Winnie

Camellia japonica ‘Bonomiana’

Common Camellia, Japanese Camellia

• 
  Easy care
• 
  Most light conditions
• 
  Flowering

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  • 
    Feeding

    Feeding with a liquid fertiliser in the late spring will help promote growth. Don't overdo it: they only need around two or three feedings between April and September. Make sure you're using an acidic blend, like ericaceous fertiliser.

  • 
    Most light conditions

    They prefer partially shaded/sheltered spot, though they'll be OK in full sun if taken care of.

  • 
    Moist soil

    They like their soil to be moist, so make sure they don't dry out.

• Quick facts

  Botanical name

  Camellia japonica ‘Bonomiana’

  Nickname

  Common Camellia, Japanese Camellia

  Plant type

  Flowering shrub, outdoor

  Plant height (including pot)

  70-80cm

  Pet/baby safe

  Yes

  Nursery pot size

  19cm

• About Camellia japonica ‘Bonomiana’

  Most of us just want to hibernate between Christmas and summer, but not Camellias - this magical garden plant blooms in the coldest months, injecting a bit of colour into those dreary winter days. Camellia ‘Bonomiana’ is an especially beautiful cultivar of this favourite garden plant, with big double flowers blending white and pale pink petals with dark pink streaks. 

  Camellias hail from East Asia, where they’ve been dazzling plant enthusiasts since way back in the day. In China, Camellias are a symbol for luck around the Chinese New Year, and have featured heavily in the country's paintings and porcelain since the 11th century. They were brought to Europe in the 18th century and have since become a classic plant in English gardens.

  Once its flowery show is over - around May/June - it's a good idea to give your Camellia a light prune. Examine your plant for weak-looking leaves and yellow buds, snipping off the ones you find. Check out our Care Guide for tips on proper pruning techniques.

  If rather than planting it out in the garden, you're growing your Camellia in a pot, you can just pop the nursery pot into your decorative pot. Your Camellia will stand a much better chance of growing well if you plant it out into some fresh compost directly into the decorative pot, as long as it has drainage holes at the bottom. This will allow more room for its roots to spread and it will dry out less quickly, meaning less frequent watering for you! Camellias like acidic soil though so be sure to use ericaceous compost. If you plant it in normal multi-purpose compost, it's likely to start looking a bit yellow and nutrient deficient with time. Either way, be sure to repot your plant every couple of years, by which time it's likely to be rootbound and to have used up all of the nutrients in its existing compost.

  Did you know?

  While we grow it as an ornamental garden plant, the leaves of Camellias contain caffeine and have been used by the Japanese for centuries to make tea. We wouldn’t recommend it – we don’t know the secret to their brew.