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Shrubs

Camellia 'Free Spirit'

camellia 'Free Spirit'

An upright, compact reasonably vigorous evergreen shrub with an open habit and dark green foliage. Showy, dark red, double flowers with many layers of overlapping, symmetrical petals appear over a long period from January through until April.

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full shade
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or West–facing or North–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Theaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy, Columnar upright
Genus: Camellia are evergreen shrubs with simple, ovate, glossy, leathery leaves and showy flowers with solitary or clustered flowers early in the year
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Suitable for woodland and acidic soils. Position in a site sheltered from cold, dry winds and early morning sun as buds and flowers may be damaged by cold winds and late frosts see camellia cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, scale insects and vine weevil

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), phytophthora root rot, camellia gall, camellia leaf blight, camellia yellow mottle virus and flowers and camellia petal blight

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