Camellia 'Tama Glitters'

Camellia 'Tama Glitters' is an evergreen shrub offering year-round interest. Camellias are ranked as one of the very best flowering shrubs and bloom heavily for weeks when most flowering plants are going dormant. 'Tama Glitters' sets medium to large, red semidouble blooms with white margins, early to mid season. Borne in clusters, the flowers have a loose peony form with a very cool stamen structure and make lovely indoor displays.

A Camellia japonica, also known as a Japanese camellia, 'Tama Glitters' is a woody broadleaved shrub with a shapely upright, spreading habit of handsome, leathery, glossy, dark green foliage and a slow growth rate. It is a perfect specimen, but grouped or massed, it creates gorgeous shrub borders, informal hedges, and screens, and it's a great background structure for landscapes and mixed beds.

Camellia 'Tama Glitters' prefers dappled sun to part shade and acidic, organically rich, consistently moist but well-drained soil with a slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Less sun tolerant but slightly cold hardier than Camellia sasanqua, Camellia japonica should be protected from direct afternoon sun and cold winds, and roots should be protected with an application of mulch.

Most camellias can grow into small trees reaching heights of 12 to 16 feet, but they can be pruned (after blooming) to maintain a height of 6 to 8 feet.