Overview

Introduce an exquisite touch to your garden with the Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant. This captivating evergreen flowering shrub (Camellia japonica) is celebrated for its stunning floral display and lush, dark green foliage. ‘Dad’s Pink’ is a highly sought-after variety known for its large, double pink flowers, exquisitely striped and dappled with deeper rose markings. A central tuft of bright golden-yellow stamens provides a striking contrast, making each bloom a work of art. Flowering from late winter through early to mid-spring, this japonica camellia brings much-needed color during the cooler months, transforming your outdoor space into a vibrant sanctuary. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, this camellia offers reliable beauty and a relatively low-maintenance profile, making it a fantastic choice for a variety of landscape applications.

The Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant is a moderate grower, reaching an impressive height of 8-10 feet and a width of 5-8 feet at maturity. Its upright growth habit makes it versatile for different garden designs, from formal hedges to informal woodland settings. This particular camellia thrives in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7a-10b, showcasing its resilience across a broad range of climates. With its glossy, dark green leaves providing an evergreen backdrop, ‘Dad’s Pink’ ensures year-round visual interest even when not in bloom. Its unique flower characteristics and robust growth make it a standout addition for anyone looking to cultivate a memorable and beautiful garden.

Key Benefits

The Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant offers a multitude of benefits, making it an excellent choice for diverse garden designs and preferences. Its unique attributes contribute significantly to both aesthetic appeal and garden functionality, establishing it as a valuable asset in any landscape.

• Spectacular Winter to Spring Blooms: Enjoy large, vibrant pink double flowers from late winter to mid-spring, providing essential color when most other plants are dormant. The unique striped petals and golden stamens create a truly eye-catching display, making this evergreen flowering shrub a focal point.
• Year-Round Evergreen Foliage: Maintain visual interest in your garden throughout all seasons with its glossy, dark green leaves. This evergreen nature ensures your landscape remains lush and attractive, even in colder months, offering a consistent backdrop for other seasonal plantings.
• Versatile Landscape Use: This pink camellia shrub can be grown as a specimen plant, in groupings, as a dense hedge, or even espaliered against a wall. Its moderate growth and upright habit allow for flexible integration into various garden styles, from formal to cottage gardens.
• Low Maintenance and Resilient: Once established, this camellia requires minimal care, making it suitable for busy gardeners. It exhibits resistance to deer, drought, heat, and humidity, ensuring its longevity and beauty with less fuss.
• Attracts Visual Attention: The striking appearance of ‘Dad’s Pink’ with its large, ornate flowers naturally draws the eye, enhancing the overall beauty and curb appeal of your property. It’s a fantastic choice for creating focal points or adding dramatic flair.
• Suitable for Containers: For those in colder climates (above USDA Zone 7a) or with limited garden space, this camellia can be grown in containers and brought indoors during winter. This extends its reach and allows more gardeners to enjoy its beauty.
• Excellent Cut Flowers: The beautiful blooms can be cut and brought indoors to create stunning floral arrangements, or even floated in a bowl of water for a simple yet elegant display, bringing the garden’s beauty inside.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential to ensure your Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant thrives and produces its magnificent blooms. Understanding its specific needs will help you cultivate a healthy and vibrant specimen. Camellias generally prefer acidic soil and protection from harsh afternoon sun, which are key considerations for successful growth.

Sunlight Requirements: This japonica camellia flourishes in morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered sun throughout the day. Direct, intense afternoon sun, especially in warmer climates, can scorch its leaves and stress the plant. If planting in a hot region, aim for a location that receives 4-6 hours of morning sunlight and is protected from the harshest midday and afternoon rays. For indoor container growing, place it near a window that provides bright, indirect light.

Watering and Soil: The Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant prefers consistently moist, but well-drained soil. It’s crucial to avoid constantly soggy conditions, which can lead to root rot. Water regularly, especially during dry spells and when the plant is establishing. Reduce watering once established, as it gains some drought resistance. The ideal soil pH is between 5.0 and 6.5 (acidic). Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter to improve drainage, and sandy soils to improve water retention. A good quality, well-draining potting mix formulated for acid-loving plants is recommended for container-grown camellias. Ensure the soil remains moist but never waterlogged.

Temperature and Hardiness: This evergreen flowering shrub is hardy in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7a-10b. In Zone 7a, some winter protection might be beneficial during exceptionally cold periods. While resistant to heat and humidity, extreme temperatures (below freezing or above 90°F for extended periods) can be stressful, especially for newly planted specimens. Fertilize in late winter or early spring after flowering, using a fertilizer specifically formulated for acid-loving plants. Pruning is best done after flowering to maintain shape and remove any dead or weak branches. Watch out for common pests like scale insects or aphids and treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap if necessary. Ensuring good air circulation around the plant can help prevent fungal diseases.

Size & Details

The Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant is a moderately growing evergreen shrub that develops an upright habit. At maturity, it typically reaches a height of 8 to 10 feet and spreads 5 to 8 feet wide, depending on pruning. For creating a solid hedge, a spacing of 5 feet apart is recommended, while for individual specimens with space between plants, 10 feet or more is ideal. This camellia is shipped in a 4 inch pot, providing a healthy, established start for your garden. Its large, double pink flowers are impressive, measuring 4-5 inches in diameter, and bloom from late winter into mid-spring, offering a prolonged period of color. The plant’s dark green, glossy foliage provides year-round beauty.

This camellia is suitable for various landscape applications, including specimen planting, hedges, background plants, or even espalier. When grown as a small tree by removing lower branches, it can serve as a striking focal point. Expect the plant to establish itself within the first year, with its growth rate picking up once rooted. The plant’s moderate growth ensures it will fill out your garden space effectively without becoming unruly too quickly. Its established size offers significant visual impact, making it a valuable addition to camellia gardens, Asian gardens, cottage gardens, or woodland borders. The plant will arrive healthy and ready for planting in its new home.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant get? A: This camellia typically grows to a height of 8-10 feet and a width of 5-8 feet at maturity. Its size can be managed with pruning to fit your specific landscape needs, making it a versatile pink camellia shrub.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant is shipped in a 4 inch pot, providing a well-rooted and healthy plant ready for transplanting into your garden or a larger container.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is primarily an outdoor plant, hardy in USDA Zones 7a-10b. However, it can be grown in containers and brought indoors during winter in colder regions (above Zone 7a) to protect it from harsh freezes.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This camellia thrives in morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered sun all day. It should be protected from intense, direct afternoon sun, which can damage its foliage.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the Dad’s Pink Camellia live plant is considered low maintenance. It requires consistent moisture but good drainage and an acidic soil. It is also resistant to deer, drought, heat, and humidity.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your camellia will arrive as a healthy, live plant in a 4 inch pot, carefully packaged to ensure its safe transit and readiness for planting.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: With proper care, your camellia should begin to bloom in late winter through early to mid-spring, typically in its first or second year after planting, depending on its maturity upon arrival.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this evergreen flowering shrub? A: The optimal time for planting most camellias is in mid to late spring, after the danger of hard frost has passed. Summer and early fall are also suitable, provided the plant has enough time to establish before winter.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This japonica camellia is hardy in USDA Zones 7a-10b. If you are in Zone 7a or colder, consider providing winter protection or growing it in a container that can be moved indoors.
• Q: What’s the minimum temperature this plant can tolerate? A: While hardy to Zone 7a, which can experience temperatures down to 0°F to 5°F, it’s best to protect the plant from prolonged periods of freezing temperatures, especially when young.