Homegrown tea camellias
Though not nearly as common in the landscape as Camellia japonica or sasanqua, the tea camellia is a charming and unique shrub that is hardy in all growing zones in North Carolina. Camellia sinensis is the source of all commercial black, green and oolong tea. Young leaves are picked, rolled (bruised) then fermented (oxidized) and dried—the methods used and the types of leaves determine the kind of tea produced and its flavor. Tea camellias bear small, fragrant white flowers (1 to 1 1/2 inches) in fall. A pink-flowered variety, ‘Rosea’, has leaves that produce a stronger tea with a “smoky taste,” according to the folks at Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill. A green tea recipe is available on their Web site, www.camforest.com. This mail-order nursery is one of the few retail sources of tea camellias, offering six varieties with mature sizes ranging from 6 to 50 feet. Specimens too large to mail may be purchased at the nursery by appointment.