Camellia Japonica ‘R.L. Wheeler’

The large (up to 15cm across) flowers of this evergreen shrub are variable, and they range in colour from mid-pink to carmine-red. Even their shape can vary from open-centred semi-doubles to frilly-centred anemone forms, but most will display at least some (if not all) of their golden stamens. Because no two flowers are exactly the same, it almost looks as though there is more than one shrub growing in its place – and as it eventually forms a good-sized specimen, it’s a wonderful addition to the garden in late winter.