The Flowering Shrub That Hilary Farr Loves (And Where To Plant It In Your Yard)

Hilary Farr knows that curb appeal is important when it comes to designing a home. After 17 seasons of "Love It Or List It," she has a unique understanding of not only how to remodel dowdy exteriors, but also how to fix trouble spots in landscaping without blowing a client's budget. Because of this, she has a vast knowledge of which plants to employ to make the biggest statement. One such plant is the camellia shrub, which is a large flowering shrub that can be used in all sorts of innovative ways in a person's yard. Utilizing it is a clever curb appeal trick that will fix whatever your yard is missing.

The camellia shrub is known for its large, shiny green leaves and unique pink blossoms. The flowers are as big as a fist and look like roses at first, but they have petals that open up further to reveal their faces. While different species clock in at different heights, they typically grow 6 to 12 feet tall and can spread up to 10 feet wide. Because of this, you can easily use this shrub either as a decorative accent, privacy screen, or band-aid to cover ugly corners. Here is a closer look into Farr's penchant for camellias.  

Thanks to their glossy green leaves and cheerful blooms, it's no wonder that a designer like Hilary Farr would enjoy this aesthetic shrub. This flowering shrub is a perennial beauty that really catches the eye. In March 2024, she took a photo of her dog, Suki, standing next to a camellia at a park in Raleigh. "The camellia blossoms have dropped from the trees, but for a brief moment they blaze again before they scatter in the wind," she captioned on Instagram. The hot pink blooms were strewn across the grass, adding a pop of color during the last few weeks of winter.

This evergreen is unique in that it's the perfect addition to a vibrant winter garden since its flowers bloom from September to March or April. Because of this, it is best planted in areas that get temperate weather, preferably in Hardiness Zones 7 to 10. However, some varieties, such as the April Snow Camellia, can bloom in Zone 6. They thrive best in partial shade, since full sun can scorch them, especially when they're young. They can tolerate full sun a little better once they're established — around three years of age — but you don't want to overdo it, especially in hotter regions. If you want to put it in an area without much shade, consider setting up a canopy until the plant matures. 

Think like Farr would when it comes to deciding where to plant this shrub in your yard. As a designer, she would utilize its colorful blooms to add easy curb appeal, but she would also use its large size to fix problem areas in the landscaping. When it comes to using it for its aesthetics, consider planting the camellia somewhere showy, like in your front yard under a young tree. This will provide the shrub with filtered light, allowing it to thrive in such an open area. Alternatively, you can also plant it on the side of your house that is facing north, which gets the least amount of sunlight.

However, it's not just great for curb appeal. It can also help you solve many different problems. Plant a couple next to each other to create a privacy hedge on the shadowier side of your yard. You can also grow such a hedge to hide your neighbor's fence, or to damper noise from the neighborhood. Similarly, you can plant a bush by your garage to hide old siding or in a shadowy strip by your garden shed that's hard to fill with blooms, grass, or ground cover. However, if you would like these issues remedied sooner rather than later, consider buying more established shrubs. It takes them about 10 years to grow to full height, making them slow growers.