two methods to propagate plants:

• cuttings;
• planting of seed material.

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

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

Seeds

With the seed method, it will be possible to see blooming 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 obscured. This technique is somewhat complicated, but thanks to it, strong and healthy seedlings are obtained, which will perfectly reproduce.

Indoor care

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

Watering mode

White camellia, like the rest of the plants of this group, is hygrophilous, so do not forget about regular spraying at a time when there is no flowering period. Suitable humidity is maintained by placing the pot in a pan where wet pebbles or expanded clay lies.

Spraying procedure

The multiplicity of irrigation depends on the temperature regime. Plants need moderate application of moisture if the room is up to + 20 ° C. It is important to control the topsoil, which should dry out.

With increasing temperature, watering is made more plentiful, they continue to monitor the condition of the earth. It should be loose and dry well. Overflows lead to the fact that the plant begins to fall buds, the leaves become brown.

Top dressing

For camellia, conventional fertilizers suitable for deciduous plants are used; 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 top dressing begins to be applied after 30-50 days.

During flowering

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

During rest

Here you need to monitor the temperature in 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 that are suitable not only for warm regions, but also for the Moscow region. If there is a desire, then every plant lover can choose for himself a suitable option, both street and home.