Camellia japonica de Higo Okan

The 'Okan' Camellia is part of a group of Japanese camellias originating from the Japanese province of Higo. All of these varieties are renowned for the beauty of their large flowers with prominent stamens for which the Samurai held a deep admiration. 'Okan', a compact variety, is adorned with large, single, white flowers, more or less edged with cherry red. Its early and prolonged flowering appears on foliage of glossy dark green, elegant throughout the year. It is grown, like other Japanese camellias, in open ground or in a container, in partial shade, in a cool, slightly acidic soil, and even blooms in dense shade.

The Higo Camellia 'Okan' belongs to the family of Theaceae, like its ancestor Camellia japonica. It is a bushy, branched shrub that reaches about 80 cm (32 in) in all directions by the age of 10. From February to April it produces large, rounded floral buds. They open into flowers measuring 10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 in) in diameter, cup-shaped, composed of 5 to 6 wide, rounded petals surrounding a centre with no less than 150 to 200 long, pale yellow stamens. The foliage, which persists throughout the year, consists of large, elliptical leaves, 10 cm (4 in) long by 5 cm (2 in) wide, leathery, finely toothed along the edges. Their colour is a dark, glossy green on the upper side. While this shrub is hardy down to -15 °C in open ground, its floral buds can be destroyed by snow, icy wind, and temperatures below -5 °C.

Camellia japonica 'Okan' favours rather mild and humid climates and thrives in coastal regions, in acidic, humus-rich, well-drained soil. It requires a partially shaded to shaded site, sheltered from strong, drying winds. It can be planted e.g. in a shrub bed, alongside other acid-loving plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Cornus Kousa, Hamamelis or even Kalmia Latifolia. But it would be a shame to drown this variety in a tangle of foliage or flowers. It deserves a special place, near the entrance of the house or in a beautiful pot on the terrace, to be stored away in winter in very cold climates.

A bit of history: In Japan, the camellia is called "tsubaki". The samurai made the flower of the 'Higo tsubaki' - which grows in the shade of the forests on the northwest coast of Honshu - their prestigious emblem, most likely because its flower has a "generous heart", in line with their own courage. The Higo camellia varieties were given poetic names by these formidable warriors, including "Scented Snowstorm","Path of the Great Gate", "White Falcon", and "Pearl Light".