Camellia japonica 'Herme'

Herme Camellia. 'Herme' means "brilliant gem" in Japanese. This is one of the more elegant cultivars of the species and has been with us a very long time. It has dark salmon-pink flower with white edge to the petals, and they are streaked with scarlet and showing a few stamens towards the middle of the flower. One can see a great deal of variation with the flowers on this cultivar. This is one of those true old classic varieties which originated in Japan in 1859 and was brought to America in 1875. No Southern garden is complete without one. Morning sun and afternoon shade or filtered sun, on well drained fertile soil is the ideal situation for growing them. Once established, Camellias are some of our most drought tolerant ornamentals in the garden and are quite long lived. One of the four original Camellia plants brought into American by Andre Michaux, chief gardener of King Louis XVI of France, and given to his friend Henry Middleton (who served as president of the Continental Congress) is still alive at Middleton Gardens just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. His son Arthur Middleton was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Zones 7-9