Camellia Japonica - advice please

Hi. Just seen these sturdy plants starting to come out on the market stalls and shops for sale. They are called Japans flowering winter plant…seemingly flowering for up to 4 - 5 months - can this be true?

My question also is - what conditions do they require? There’s no point me buying one, if it’s delicate. The area of garden I need filling is virtually always sheltered 6 months of the year. Even though there are no other flowers around the area that needs filling - the neighbours fence and the great big conker tree above it, shelters it from both rain and sun. Is this plant hardy enough to survive during the summer months when there is little rain and the leaves are out on that big park tree above it?

Many thanks

They need shelter from the wind and, importantly, ericacious compost until they are established. The big conker tree may take a lot of water out of the soil, so it will need some attention. If it’s small grow it on in a pot for the summer, and put the pot under the tree.You’ll soon see if it’s happy or not and be able to move it if it isn’t.

I grew one in a pot for one year, transferred it into a larger pot with more compost the second year. I then dug a hole in a sheltered spot big enough to allow roots to grow, put more ericacious compost into the hole before firmly planting it out fully. It’s very happy and in flower now!

They don’t like early morning sun either. Because they’re spring flowering, the buds are prone to drop if they’re exposed to early morning sun when still frosted. So south or west facing is best.