This Beautiful Flower Is One Of The Rarest In The World, But Can You Grow It At Home?

Camellia japonica 'Middlemist's Red' is one of the rarest flowering plants in the world. It was first collected from China in 1804 by John Middlemist, a nurseryman from London. Today, only two of the originally collected plants remain: one in a New Zealand greenhouse, and another at Chiswick House Conservatory in London. 

The plant produces blooms with stunning red flowers each spring. But what if you were able to get your hands on one? Would you be able to grow it at home?

Technically, it's possible, but the plant requires that its caretakers pay special attention to its particular water and soil needs. But the effort is worth it; its rose-like petals and glossy leaves will easily make it the centerpiece of any flower collection. And because of its rarity, 'Middlemist's Red' is a prize for gardeners chasing those stunning, lesser-known flowers that are worth growing in your garden or home.

Let's face it: Managing to get material for the propagation of 'Middlemist's Red' camellia is quite a big challenge in and of itself. Cuttings are not sold commercially, and the plant is extinct in the wild. What makes obtaining one even trickier is that the garden managers overseeing the plant's remaining specimens are pretty fussy about who gets them. One of the few documented examples of a 'Middlemist's Red' being given away occurred in 2018, when Geraldine King, then working as Chiswick House Conservatory master gardener, sent a small plant to a luxury housing development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Camellias tend to grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 7–10, and 'Middlemist's Red' is no different. It prefers slightly acidic, well-draining soil and dappled afternoon sunlight (though some direct morning sunlight is not a dealbreaker). These plants do just fine in containers, making them a good option for indoor growing. Whatever camellia you have, plant it in either spring or fall, and make sure you water consistently in summer, or you might not get blooms in winter. 

If you can somehow manage to acquire the plant and provide the required growing conditions, it will produce showy giant blooms early in the year. While it's one of the world's rarest plants and requires more than a bit of effort even to obtain, that scarcity might just be the challenge some gardeners are looking for.