Camellias: The Evergreen That Steals the Show

Alli Stilwell
Jul 12
4 min read

My review of Camellia Forrest Nursery, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Would I buy again? Yes in fact I have my next order ready

Novice-Gardener Difficulty: 🌱 Easy | 🌿 Moderate | 🌳 Challenging

Why I Planted Camellias

My amazing neighbor, Wilson, has grown heritage camellias for years, and we often talk about his cuttings and how he propagates them. That's honestly where my first spark of interest came from. When we moved into our house, our yard was nearly devoid of grass or plants — except for one lone camellia that, frankly, looked like it was struggling. I am happy to say today it is blooming and has new additional camellias recently added this spring.

I purchased my camellias from Camellia Forest Nursery, located in Chapel Hill, NC. I couldn't get over the sheer variety they offered. I highly recommend it if you are looking for camellias; this may be a place to consider.

Did you know Camellias are the family of plants that traditional tea varieties come from? They're native to eastern and southern Asia — primarily China, Japan, and Korea, with some species found across the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. Camellia japonica is the ornamental form, while Camellia sinensis is the tea plant — so I decided to grow both. I'll go into a separate feature on growing tea plants; this article focuses on the ornamental varieties.

A few other reasons camellias won me over:

These evergreens have varieties that bloom beautifully in early spring and winter months, when very little else is blooming.
They have lush, dense, evergreen foliage year-round.
They are deer resistant.
They offer both shade-loving and sun-loving varieties.
They can be an impressive privacy barrier as a huge bush or even a hedge.
Many varieties were registered in the 1800s and have significant historical significance.

Why I Love Camellia Forest Nursery

This is a small, family-run business that has clearly put decades of care into their breeding and selection process. What struck me most is the sheer scale of variety — they currently offer over 400 ornamental camellia varieties, spanning colors from white and yellow to red, pink, bicolor, and candy-striped, in bloom forms ranging from single and semi-double to formal double, anemone, and peony. Whatever look you're going for, there's very likely a camellia here for it. Their website is helpful in that you can refine your search to the season you are looking for the camellia to bloom, the flower form, color of your preference, or growing conditions at your location. The owners are so friendly and helpful and if you want to collect from the location, it is best to go on a non-weekend day as it can get very busy with customers.

They ship nationwide via UPS, with a seasonal shipping pause (June 1–September 15) to protect plants from extreme heat in transit—a small detail that tells me they care more about the plant arriving healthy than about pushing out every order year-round. I highly recommend Camellia Forest.

Camellia Flower Forms — A Quick Guide

Camellias are classified by their petal arrangement, and once you know what to look for, it's easy to spot the differences at a nursery or in photos.

Single — One row of 5–8 flat petals surrounding a prominent, visible center of stamens. Simple and elegant, closest to what a wild camellia looks like.

Semi-Double — Two or more rows of petals, with the stamens still clearly visible in the center. A step up in fullness from single form while keeping that open, natural look.

Anemone — One or more rows of large, flat outer petals lying open, with a dense, rounded cluster of smaller petals and stamens mounded in the center. Distinctive and a little unusual-looking compared to a classic rose-style bloom.

Peony — A full, rounded bloom made up of irregular, sometimes curled or twisted petals and petaloids mixed together, occasionally with a few stamens peeking through. Looks exactly like it sounds — lush and peony-like.

Formal Double — Many rows of neatly overlapping, symmetrical petals packed so tightly that the stamens are completely hidden. This is the classic "perfect bloom" look most people picture when they think of camellias.

Rose-Form Double — Similar to formal double, but the petals unfurl in a gentle spiral as the bloom opens, revealing a center that looks strikingly like a garden rose.

Higo — A Japanese form with a single or semi-double ring of petals and an especially wide, flat spray of stamens fanning out at the center. Less common, but a favorite among collectors for its distinctive look.

What I Purchased and Planted

Detail	Info, Form, Year Registered
Varieties	'Man Size', (Anemone) 1961 'Lemon Glow', (Formal Double) 2090 'Pink Perfection' (Formal Double) 1875 'Ellen Daniel' (Formal Double) 1971
Form	Established 2 & 4-gallon plants
Date Planted	March, 2026
Location	My Camellias that I planted with morning sun are thriving and growing new stems. The ones that have strong afternoon sun are really struggling.

What's Next

My next addition will be winter-blooming varieties in red or white, and for spring, 'Nuccio's Pearl' is next on the list for my garden.

What I Learned — Things to Consider Before Buying Camellias

What you envision — hedge, border, garden filler, or potted plant. Camellias can serve all of these roles, but knowing your end goal shapes which variety and size you should buy.
Where you want to put it — specifically, how many hours of sunlight that spot gets per day. This matters more than people expect; too little sun and blooms won't form, too much and leaves can burn.
How quickly you need it to grow — some camellias are slow growers, while others are more vigorous. If you want fast coverage, factor growth rate into your variety choice, not just bloom color or form.

Helpful Links:

Camellia Forest — Camellia Forest Nursery
American Camellia Society- American Camellia Society

Confession: My Gardening Track Record

My experience with cultivating flowers has been gradual—maintaining plant health, much less helping them flourish, hasn't been instinctive for me. I'm still in the initial phases of developing confidence as a gardener, but I can provide genuine, firsthand insights as a beginner, which I believe will be beneficial to many people.

Reviewed by Alli Stilwell— proud member of the "if I can grow it, anyone can" club.