Camellia ‘Winter’s Charm’ – mountain bound! – 2011 Showstopper Plant

The 2011 Showstopper Plants have been selected by The North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association and North Carolina and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

Each year, North Carolina nurserymen nominate Showstopper Plants and five are selected by North Carolina Cooperative Extension horticulture experts.

These featured plants are promising new cultivars, able to thrive in North Carolina gardens.

Name:  Camellia ‘Winter’s Charm’

Zones:  6 – 9

Size:  7 feet tall by 4 – 5 feet wide

Conditions: Light shade; moist, well-drained soil.

Long gracing the south, Camellias have charmed our winter gardens with character to inspire and flowers to beguile.  An evergreen shrub providing privacy in all season, as well as, cover for wildlife, Camellias, add particular value in the winter when they are in bloom.

Thanks to the breeding efforts of Dr. William Ackerman of the U.S. National Arboretum, a new “winter series” of Camellias are now mountain bound!  Tolerant of low temperatures down in zone 6, the  Ackerman hybrids can now also grace the mountains of North Carolina.

Look for the name, “winter series” for cold hardy cultivars such as Camellia ‘Winter’s Charm’ ‘Winter’s Interlude’ and Winter’s Star’, and ‘Winter’s Waterlily’. Another name give away are varieties such as  ‘Pink Icicle’ and ‘Snow Flurry’.

2011 Showstopper Plant winners:

Camellia ‘Winter’s Charm

Venus Sweetshrub

Japanese Plum Yew

Climbing Hydrangea

Kousa Dogwood

Photo Credit:  Mark Weathington and featured at the Extension Gardener.

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association