Japanese Camellia Camellia japonica Man Size

Despite the name, Man Size is a miniature. The blooms are small white anemone form flowers with a tufted centre, held on a neat, densely branched bush with leaves noticeably smaller than a standard japonica's. That reduced scale is the whole point. It puts a camellia into a courtyard bed, a large pot beside a shaded door or a low clipped hedge along a path, where a full sized japonica would take over the space within a few seasons. Slow to moderate growth keeps it in proportion for years.

Shelter matters more for a white camellia

Culture is standard japonica: part shade with morning light, acidic and free draining soil built up with compost, a permanent mulch kept clear of the trunk and moderate water year round. It grows well through the cool and warm temperate zones and into the cooler subtropics, and the compact frame takes frost better than it takes heat. White flowers, though, need more shelter than coloured ones. Rain spotting, wind rub and any direct hot sun mark the petals brown, and once marked a bloom stays marked, so a position under high tree canopy, an eave or a pergola stretches the flowering season out considerably.

In containers, which is where most of these end up, the failure mode is drying out. A small root volume in a pot on a warm verandah can go dry in a day in late summer, exactly when next season's buds are filling, and the plant answers by dropping every bud in winter without opening one. Use a pot large enough to hold moisture, an ericaceous or camellia potting mix, and check the mix rather than the forecast.

A miniature among full sized japonicas

Compared with Roger Hall, a compact red with full sized blooms, this is smaller in every part: leaf, flower and frame. Roger Hall suits a large tub flanking an entry where the flowers are read from a distance. Man Size suits the small courtyard, the balcony pot and the low hedge where the whole plant is seen at arm's length, and the fine leaf takes clipping into a tighter face than a large leaved japonica ever will. Anyone wanting a heritage formal double for cutting should look at C.M. Hovey instead, which builds a far bigger plant. The camellia collection holds the rest.

Trimming a small camellia without losing flowers

Trim as soon as flowering finishes, shortening the tips to hold a rounded shape. On a miniature this is a light job with secateurs rather than shears, and taking a little each year keeps the interior twiggy and full. Feed after pruning with a camellia and azalea fertiliser at label rate, half rate and more often for potted plants, and refresh the top few centimetres of potting mix each spring. Repot every second or third year before the root ball goes solid. Sweep fallen white flowers off the ground to slow petal blight. In a low hedge, clip the sides slightly narrower at the top so light still reaches the base.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 2 sizes, from 70mm up to 200mm, priced from $16.95 to $31.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to camellia hedges and winter flowers.