Lady Vansittart Camellia

Camellia japonica 'Lady Vansittart'

Lady Vansittart Camellia is an upright evergreen  shrub with glossy deep green leaves and highly variable blooms.  The semi-double flowers with wavy petals can be white or flushed pink and may or may not have random red fleck, speckles, or stripes and contrasting yellow stamen.  Various combinations can appear on the same plant and the blooms last from late winter in mid spring  attracting butterflies.  Best blooms occur in  partial sun and acidic, well-drained soil.  

MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Medium maintenance. Too much water retention can increase susceptibility to fungal diseases, including root rot, black mold, blight, canker, anthracnose, and leaf spots.  Watch for aphids and spider mites.   Yellowing leaves indicate acidity too low. Fertilize monthly in spring and summer. If desired, remove all but one bud from each cluster to increase the size of the flower. Prune immediately after flowering.

LANDSCAPE USES: Accents or Group Plantings,  Borders,  Woodland Gardens,  Wildlife Gardens,  Naturalized Areas,  Screening, Foundation Plantings, Hedges, and Containers.

COMPANION PLANTS:  Fern,  Forsythia,  Azalea

IMAGES:  Acabashi,  Camellia japonica 'Lady Vansittart' at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex, England,  CC BY-SA 4.0, (2)  Acabashi,  Camellia japonica 'Lady Vansittart' flower at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex, England 01, CC BY-SA 4.0,  Photo set by  Leonora (Ellie) Enking, (3) Camellia japonica 'Lady Vansittart' (4)   Camellia japonica 'Lady Vansittart', (5)  Camellia japonica 'Lady Vansittart'

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown