The Alabama Beauty Camellia from the Southern Living Plant Collection is a fast-growing fall-beauty! It’s known for its rosy-red semi-double blooms that begin opening in fall and often continue into winter. This is one of the earliest blooming varieties around, so try pairing it with some late-season bloomers.
It features dark green oblong leaves that come to a point at the end. These leaves are remarkably consistent and evergreen throughout the year.
This variety is a vigorous grower, one of the quickest growing Camellias on the market today, along with the similarly speedy October Magic Inspiration Camellia. It grows upright initially and bushes out over time, eventually reaching 12-15 feet high and 6-8 feet wide. Therefore, it’s a perfect choice for a blooming privacy screen or hedge. Otherwise, plant it along a property line, use it as a specimen, or grow them as a foundation planting on house-corners.
This variety is hardy from USDA Zones 7-9. We do recommend providing some coverage during extended hard freezes in its first winter in your landscape to help ensure its survival. For instance, cover it with a tarp, freeze-cloth, or blanket overnight. This is generally not needed during its second winter in the landscape.
The Alabama Beauty grows best in Partial Sun, ideally 3-5 hours of direct sun or all-day lightly filtered sun. If you’re in USDA Zone 7a or 7b, you can also grow this plant in Full Sun.
Water your new planting 2-3 times per week for the first growing season to encourage deep root growth.
Plant in slightly acidic soil with good drainage for best results. If your soil is highly alkaline, we recommend supplementing the ground around your plant with a soil acidifier.
Fertilize in spring with a slow-release acidic plant fertilizer to promote growth and the overall health of your plant.
Space Your Alabama Beauty Camellia 4-5 feet apart for a seamless planting. Otherwise, plant them 8+ feet apart to leave space between shrubs.
Try planting this selection with different sized camellias that bloom at different times, like the Diana Camellia or October Magic Pink Perplexion Camellia. Alternatively, plant it with contrasting color or foliage texture plants that do well in similar growing conditions. In partial sun, try it with the Florida Sunshine Illicium, Soft Caress Mahonia, or Bloomstruck Hydrangea.
Our Camellias are healthy and well-matured into their pots. We carefully select quality specimens that we wouldn’t hesitate to plant in our own gardens. Then, we water them, securely package them for shipment, and send them straight to your front door! If you’re not happy with your plant when it arrives, contact us and let us know. We’ll be happy to make it right.
Tips for Camellia Planting Success
Betty Tenley (verified owner) –
Beautiful Camellia . Very pleased with my purchase.
Macanally (verified owner) –
Packaging in tact and extremely healthy plants received in great condition loaded in
buds. The leaves were shining and I couldn’t wait to get them out of the shipping box and into the ground. I can’t wait till the buds burst open into their flower stage. Thank you for shipping such healthy plants.
Patricia Burns (verified owner) –
Arrived well packaged, healthy, and a very nice size. The buds on the plant were a pleasant surprise. Watered it as soon as I opened the box. Planted in a sunny new garden spot in back yard and it is doing very well.
mikehmccarthy (verified owner) –
I received them this Spring (2020), so I can only reliably comment on the order and shipping process. The order process was smooth and easy, and I was happy with the way the plants for packaged and shipped. I think next time, I may order a size smaller than the 2 gallon, because the 2 gallon appeared to be a bit too big for the packaging. A few of the longer limbs had to be bent over to close the box, and as a result some of those were broken when I unpacked the plants.
Lanette (verified owner) –
Plant arrived well packed, just dry. Once it arrived I unpacked and watered it well. Plant seemed to bounce back. I planted it a few days later. I was surprised how well it looked. I had received a plant from a different company the same day and it was dead. I was very happy with my purchase from plants by mail and would definitely make another purchase.