Camellia japonica Spring Formal

Camellia ‘Tada Meibi’ is a variety of Japanese camellia distinguished by its very regular, double, neat miniature flowers, in an antique pink, slightly salmon hue. It is a compact, evergreen bush with slow growth, well-suited to decorating terraces and small spaces. It can easily be integrated into an acidic soil bed with small rhododendrons and pieris. Its flowering period is from winter to spring.

‘Tada Meibi’ is a cultivar of Camellia japonica, a plant from the Theaceae family. The species originates from the cool, acidic undergrowth of southern Japan, Korea, and eastern China, where it grows in partial shade, on humus-rich, well-drained soils. The cultivar ‘Tada Meibi’ was selected in Baton Rouge (Louisiana, USA) by Mrs H. S. Stone, before 1970; it was registered with the American Camellia Society in the mid-1980s. 
This shrub is naturally compact and upright; its growth is slow. In open ground, the plant typically reaches 1.80 to 2 m in height with a spread of 1.3 to 1.5 m at maturity; at 10 years, it often reaches 1.20 to 1.40 m tall and 1 m to 1.2 m wide. Its smooth and brown-grey stems are finely branched. The evergreen foliage is leathery and glossy; the ovate to elliptical, finely toothed leaves measure 6 to 9 cm long by 3 to 4 cm wide. They are dark green on top, lighter underneath.
Flowering occurs from January to March in a temperate oceanic climate. The double flowers measure 5 cm in diameter by 2 to 2.5 cm deep. The round bud opens into a tight rosette; the outer petals form a neat circle, and the smaller inner ones are overlapped in tight quarters. Their colour ranges from medium pink to a pink nuanced with salmon, depending on exposure and temperature; the stamens often remain hidden.

Use Japanese camellia ‘Tada Meibi’ as a focal point near an entrance or on the terrace, in a large terracotta container. In open ground, choose an east or north-east exposure, protected from cold winds; provide it with an acidic, humus-rich, moist, but well-drained soil. In a small partial shade bed, you can combine it with a compact Japanese azalea ‘Kirin’, a Pieris japonica ‘Katsura’ and a Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Nikko Blue’ for summer succession. To stagger flowering periods, choose an autumn camellia ‘Yuletide’ or ‘Kanjiro’. Avoid root competition from large trees, and water with soft water during dry periods.

The genus name Camellia honours the Jesuit botanist Georg Kamel; japonica recalls the historical anchoring of the species in Japan, where the camellia (tsubaki) has been cultivated for centuries in tea gardens. ‘Tada Meibi’, an American selection with a Japanese name, illustrates the breeders' attraction to miniature forms highly prized in collections and in small gardens.