Stewartia pseudocamellia Koreana

The Stewartia pseudocamellia 'Koreana', sometimes nicknamed Stewartia false camellia, is a Korean cousin of the Japanese Stewartia monodelpha, related to camellias. More than just a large bush, after many years it forms a true small tree with many advantages: a multicoloured and decorative bark, a fairly long summer flowering resembling large white roses with a golden heart and elegant foliage that turns gorgeous autumnal colours before falling. Hardier than its Japanese cousin and most camellias, this Stewartia appreciates cool environments and neutral to acidic soils, but tolerates sunny exposures better if the soil remains moist. Its moderate development and slow growth allow it to fit into a garden of modest size.

The Stewartias belong to the family of tea plants. While the type species, the false camellia Stewartia, is native to the wooded mountains of Japan, the cultivar 'Koreana', as its name suggests, was selected in Korea. This plant forms a small tree with an open habit, a spread-out and airy pyramidal crown, then oval over time. Its growth is slow, reaching approximately 10 m (32 ft 10 in) in height and 6-7 m (19 ft 8 in-23 ft) in width under favorable climates, but it usually reaches 6 m (19 ft 8 in) in height and 4 m (13 ft 1 in) in width. Its smooth, brown to grey bark lightly exfoliates in thin flakes, revealing a "new skin" of beige, orange, cinnamon, or purple-brown colour. All these shades form a unique and decorative ensemble. The deciduous leaves are fairly dark green until late summer, then they take on beautiful orange to red-orange hues before falling. They are entire, ovate to obovate leaves, 3 to 9 cm (1.2 to 3.5 in) long, strongly veined and finely toothed at the edges. The flowering of this Stewartia generally begins in June and often continues for more than 2 months, until August. The solitary flowers appear in the axils of the leaves. Shaped like slightly open cups, 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2.8 in) wide, they consist of pure white petals surrounding a large heart of yellow stamens. This nectar-rich flowering gives way to numerous curious fruits: woody, brown, and hooked capsules measuring approximately 2 cm (0.8 in) in length.

A truly ornamental bush in rather humid climates, even cold in winter, the Stewartia pseudocamellia is easier to acclimate than most camellias as long as it can be provided with a neutral or slightly acidic soil that remains moist. It can be planted in the garden as a standalone specimen, or combined with other plants that prefer non-limestone soil (Rhododendron, azaleas, Hydrangea, Hamamelis) in a flowering hedge. It also deserves a clear location, slightly away from other plants so that it can be enjoyed throughout the year: at the entrance of the garden, near the house, or along a path. You can dress its base with Japanese grass, ferns, or autumn bulbs, such as colchicums or Naples cyclamens. In soil close to neutrality, it can also accompany the Venus flytrap tree, Hamamelis, Clethra barbinervis, and Fothergilla, charming shrubs that are not always considered.