Camellias at the Missouri Botanical Garden Introduction Our Collection The Linnean House Indoor Camellias Hardy Camellias Camellia 'April Dawn'

Hardy Camellias in St. Louis

Camellias originate from subtropical regions in China, Japan, and neighboring countries. They love warm, wet summers and moderately cold, dry winters. However, the Garden has been testing new cultivars of hardy camellias for outdoor bloom to see if they would survive St. Louis winters.

In 2006, we planted Camellia oleifera ‘Lushan Snow,’ C. ‘Winter’s Joy,’ ‘Winter’s Star,’ and ‘Snow Flurry’ in the English Woodland Garden. These plants were protected with a burlap “cage” and covered with dry leaves the first winter and were left uncovered during the second winter. ‘Lushan Snow’ died after its second winter; the others suffered a little dieback after the first winter, but managed to flower a little in late 2007.

In spring 2007, several cultivars of Camellia japonica—‘Spring’s Promise,’ ‘April Tryst,’ ‘April Snow,’ and ‘April Dawn’—were planted in the English Woodland Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Chinese Garden, the Kemper Center For Home Gardening, and the Boxwood Garden. Plants in the Japanese and Boxwood gardens were covered; the rest were left unprotected. All survived their first winter (2007-8) relatively unscathed with only a few plants showing a little leaf burn. Many plants flowered in December 2007 and went on to flower again the following spring.

Minimum temperatures experienced over the last two winters were +5 to +7 degrees F, however 2008-9 is shaping up to be colder. Most of the cultivars we are trialing are purported to be hardy to -5 to -15 degrees F. The 2007 plants were much larger than those planted in 2006, which could account for the increased vigor. We will be watching their performance this spring to see if they flower in April.

Camellias at the Missouri Botanical Garden
Introduction      Our Collection      The Linnean House      Indoor Camellias      Hardy Camellias