Camellia Japonica Eugenia de Montijo

Camellia Japonica Eugenia de Montijo
Camellia Eugenia de Montijo is an evergreen winter flowering camellia with bright red double flowers. 
Camellia Japonica originates from Japan, China Taiwan and South Korea and counts for over 90% of the world’s camellias. Selections from the original plants collected from the wild over hundreds of years of breeding have produced a wealth of varieties with varying degrees of hardiness and a full range of colour and form. Camellia Eugenia de Montijo is an example of a Galician cultivar from the Northern Spanish province  where it is a very well-know variety, perhaps less well known in the UK. Eugenia de Montijo is named after Napoleon III’s Grenada-born wife who had flaming red hair. 

This camelia has glossy green foliage and an upright growth habit. The leaves are mid-sized oval and typical of camellias. In late winter and early spring the medium-large blooms appear in double red rosettes and last many weeks. Throughout the summer Camellia Eugenia de Montijo grows new foliage and develops buds ready for the coming colder months. Camellia Eugenia de Montijo brightens a dull winter garden with its bright red flowers at a time when there’s little else about. It makes the perfect Christmas gift for gardeners as so many plants are not in flower at this time of year.

Height And Spread of Camellia Japonica Eugenia de Montijo
Camellia Eugenia de Montijo will reach a maximum height of 3 metres tall by 2 metres wide. 

How Hardy Is Camellia Japonica Eugenia de Montijo
Camellia Eugenia de Montijo is UK winter hardy if its roots are well drained. It is originally a woodland plant and appreciates the shelter of taller trees. 

How To Use Camellia Japonica Eugenia de Montijo
This camellia looks good at the back of a shady mixed border and will grow on a slope as it likes well drained soil. 
It’s particularly suitable for low maintenance gardens, wildlife spaces for its early blooming flowers, and sheltered woodland gardens.
You can grow Camellia Eugenia de Montijo in a container as a specimen bush if the container is very large and well-watered, but ensure the roots do not dry out. 

How To Care For Camellia Japonica Eugenia de Montijo
Camellias thrive in acidic soil and do not like chalk. If the soil is too chalky their leaves will turn yellow. Prepare the planting hole with plenty of acid-based compost and top-dress it each year with an acidic mulch such as pine or bracken compost. If you have chalky soil its best to grow it in a container with ericaceous compost. 
Camellias need dappled light, prefer shelter, and enjoy moist but well-drained soil. Be careful not to bury the stem of Camellia Eugenia de Montijo in the planting hole as it does best in shallow depths.
There’s no need to prune camellias but you can remove dead or diseased branches after the flowers are spent. Mulch well with ericaceous compost and water until established.