Pure - camellia color

Camellias are showy, relatively simple-to-grow flowering evergreens that usually grow 6 to 15 feet tall. They are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 7 through 9, with some cultivars that are hardy in the cooler regions of zone 6 or the warmer climate of zone 10. Although more than 250 species exist, some of most well-known species of the flower include the spring-blooming Camellia japonica and the fall-blooming Camellia sasangua. Although many cultivars offer striation or multicolored blooms, most camellias bloom in one of three colors.

Pink

1. Gardeners looking to add a splash of pink to the garden can choose from quite a few varieties of camellia with pink flowers. Light pink camellias include Camellia japonica “April Remembered,” a fast-growing variety that blooms with blush-colored flowers. Another light pink option is C. japonica “Debutante," an early to mid-season bloomer with peony-like, light pink flowers. Medium pink cultivars include C. sasanqua "Cleopatra," which blooms with rosy-pink flowers. Gardeners looking for vivid pink flowers can choose from more intensely colored cultivars such as C. japonica "Guilio Nuccio," a midseason bloomer with coral-pink blooms.

Red

1. Camellia sasanqua "Yuletide" blooms with small, single flowers with vivid red petals and a yellow center. Other bright red flowering camellias include C. sasanqua "Bonanza," a low-growing variety that blooms in early autumn with scarlet-colored flowers. C. japonica "Spring's Promise" is an early bloomer that often fills the late winter garden with red flowers. Some larger flowering options include C. japonica "Kramer's Supreme," a sun-tolerant camellia that blooms with red, peony-like flowers, or C. japonica "Glen 40," a mid-to-late season bloomer with dark red double flowers.

White

1. Like its name implies, the late blooming Camellia japonica "Purity," has pristine, white flowers. Other white-blooming camellias include C. japonica "Swan Lake," which has blossoms with luminous white flowers. It is a mid-to-late season bloomer with double or peony-form flowers. C. sasanqua "Setsugekka" blooms with large white flowers featuring fluted petals. C. sasanqua "White Doves" blooms with bright white, peony-form flowers. It is slow-growing and shorter than many other types; it reaches heights of 4 to 5 feet, making it ideal for use in gardens that don't have a lot of space.

Multicolored

1. Multicolored camellias may have striated petals, variegation or different colored tips or outer petals. For example, Camellia japonica "Chandleri Elegans" blooms with rosy-pink flowers with white variegation on each petal. Some other multicolored options include C. japonica "Jordan's Pride," a midseason bloomer that features pink flowers with white tips and steaks of dark pink. C. sasanqua "Kanjiro" features large, rosy-colored pink flowers that feature red edges.

• Garden
  Design
• Planting
  Ideas
• Growing
  Plants
• Flowers and
  Plants
• Plant
  Finder
• Create Account
• Create Your Garden
• Become a Merchant
• Become a Designer
• Login

1. Home
2. Plant Selection Guides
3. Most Fragrant Camellias

Camellia sasanqua, Camellia lutchuensis hybrids, camellia species

Cherished for their masses of magnificent flowers and their luxuriant, evergreen foliage, Camellias are, without a doubt, one of the most desirable plants to grow. Blooming for weeks from fall to spring (depending on climate and variety), they reward gardeners with exquisite blooms of striking shapes and color at a time of year when the rest of the garden offers little. 

However, the luscious blooms of most camellias bear no scent. 

• A number of camellia species have a desirable fragrance, but lack desirable size, color and flower form. To name a few, Camellia dubia, Camellia  euphlebia, Camellia  forrestii, Camellia fraterna, Camellia furfuracea, Camellia gracilipes, Camellia grijsii, Camellia handelii, Camellia henryana, Camellia kissi, Camellia lutchuensis, Camellia melliana, Camellia miyagii, Camellia nemotodea, Camellia nitidissima, Camellia oleifra, Camellia salcifollia, Camellia synaptica, Camellia tsaii, Camellia yuhsiensis and Camellia yunnanensis.
• Beginning in the early 1960s, efforts were made using the most scented species, Camellia lutchuensis, to incorporate floral fragrance into commercially acceptable cultivars. Several charming Lutchuensis hybrids have been created since then for the pleasure of our eyes and noses. Most of these camellia hybrids are strong, open-growing shrubs, with small evergreen leaves, often attractively copper tinted, and bear small flowers in profusion.
• Many Camellia sasanquas emit some fragrance too, and reward us with some of the loveliest fall flowers, graceful in form and tender in color. As summer fades and the leaves begin to turn, these camellias open, with aplomb, the camellia season. The flowers, mostly single or semi-double, are not quite as large and showy as those of Camellia japonica, but they are born in great profusion. Never bigger than 3-4 in. (7-10 cm), the scented blooms feature fluted, ruffled petals and range from white through to deep pink. Each flower only lasts a couple of days before it drops its petals which makes them ill-suited for cutting. The elegant and open habit of these camellias allows them to blend beautifully with other shrubs, without dominating the way the larger leaved, denser growing camellia Japonica do.
• Among Camellia japonicas, several cultivars claim to have fragrance. Among them, Herme, Kramer's Supreme, Scentsation, Spring Sonnet and all cultivars with "Fragrant" or "Scent" in their name.

Here is a selection of fragrant camellias that could become the highlight of your fall, winter or spring garden!

Guide Information

Compare All Camellia Guides with Camellia

Picture courtesy of / 123RF Stock Photo

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Compare All Camellia Guides with Camellia

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Join Gardenia.net

Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

Join now and start creating your dream garden!

Create a New Collection

Subscribe to Gardenia.net

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of our site.

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

What is the color of Camellia?

What is the most beautiful Camellia?

Can camellias change colour?

Which is best Camellia for full shade?