7 classic white camellias

Camellia ‘Botanyuki’: a small bush with graceful flowering

The classic camellia ‘Botanyuki’ appeals to us for its compact size, forming an adorable bush of 1 metre in all directions. It fits perfectly into small spaces, urban gardens, or pots.

Its flowering occurs between late winter and early spring, from February to April. It then adorns itself with delicate small double flowers measuring 8 cm, shaped like peonies. They are a cream-white enhanced by salmon hues, beautifully highlighted by the dark green glossy foliage.

‘Botanyuki’ can be used as a standalone feature to brighten up a lawn. In a large container, it can be grown alongside winter heathers to complement its flowering (Erica x darleyensis ‘Kramer’s Rote’,  ‘Eva Gold’ or ‘Spring Surprise’) or summer heathers to take over in the beautiful season.

Camellia ‘Botanyuki’

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Cindy’: a spicy fragrance

As with all wild camellias, ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ has a looser yet elegant silhouette, ideal for creating beautiful flowering hedges.

From January to April, it produces a myriad of small pink buds. These then open to reveal double white flowers with pinkish hues, resembling graceful little peonies. Its name refers to the fragrance of its flowers, which emit a sweet, spicy scent with notes of cinnamon.

The foliage is initially coppery at the bud burst period, before taking on olive-green hues.

This bush grows rapidly, reaching 1.5 metres in height and 80 cm in spread.

It tolerates sunny, non-scorching exposures and offers a less sophisticated and more natural ambiance than Japanese camellias.

Pair ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ with a chionanthus or snow tree to take over the flowering and create a beautiful romantic scene. Also consider a pink deutzia to add a splash of colour.

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Cindy’

Camellia japonica ‘Margaret Davis’: an original flowering

The Japanese camellia ‘Margaret Davis’ enchants us with its flowering: it boasts large, double widely rounded flowers resembling peonies. The iridescent milky-white petals are irregularly marginate with bright pink. A true spectacle from February to April!

Its upright silhouette, with a columnar habit, reaches 1.5 metres in height and 1 metre in spread.

Grow ‘Margaret Davis’ near pathways, on the terrace or balcony, where it will illuminate the area for several weeks. You can also pair it with perennials or bushes in similar colour tones to create a magnificent gradient of pinks. Consider fuchsias, hardy geraniums, hybrid lilies or bleeding hearts.

Camellia japonica ‘Margaret Davis’ (photo Leonora Enking – Flickr)

Camellia ‘Jurys Yellow’: real little white pom-poms

The classic camellia ‘Jurys Yellow’ features unique semi-double flowers measuring 6 to 7 cm in diameter. They showcase a first row of petals, revealing a tightly packed centre made up of frilled and crinkled petals. Truly little pom-poms! In terms of colour, our camellia offers a cream-white enhanced by pale yellow at the centre. Flowering occurs between February and April.

This bush reaches a height of 1.3 metres at ripeness with a spread of 70 cm.

‘Jurys Yellow’ will brighten up the semi-shaded areas of the garden. Pair it with other heather soil shrubs, such as rhododendrons and azaleas, skimmias, or even Japanese Andromeda. Hydrangeas can complete this picture, blooming in blue or mauve tones in acidic soil.

Camellia japonica ‘Jury’s Yellow’

Camellia ‘Dahlonega’: small size but great refinement

The Classic Camellia ‘Dahlonega’ is a white variety that flowers in spring, between February and April. It produces stunning double flowers measuring 7 cm. Their colour is white with an ivory hue, revealing a pale yellow centre. A true touch of softness as winter fades away!

Its small size of 1 metre in height and 80 cm in spread allows it to fit anywhere in the garden: in pots, in small spaces, in borders, or at the front of a shrub hedge. It will also look wonderful accompanied by small spring bulbs at its feet, such as mini daffodils, crocuses, tulips, cyclamen, or muscari, whose colours will be enhanced by our camellia.

Camellia ‘Dahlonega’

Camellia japonica ‘Nobilissima’: an early variety with a very long flowering period

The Japanese camellia ‘Nobilissima’ surprises with the length of its flowering period. Early-blooming, this variety begins to showcase its flowers from November through to March.

It reveals well-double 8 cm peony-shaped flowers, offering a pristine white simply accented by a small yellow centre. The glossy dark green foliage serves as a backdrop to this gentle flowering.

Unlike other varieties, this vigorous camellia offers rapid growth. Its rounded shape reaches approximately 1.5 metres in all directions.

Thanks to its early flowering, it allows for the creation of long-flowering borders. Pair ‘Nobilissima’ with autumn sasanqua camellias, either in monochrome scenes or in harmonious shades of pink and white.

Camellia japonica ‘Nobilissima’

Camellia japonica ‘Cinnamon Scentsation’: a later and fragrant flowering

The wild camellia ‘Cinnamon Scentsation’ is a variety with a very natural style. Its single flowers display a delicate cream-white, subtly shaded with pink, highlighted by a nest of golden stamens. The foliage is a rather light green.

Just like ‘Cinnamon Cindy’, of which it is thought to be a spontaneous mutation, its flowering exudes a spicy, sweet, and indulgent cinnamon fragrance.

Its flowering is later than the previously listed camellias, occurring in March-April and extending into May.

This shrub reaches a height of 1.5 metres and a width of 1 metre and will find its place in a beautiful flowering bed. Pair it with oriental hellebores, daphnes, and a creeping gaultheria in the foreground, which will take over the flowering and adorn the bed with its fruits in winter.

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Scentsation’