Camellia japonica Coquetti

Camellia 'Coquetti' perfectly embodies the Japanese Camellia of a gardeners' imagination. This ancient French variety, a timeless classic, offers large double flowers in perfect rosettes of intense red, on a dense foliage of dark green and glossy leaves. Its dazzling flowering is rather late for a Japanese Camellia, blooming from March to May on a sturdy and vigorously growing bush. It is a reliable choice, very beautiful in a pot on a terrace, and always highly appreciated in gardens with mild and humid climates.

Camellia 'Coquetti', introduced in France around 1839 and awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1956, belongs to the family of Theaceae. It is a branching shrub with a bushy and rounded habit, which will reach approximately 2.25 m (7 ft) in height and 1.75 m (6 ft) in width at maturity (after 15 to 20 years) depending on the growing conditions. From March to May, it produces very large rounded flower buds. They open into perfectly formed flowers measuring 10 to 11 cm (3 to 4 in) in diameter, composed of numerous broad and rounded petals, regularly overlapping, of intense red, slightly smaller and darker at the heart of the flower. Under certain climatic conditions the flowers may be incompletely double and show some yellow stamens. The foliage is evergreen, the large elliptical leaves measure 8 cm (3 in) in length by 4.5 cm (2 in) in width. They are tough, finely dentate at the edges, dark green and glossy on the upper side. While this shrub is hardy down to -15°C (5 °F) in the ground, its flower buds can be destroyed by snow, freezing winds and temperatures below -5°C (23 °F).

Camellia 'Coquetti' prefers rather mild and humid climates and thrives in coastal regions, in acidic, humus-rich and well-drained soil. It will tolerate exposure to full, not-too-strong sun in favourable climates, but it is in partial shade or even shade, protected from intense sunlight and sheltered from strong winds, that it will give its best. In the garden it works well in a shrub border, together with other acid-loving plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Cornus Kousa or Kalmia Latifolia. However, to fully enjoy this timeless and elegant variety, find it a special site near the entrance of the house, or in a beautiful pot on a terrace (to be stored indoors during winter in colder climates).