Camellia 'Oki-no-nami' (Camellia japonica), originating from Japan, decorates its light pink, semi-double flowers with red stripes and speckles, which give it a variegated and very ornate appearance. The flowers reach up to 10 cm in diameter from March; growth habit is loose and upright. Winter hardiness is good to very good (hardiness zone 8a: -12 °C).

General information on Japanese Camellia: The evergreen shrubs with the glossy, leathery dark green leaves love semi-shady places and acidic, well drained but moist, humus-rich soil as well as acidic fertilizers (e.g. rhododendron fertilizer). Their thick flower buds are already formed from (late) summer, ripen from about September until flowering in February/March/April at 0 to 10 °C, and open in cool places around 10 °C. If the temperature is too high, the buds will fall off before they open: Japanese Camellias are not houseplants! But they are wonderful winter garden plants, which rightly bear the nickname "Roses of Winter". Or – due to their surprisingly high winter hardiness, depending on the variety – they can be planted out as permanent guests in the garden, protected from the winter sun with a shade net or fleece. When planted in the garden, flowering starts (depending on the weather) a few weeks later than potted Camellia in a conservatory.

Quality: pink flowers with red speckles and stripes, semi-double flowers; evergreen & glossy leaves; loose and upright growth habit; good to very good hardiness

Use: planted in the garden; in pots from March/April outdoors in a semi-shaded place - during winter in an unheated room; all year in an unheated or rarely heated conservatory