Plant of the Week: Scented camellias

Their smell is matched only by their beautiful, enticing blooms

Camellias are among our most treasured flowering evergreens, beguiling us with exotic-looking, intricately sculptured flowers in shades of red, pink and white in bloom now.

Some have a delicate fragrance, varying from that of apple blossom to the sweet aroma of freesias. Most are hybrids rather than straight species, although

Camellia grijsii is the most scented. Another fragrant species, C.

lutchuensis, is widely used in breeding to create perfumed offspring. There are also scented autumn-flowering varieties, such as those produced from smallflowered, shrubby C. sasanqua.

This mixture of hybrids results in plants with varied habits of growth, size and shape of flowers, offering a diversity of use in the garden, from growing in pots, planting in narrow borders or training against walls.

Camellias prefer moist, but well-drained acid soils in shade. Although most are hardy, they do best in a sheltered spot, ideally where frosts or cold wind can’t damage flowers or new growth.

They’ll grow in the shade of buildings and beneath trees, as long as the tree roots don’t compete too much. They struggle in chalky soils, becoming chlorotic with pale yellow foliage, and are best grown in containers using an ericaceous compost.

Camellias are problem-free in the main, needing little pruning except to keep wayward growth in check. Plants in pots should be kept watered, especially in summer, and fed with a balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring.