Camellia japonica Traverso

Camellia japonica 'Traverso' is a variety famous for its large multicoloured flowers, pink with cream-pink stripes and marbled with carmine! This bush has the advantage of offering early flowering and evergreen foliage of dark green, ornamental all year round. It develops a compact and dense upright habit of small size that is perfect for gardens with limited space, and for pot cultivation. Quite hardy and low maintenance, it is an easy-to-grow bush in all non-scorching sites, as long as it can enjoy moist, well-drained, neutral to acid soil.

The 'Traverso' Camellia is an older horticultural creation, probably Italian, dating from the 1900s. It belongs to the family of Theaceae, just like its ancestor the Camellia japonica. It is a bush with an upright, compact and dense habit that reaches about 2 m (6 to 7 ft) in height and 1.5 m (5 ft) in width. From February to early April it produces floral buds that open into large flowers, 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) in diameter, perfectly formed, composed of 40 firm, wide and rounded petals overlapping in a rosette, arranged in 9 to 10 rows. The petals in the centre of the corolla gradually reduce. The evergreen foliage is composed of large elliptical leaves, 8-9 cm (3-3.5 in) long and 4.5 cm (2 in) wide, leathery, finely dentate along the edges, dark green and slightly glossy on the upper side. While this bush is hardy down to -15°C in open ground, its floral buds can be destroyed by snow, icy wind, and temperatures below -5°C (23 °F).

The 'Traverso' Japanese Camellia prefers mild and humid climates and thrives in coastal regions, in acidic, humus-rich, and well-drained soil. It will tolerate a sunny but not scorching site in favourable climates, but it is in partial shade or even shade, protected from intense sunlight and sheltered from strong winds, that it will perform best. Plant out in the garden in e.g. a shrub border, along with other acid-loving plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Cornus Kousa, or even Kalmia Latifolia. The large variegated flowers and elegantly glossy foliage of 'Traverso' merit being planted near the entrance of the house or in a beautiful pot on the terrace, to be stored indoors in very cold climates during winter.