Camellia japonica Chandleri Elegans

Camellia 'Chandleri Elegans' is an old variety of Japanese camellia of rare beauty, truly elegant. This bush of beautiful stature, capable of forming a small tree, always seduces with its large anemone-like flowers of a bright and deep pink, sometimes speckled with white at the heart. They bloom in late winter and early spring on flexible branches that gracefully bend under their weight. With a dense, beautifully rounded and almost weeping habit, adorned with abundant, dark and glossy evergreen foliage, this English variety is ornamental all year round. Hardy down to -15°C (5 °F), this camellia prefers partial shade, acidic and light soils, and humid climates.

The Camellia 'Chandleri Elegans' is part of a series of English selections made in the early 1800s by the Chandler nursery in Vauxhall, London. These are plants derived from seedlings of the Camellia japonica 'Anemoniflora', which is characterised by its anemone-like flowers. These blooms are formed by a corolla of petals surrounding a large heart of stamens transformed into small petaloids, forming a pompom-like structure. All camellias belong to the family Theaceae, along with the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

'Chandleri Elegans' was obtained in 1823. It is a rather slow-growing shrub with a bushy, very flexible and rounded habit, almost as wide as it is tall, and erect. It will reach about 1.30 m (4 ft) in height with a spread of 90 cm (3 ft) at 10 years old. At maturity, it can measure up to 3.50 m (12 ft) in height and 3 m (10 ft) in spread, under good growing conditions. From February to May, earlier or later depending on the climate, it produces numerous anemone-like flowers of a good size, measuring 8.5 to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. They are composed of a central pompom-like structure made up of numerous turbinate petaloids, pink-red in colour, more or less speckled with white. This pompom is surrounded by a more or less double corolla composed of wide, rounded, and regular petals of the same deep and bright pink. Its foliage, evergreen throughout the year, consists of large elliptical leaves, 11 cm (4 in) long and 6.5 cm (2.6 in) wide, finely toothed at the edges, leathery, very dark green, and glossy on the upper side. While this shrub is hardy down to -15°C in the ground, its flowering may be compromised by snow, icy winds, and temperatures below -5°C (23 °F).

The Japanese Camellia 'Chandleri Elegans' thrives in mild and humid climates and performs best in coastal regions, in acidic, humus-rich, and well-drained soil. It will tolerate full sun in favourable climates but will give its best in partial shade, protected from scorching sun and sheltered from strong winds. Plant in e.g. a shrubbery or bed of small trees alongside other acid-loving plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Cornus Kousa, Japanese maples, or Kalmia Latifolia. That said it would be a shame to drown this absolutely superb variety in a tangle of foliage or flowers; it deserves a special place near the entrance of the house or the terrace, away from scorching sunlight.