Camellia japonica Stromboli® - Japanese Camellia

The Camellia japonica 'Stromboli' is a particularly attractive variety with its flowering, both very graphic and of a bright colour. This bush of medium size with an upright habit carries beautiful shiny dark green foliage. Evergreen, it proves to be decorative all year round and forms a perfect setting for spring flowering. From March, it blooms with superb very double flowers, with corollas arranged in very geometric rosettes. Their vivid red hue, rather dark, contrasts beautifully with the dark vegetation and captures attention in the garden. Rather hardy for a Japanese Camellia, this variety adapts to container culture if the soil is chalky and does not allow its cultivation in the ground.

The Camellia is the most important genus in terms of species in the small family of Theaceae, and also has both economic and cultural value through tea, made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. Some other ornamental genera are part of the family, like the not widely spread Stewartia which combines the appeal of a beautiful flowering, flamboyant autumnal colours, and decorative bark. Originally from Japan and Korea, and cultivated in China for over 4700 years (under the reign of Emperor Chen-Nung), the Camellia japonica forms in these regions a large bush or even a small tree 10 to 15 m high. It is adorned with leathery, ovate leaves, measuring 7 to 10 cm in length, in a glossy dark green. The red flowers are solitary, almost sessile (without a floral peduncle), and measure 6 to 10 cm in diameter. Officially introduced as a young plant in England in 1739 by Baron Robert James Petre, but probably even earlier in the form of seeds, the Japanese Camellia became very fashionable as a winter garden plant during the first half of the 19th century. In 1840, there were nearly 1500 horticultural varieties!
The work of breeders continues to this day, and 'Stromboli' is proof of this. This very recent variety comes from a Breton nursery specialised in the genus and stands out for the beauty and colour of its flowers. This bush with a distinctly upright habit has a much more modest development than the botanical species, since, after 10 years of cultivation, it generally reaches 1.40 m in height by 80 cm in width. Its foliage is truly ornamental, composed of ovate leaves, pointed at the end, in a very shiny dark green. The young shoots emerge in a slightly bronze green, which pleasantly contrasts with the young mahogany brown branches. This dark vegetation is, as is often the case with Camellias, a blessing, as it enhances the flowering like a jewellery box, so true it is that the flowers are real gems. Appearing in March and blooming until April-May, the floral corollas are formed of very numerous petals. The young flower has a kind of central cone formed of petals curled around each other and surrounded by well-opened petals on the periphery, giving a slight resemblance to a tea rose overall. When fully open, the flower appears formed of petals imbricated in a way that designs a very graphic and extremely aesthetic rosette. The spectacle of the flowering bush is magnificent and fascinating, both because of the beauty of the corollas and their slightly dark intense red colour, shining like volcano lava.

The Japanese Camellia 'Stromboli' will be at ease in a rather mild Atlantic climate and not too cold in winter, although it tolerates frost down to about -14°C. It is demanding in terms of soil, not tolerating chalk and must be grown in a pot if it cannot benefit from a tendency towards acidic, humus-bearing, and fresh soil. In regions that are well suited to its cultivation, provide it with the shade of taller plants, which will both protect it from too much sun and maintain a certain atmospheric humidity due to their transpiration. Perfect in a heather soil bed, you can plant it alongside Fragrant Rhododendrons and Azaleas that will not only compensate for its lack of fragrance but also play with a wide range of flowering colours. For the summer, add some Hydrangeas, like Hydrangea serra 'Empress Eugenie', with a slightly wider than tall habit, which will delight you not only with its abundant flowering in changing shades but also with pretty autumnal leaf colourations. And for the winter, go for the Witch Hazels which, placed in the background, will warm up your bed in autumn with their flamboyant hues and surprise you in winter with their curious filamentous flowers of spider-like grace.