LA Peppermint Camellia

Light Needs

Part Sun to Full Sun

(5+ Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

8-10 Feet

Mature Spread

6-8 Feet

Growing Zones

7 to 9

LA Peppermint Camellia is the camellia for gardeners who enjoy a little surprise in winter bloom season. Camellia japonica 'LA Peppermint' produces double 3- to 4-inch flowers that may be white or soft pink with red streaks, solid red, or split into red-and-white sections on the same plant. The glossy dark green evergreen foliage gives the changing flowers a clean backdrop from late winter into spring. Our landscape designers recommend placing it near a front walk or patio door, where each new flower can be noticed up close.

This heirloom japonica camellia dates back to early American garden introductions and has remained popular because its bloom pattern keeps changing with age. It grows as an upright, densely branched shrub that can reach about 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide. Use it as a shaded specimen, loose hedge, espalier against a wall, or large container plant in Zones 7-9. The flowers are excellent for cutting, and a single bloom floated in water shows off the striping better than a crowded arrangement.

LA Peppermint Camellia Care

Plant LA Peppermint Camellia in morning sun with afternoon shade, part shade, or all-day filtered sun. It prefers fertile, humus-rich loam with steady drainage, though amended clay, sand, or silt can work when moisture and drainage are balanced. Keep soil acidic, ideally around 5.0 to 6.5 pH.

Water deeply after planting, then let the upper inch or two of soil begin to dry before watering again. Established plants tolerate shorter dry periods, but flower buds and new leaves look best with even moisture during heat and bloom development. Feed from late winter or early spring through midsummer with a slow-release fertilizer for acid-loving plants.

Prune after flowering, before summer bud set begins. Thin crossing branches, remove weak interior twigs, or lift lower limbs if you want to train the shrub into a small evergreen tree. Container plants need a well-drained acidic potting mix and winter root protection where pots may freeze for more than a brief overnight period.

LA Peppermint Camellia Spacing

Space LA Peppermint Camellia about 5 feet apart for a full hedge, or 10 feet or more apart when giving each shrub room to show its rounded form. Use a container at least 24 inches wide with drainage holes, then move up as the root ball fills the pot.

In shaded acidic beds, pair this camellia with pieris shrubs, hellebore, fothergilla, and barrenwort for layered foliage and staggered bloom. For container companions, use primrose or dead nettle around the base where filtered light and regular moisture suit the planting.

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