Camellia x reticulata Lovely Lady

The Camellia reticulata 'Lovely Lady' truly lives up to its name, as its flowering is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in its genus. This variety produces large flowers with numerous petals in late winter, forming very full corollas with a highly graphic aesthetic. Emitted abundantly, the pearly pink flowers visually stand out against the dark green background, attracting all eyes in the garden at this time of year. Their romantic charm heralds spring in the most delightful way. With a somewhat limited hardiness, this Camellia will thrive in cool oceanic climates, with not too cold winters. It requires a slightly acidic soil, moist enough while being well-drained, and a semi-shaded exposure.

The Camellia belongs to the Theaceae family, to which it confers high cultural and economic importance through the Camellia sinensis species, whose leaves are used to produce tea. This small plant family consists of only about ten genera, some ornamental like the Stewartia pseudocamellia, relatively unknown but very ornamental with its flowers resembling those of certain Camellias, its superb autumnal colours, and decorative bark. According to botanical classifications, there are between 100 and 250 Camellia species, the most well-known being C. japonica, imported to England in 1739 and highly fashionable in the first half of the 19th century. The Camellia reticulata, on the other hand, is appreciated for its flowers, the largest in its genus. It is found naturally in the Yunnan province (south of China), in a humid subtropical climate. It grows in mountainous areas up to an altitude of 3000 m, and can form a small tree of 10 m in height or more.
The Camellia 'Lovely Lady' will exhibit a much more modest development in our regions. This variety is attributed to the Australian breeder Edgar R. Sebire, from Wanding North (near Melbourne). Between 1969 and 1989, this enthusiast registered over 60 new varieties of his favourite bush, including hybrids of C. japonica, C. reticulata, C. sasanqua (Autumn Camellias), C. saluensis, and others... Most were what are called "lucky seedlings," meaning young plants selected for their differences (mutation or other) within a seedling. 'Lovely Lady' is a fine example of this, originating from an initial seedling of C. reticulata 'Pink Sparkle', an American variety with very large semi-double pink flowers (14 cm in diameter). The first plant bloomed in 1979 and this new variety was registered two years later for market release.
'Lovely Lady' forms a medium-sized bush, with an upright habit and very dense vegetation. A plant generally reaches approximately 1.40 m in height and 1.10 m in width after 10 years of cultivation in our climates, but New Zealand nurserymen report larger dimensions in their latitudes, around 3 m in height and 2.5 m in spread. The numerous branches with brown bark bear elongated elliptical leaves, measuring 12 cm in length and 5 cm in width, carried by short petioles. Finely toothed on the edges, the leaves are a very dark green, with a glossy, almost shiny surface. Evergreen, they are ornamental throughout the seasons and beautifully complement the flowering period, which occurs between February and April. Very abundant, the flowers have an impressive diameter of up to 12 cm, and their beautiful pearly pink hue contrasts superbly against the dark foliage. Very double, the corollas consist of approximately 70 petals, which almost manage, by their number, to conceal the yellow stamen core. The flowers are absolutely stunning, rivalling the most beautiful roses, visually at least since they are devoid of fragrance.

The Camellia 'Lovely Lady' deserves its place in Atlantic coastal regions, in acidic, humus-bearing, well-drained soil. Plant it at the edge of trees to protect it from the sun, and accompany it with other ornamental plants with similar needs to create a superb flowering massif. The Magnolia laevifolia 'Achteraan' with its dark green foliage will take over from your Camellia with its fragrant creamy white flowers blooming in April and May. To create a foliage contrast, plant in the foreground of your massif a Pieris japonica 'Little Heath' with lanceolate leaves of a lighter green edged with white, and whose young shoots emerge in pink hues in spring. Much larger, the Rhododendron ponticum 'Variegatum' also offers very beautiful white variegated foliage, coupled with a bountiful mauve flowering in May-June. Place it in the background, alongside a Acer palmatum 'Trompenburg', a superb Japanese Maple with deeply cut foliage ranging from bright red to purple depending on the seasons, thus creating a scene of high ornamental quality.