With large red blooms in winter to spring Camellia Dr. Clifford Parks is an outstanding C. reticulata hybrid.
This is a naturally vigorous camellia with C.reticulata Crimson Robe X C. japonica Kramers Supreme being the parents.
The blooms are best decided as anemone types, red with an orange cast and golden stamens. The foliage is a deep green with new foliage emerging with bronze to coppery tones.
Basic Care
Best grown in a partly shaded position especially in warmer climates where protection from the afternoon sun is required.
Like all camellias a slightly acidic soil, well drained and with good amounts of organic matter added.
Choose a position away from hot and strong winds.
How to Plant Camellias
- Dig a hole twice the width of the coater and a little deeper.
- Add good amounts of organic matter.
- Plant the camellia at the same depth s it was in the container, adding some compost to the bottom of the planting hole to the the correct level.
- Water in well with a liquid seaweed fertiliser.
- Mulch around the plant out to the drip line, keeping the mulch away from the base of the trunk.
- Feed in spring with a specialist camellia and azalea fertilizer.
- Prune in spring after flowering.
Garden and Landscaping Uses
- Use Camellia Dr. Clifford Parks as a feature plant in the garden border where the red flowers can be shown off.
- Also suited to use as a hedging or screening plant where the dense evergreen foliage can provide privacy.
- Placed at the rear of the garden border it works well as a background plant for smaller shrubs and perennial plants.
- Like most Camellia varieties it cn also be espaliered, or even cloud pruned.