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Shrubs

Camellia sinensis

tea plant

A slow-growing, tender, large, upright evergreen shrub, with dark-green, lance-shaped, toothed leaves. It has fragrant, white, single flowers with many golden-yellow stamens in autumn and winter. If you drink tea, black, or green, this is the plant it comes from. Commercially grown plants are pruned to a height of 1.2m, to facilitate picking

Other common names

tea tree

Synonyms

Camellia thea
Camellia sinensis thea
see moreThea sinensis

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Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

North–facing or South–facing or West–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: Correct
Plant range: China

How to grow

Cultivation

Choose a shady, sheltered site with acid soil that is fertile, moist, but well-drained. Plant shallowly, and mulch with bark or leaf mould. Buds and flowers should be protected from cold dry winds. Don't allow to dry out. Fertilise mid-spring and early summer. See camellia cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, soak seed prior to sowing, sow when ripe under glass. Can also be propogated via hardwood and semi-hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 8. Requires little pruning. Removal of damaged, dead, or diseased branches is best done after flowering

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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