Camellia japonica Dainty California

Camellia japonica 'Dainty California' is an American variety notable for its vigour, as well as its rather early, semi-double and beautifully bicoloured flowering. The flowers are all slightly different and their colours evolve as they age, leaning more towards pink before falling to the ground. Often white corollas streaked with red-pink, but also sometimes washed with pink and speckled or veined with dark pink, perfectly highlighted by beautiful glossy dark green foliage. They bloom in late winter and early spring, on a bushy shrub that can be grown in both pots and gardens, always in partial shade, in acidic and moist soil. 

The 'Dainty California' Camellia, developed in the United States in 1945 through mutation of the Tricolor Camellia, belongs to the family of Theaceae. It is a shrub with a slightly upright bushy habit, almost as wide as it is tall, which will reach about 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in height and 1.30 m (4 ft 4 in) in width after 10 years. At full maturity, it will reach a height of 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in) under good growing conditions. Earlier or later depending on the climate, from January to March-April, it produces flowers with a diameter of 8 to 10 cm (3.2 to 4 in), semi-double, full of charm and very unusual. Each flower is streaked or spotted to some degree with red-pink or medium pink, on a pale pink or white background. Beautiful golden yellow stamens appear in the centre of the flower at full bloom. The foliage, which persists throughout the year, consists of large elliptical leaves, 10 cm (3.9 in) long and 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in) wide, leathery, finely dentate on the edges, dark green and glossy on the upper surface. While this shrub is hardy down to -14°C in the ground, its flower buds can be destroyed by snow, icy winds and temperatures below -5°C (23 °F).

The 'Dainty California' Japanese Camellia prefers mild and humid climates and thrives in coastal regions, in acidic, humus-rich and well-drained soil. In terms of exposure, it will tolerate not-too-strong sun in favourable climates, but gives its best in partial shade or even shade, protected from intense sunlight and sheltered from strong winds. In the garden you might plant it in a shrub bed, alongside other acid-loving plants like Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Cornus kousa or even Kalmia latifolia. However, it would be a shame to drown this exceptional variety, with its unique charm, in a tangle of foliage or flowers. It deserves a special site, near the entrance of the house, or in a beautiful pot on the terrace, to be stored away in winter in very cold climates.