Tricolor Camellia Japonica Live Plant – 4 Inch Pot, Evergreen Flowering Shrub, USDA Zones 7a-10a

Overview

Introduce a touch of elegance and multi-seasonal interest to your garden with the exquisite Tricolor Camellia live plant. Known botanically as Camellia Japonica ‘Tricolor Perfecta’, this evergreen flowering shrub is a true garden jewel, celebrated for its unique and vibrant blooms. Each large, 4 to 5-inch diameter double flower displays a captivating blend of white, red, and soft pink petals, often streaked with carmine red, surrounding bright yellow stamens. A heavy bloomer, this intriguing beauty ensures a spectacular display from late winter through early spring, providing much-needed color when other plants are dormant. Whether you’re looking to create a stunning hedge, a focal point, or an espaliered masterpiece, this adaptable plant in a 4 inch pot is an excellent choice for a variety of landscape applications.

The ‘Tricolor Perfecta’ is one of the most exciting Camellias available, transforming any space into a botanical haven. Its robust nature and striking appearance make it a favorite among gardeners seeking both beauty and resilience. This Camellia Japonica care is relatively low, making it accessible for gardeners of various skill levels. It thrives in specific conditions, rewarding careful placement with an abundance of spectacular flowers that will undoubtedly become a conversation starter in your garden.

Key Benefits

The Tricolor Camellia live plant offers a multitude of benefits that make it an outstanding addition to any garden or landscape. Its distinctive features contribute to its appeal and ease of integration into diverse garden designs, ensuring year-round beauty and interest.

• Stunning Multi-Color Blooms: Enjoy large, 4-5 inch double flowers featuring a captivating mix of white, red, and soft pink, often with striking carmine red streaks. These vibrant colors provide an exceptional visual display during the colder months.
• Extended Bloom Period: This Camellia is a prolific bloomer, gracing your garden with its magnificent flowers from late winter into early spring, offering significant curb appeal when few other plants are in bloom.
• Evergreen Foliage: Maintain year-round garden structure and beauty with its dense, dark green, glossy foliage. As an evergreen flowering shrub, it provides continuous interest even when not in flower.
• Versatile Landscape Use: Adaptable for various garden roles, it can be grown as a large shrub, a small tree, a formal hedge, a background plant, or an elegant espalier, fitting seamlessly into many garden styles.
• Deer Resistant: A valuable attribute for many gardeners, this plant shows good resistance to deer, helping to protect your landscape investment from common garden pests.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, this Camellia requires minimal care, making it an excellent choice for busy gardeners seeking high impact with less effort. Proper Camellia Japonica care contributes to its longevity.
• Heat and Drought Tolerant: While preferring consistent moisture, it demonstrates resistance to heat and drought once established, enhancing its hardiness in various climates.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

To ensure your Tricolor Camellia live plant thrives and produces its spectacular blooms, understanding its specific care requirements is essential. This plant prefers specific environmental conditions that mimic its natural habitat, particularly its need for particular light and soil. The ideal USDA Plant Hardiness Zones for this winter blooming camellia are 7a-10a, indicating its tolerance for moderate cold but sensitivity to harsh freezing temperatures. For those in colder zones, container planting allows you to move the plant indoors during winter.

Sunlight Needs: The ‘Tricolor Perfecta’ Camellia flourishes in morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered sun throughout the day. It is intolerant of direct afternoon sun, which can scorch its leaves and affect flower production. A location under the canopy of taller trees or on the east side of a building is often ideal. Water Needs: Maintain average soil moisture, ensuring the soil is consistently moist but well-drained. Once established, its water needs decrease, showing some drought resistance. However, regular watering during dry spells, especially in its first few years, is crucial for healthy growth. Soil Type & pH: This Camellia thrives in rich, well-drained, acidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. Amend heavy clay or sandy soils with organic matter like compost or pine bark to improve drainage and acidity. It prefers well-drained moist soil conditions, as constantly soggy soil can lead to root rot. For optimal growth, ensure you are providing the correct acid soil camellia environment.

Fertilization: Feed your Camellia with an acid-loving plant fertilizer in early spring after it finishes blooming, and again in mid-summer. Avoid fertilizing in late summer or fall, as this can stimulate new growth that may be damaged by winter frosts. Pruning: Prune after flowering to maintain shape, remove dead or damaged branches, and encourage bushier growth. Avoid heavy pruning, as this can reduce the next season’s flower production. Pest & Disease: Camellias are generally robust but can occasionally be affected by scale insects or camellia petal blight. Good air circulation and proper watering practices help prevent most issues. This evergreen flowering shrub is resistant to deer, heat, and humidity, making it a relatively low-maintenance choice.

Size & Details

The Tricolor Camellia live plant is a versatile and robust specimen, ready to establish itself in your garden. This plant is shipped in a 4 inch pot, ensuring a healthy root system for successful transplanting. At maturity, it typically reaches a height of 8-10 feet and a width of 5-8 feet, depending on pruning and growing conditions. Its growth rate is moderate, allowing it to develop into a substantial hedge or an attractive small tree over time. For solid hedges, a spacing of 4-5 feet apart is recommended, while for individual specimens or more spaced plantings, 10 feet or more between plants is ideal.

The large, 4-5 inch double flowers are a highlight, blooming from late winter to early spring. The mature foliage is a rich, dark green, providing an excellent backdrop for the vibrant white, red, and pink blooms. This particular species, Camellia Japonica, is known for its hardiness within its recommended zones and its ability to adapt to various landscape roles, from woodland gardens to formal foundation plantings. It’s a fantastic long-term investment for adding continuous beauty and structure to your outdoor space, especially as a winter blooming camellia.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Tricolor Camellia live plant get? A: This Camellia can grow 8-10 feet tall and 5-8 feet wide at maturity, depending on how it’s pruned. It can be maintained as a shrub or trained into a small tree.
• Q: What size pot does the plant come in? A: The Tricolor Camellia live plant is shipped in a 4 inch pot, ready for transplanting into your garden or a larger container.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is primarily an outdoor plant, an evergreen flowering shrub suitable for USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7a-10a. It can be grown in containers and brought indoors in colder climates during winter.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Camellia need? A: It prefers morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered sun all day. Direct, intense afternoon sun can be detrimental to its leaves and flowers.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the Camellia Japonica care requirements are relatively low. It needs consistent moisture, acidic soil, and protection from harsh afternoon sun.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your Tricolor Camellia live plant will arrive healthy and green, carefully packaged to ensure its safe transit. We recommend planting it soon after arrival.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this Camellia? A: The optimal time for planting most Camellias is in mid to late spring, after the danger of hard frost has passed. Summer and early fall are also suitable as long as proper care is provided.
• Q: Will this winter blooming camellia survive winter in my zone? A: This Camellia is hardy in USDA Zones 7a-10a. If you are in a colder zone, it’s best to grow it in a container and move it indoors during freezing temperatures.
• Q: Does this Camellia attract deer? A: The ‘Tricolor Perfecta’ Camellia is known to be deer resistant, making it a good choice for gardens where deer are a concern.
• Q: What kind of soil does an acid soil camellia prefer? A: It thrives in well-drained, moist, and acidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. Amending soil with organic material like compost or pine bark is beneficial.