Be sure to use a well drained soil medium when planting any Camellia as they prefer less watering than you might think. In NC our soil is clay so we prefer to use pine bark soil conditioner when planting Camellia, Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, and Azalea.
April Snow Camellia
Camellia japonica 'April Snow'
Since it stormed the landscape scene of North America in the 1920’s, the camellia has been a popular member of the southern garden, with its strong evergreen structure and amazing bloom variety. But since most camellia are zoned 7-9, their beauty and versatility are lost to those who live in the colder northern regions of the country, unless you have a heated greenhouse. Monrovia has been working to remedy that with its latest introduction of a more cold-tolerant camellia: ‘April Snow’ Camellia Japonica. ‘April Snow’ sports fragrant rose-form, white, double flowers, each 3-4” in diameter (BIG!), blooming in early April. It shows more cold tolerance than other japonicas, growing well in zone 6b (if in a very protected site, like the south side of a home, you might could push it to zone 6a). This evergreen shrub is slow-growing, with a mature shape taller than it is wide, with glossy green leaves up to 3” long. ‘April Snow’ would look lovely as a tall screening hedge (trim immediately after bloom to not impact next year’s bud set) or to add height in a partial shade garden bed.