Growing 10 to 12 feet tall and 7 to 8 feet wide, Bessie Battle Camellia  can be grown as a shrub or small tree. As a shrub it is ideal for use as a specimen, in groupings, or as a hedge or background plant in landscape borders and is especially nice as a corner plant or espalier (trained to grow flat against a wall) in home foundation plantings. As this camellia grows lower branches can be removed to form a small evergreen tree that serves as an attractive and colorful focal point specimen in landscape borders and home foundation plantings. A fine addition to white theme gardens, camellia gardens, Asian gardens, cottage gardens, and in woodland gardens and borders. Also suitable for containers that can be brought indoors during winter by those who live and garden above USDA Zone 7a, where this camellia variety is not reliably winter hardy. Find Your Zone

Suggested Spacing:  5 to 6 feet apart for solid hedge; 12 feet or more apart for space between plants

Camellia adapt well to various soil types however prefer a moist but well-drained acidic soil that is rich in organic matter. Constantly soggy soil is a slow killer. In general, Camellia grows and blooms better in partial shade with some shelter from the hot afternoon sun. Morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered sunlight is perfect. All-day filtered sun is fine.

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune and water Camellias.