Camellia Japonica Brushfields Yellow

Camellia Japonica Brushfield’s Yellow
Camellias are among the loveliest of flowering shrubs that can be grown and Camellia Japonica Brushfield’s Yellow is no exception! This beautiful evergreen shrub has both stunning flowers and attractive all-year-round foliage to recommend it. Developed in 1970 in Australia by Keith Brushfield, this early-flowering variety has become a favourite of UK gardeners. In February through April, the 8-10 cm large, double flowers provide a welcome promise of spring. Creamy-white outer petals surround a frilly primrose yellow centre. The flowers are produced in such profusion that the glossy dark-green leaves almost disappear underneath. 

Hardy in most parts of the UK, Camellia Japonica Brushfield’s Yellow will grow to a mature height of 2.5 to 4 metres and spread of 1.5 to 2.5 metres in 10 to 20 years. Prune to deadhead spent blooms and remove dead or damaged branches after flowering is finished in mid-spring. It can also be trained into a small tree shape by removing lower limbs, or espaliered against a wall. Planted 1.5 metres apart, a row of Camellia Brushfield’s Yellow would be a stunning hedge in spring and provide year-round screening for privacy.

Camellia Brushfield’s Yellow should be grown in partial or full shade in a sheltered position with a north, east or west aspect, in acid to neutral pH well-drained sand, clay or loam soil. Avoid locations with early morning sun to prevent the loss of buds and flowers to late frosts. It is deer resistant so a good choice for country gardens, and once established will tolerate drought.  This beautiful harbinger of spring can fit into even small gardens when pruned to size, and if espaliered against a wall will take up hardly any space at all, while still putting on a spectacular early season show! Well-suited to container growing, Camellia Brushfield’s Yellow can easily earn a place on a roof terrace or patio, or in a courtyard garden, where its long blooming season and year-round foliage make it a valuable addition where space is limited. It’s a natural fit in a woodland garden, where it would appreciate the dappled shade, or as a specimen plant or part of a mixed border.

Camellia Brushfield’s Yellow is well worth including in your landscape plans; its brilliant show of blooms in late winter and early spring, as well as its attractive evergreen foliage, make it a hard-working member of your garden team!