Characteristics
| Hardiness zone | 6b |
|---|---|
| Flower color | crimson |
| Foliage type | evergreen |
| Plant form | upright spreading |
| Mature height | 8 feet |
| Spread | 5 feet |
| Light requirements | full sun to shade |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | import |
Jacks Camellia
Botanical name: Camellia japonica ‘Jacks’
Lustrous evergreen foliage cover this upright, rounded shrub; large, elegant, crimson and pink double blooms from late winter to early spring; provide rich, acidic, moist, well-drained soil; excellent winter hardiness.
Other names: Japanese Camellia, Common Camellia
Ornamental Features
Jacks Camellia features showy crimson round flowers with pink overtones at the ends of the branches from late winter to early spring. It has dark green foliage. The glossy pointy leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.
Landscape Attributes
Jacks Camellia is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Jacks Camellia is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Accent, Mass Planting, Hedges/Screening, General Garden Use, Container Planting
Planting and Growing
Jacks Camellia will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.
This shrub performs well in both full sun and full shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Jacks Camellia makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
