Camellia Japonica Margaret Davis

Camellia Japonica Margaret Davis
A highly successful variety, Margaret Davis is an early flowering evergreen camellia with an AGM. It has beautiful ruffled white flowers with a raspberry-red margin and suits a woodland garden or large container.

Camellia Japonica Margaret Davis is a well-loved early flowering camellia that was introduced in 1963 in Australia and has remained popular ever since. It is a regular winner at flower shows around the world thanks to its stunning blooms. The pale buds open to creamy white ruffled flowers with a distinctive raspberry-rippled edge. The peony-form flowers come early, appearing in late winter into early spring. The flowers are large measuring up to 10 cm across. 
Foliage is dark glossy green and remains on the shrub all year round. New foliage may appear slightly bronze-tinted before maturing into green throughout the summer. It makes the perfect Christmas gift for gardeners as so many plants are not in flower at this time of year.

Height And Spread Of Camellia Margaret Davis
Camellia Japonica Margaret Davis is a bushy cultivar with an upright growth habit. It will reach a maximum of 4 metres and spread over the same.

How Hardy Is Camellia Margaret Davis
This winter flowering camellia is hardy in the UK if its roots are well drained. It needs shelter from drying winds and from hot sun. 

How To Use Camellia Margaret Davis
The early flowers of Camellia Japonica Margaret Davis make it the perfect choice for a sheltered cottage garden or a wildlife-friendly area. Camellias enjoy a shaded aspect so they suit a woodland garden or a sheltered bank too. 
You can grow Camellia Margaret Davis in a container as a specimen bush if the container is very large and well-watered, but ensure the plant is kept out of full sun. 

How To Care For Camellia Margaret Davis
Camellias do not like chalk and should be grown in acidic soil. If the soil is too chalky camellias lose their leaves so prepare a planting hole with acid-based compost and top-dress it each year with an acidic mulch such as pine or bracken compost and ericaceous feed.
If you have chalky soil you should grow Margaret Davis in a container of ericaceous compost, but ensure the roots do not dry out. 
Camellias need dappled light, prefer shelter, and enjoy moist but well-drained soil. Be careful not to bury the stem in the planting hole as camellias prefer shallow depth.
There’s no need to prune Camellia Margaret Davis but you can remove dead or diseased branches after it has flowered. Mulch well with ericaceous compost and water until established.