Herme is my very favorite camellia japonica, and hence I have 3 of them scattered about the property. It is a very rewarding camellia to own. It is one of the few fragrant japonicas. It has beautiful colors with a splashy pink center, yellow stamens, and white edges. It sports a lot, having produced many mutations that are now named varieties of their own. So you may walk out someday and find a surprise. It blooms dependably despite occasional freezes. It is a proven variety over hundreds of years. It makes beautiful waxed blooms, if you ever decide to try it -- fun. And it has a storied history from Japan where it originated and where its name is 'Hikarugengi' meaning Dancing Genji, as it was named after an elegant Japanese prince. Another feature of Herme is that it has a vertical growth habit, almost straight up, not spreading, so it doesn't require a lot of room. The growth rate is, as with most camellias, slow at first. As it gets larger and stronger in its maturity, you will see some of the strongest new shoots grow 6-8 inches a year, usually on the very top center. Most people, however, keep it pruned as a shrub, so it is rare to see one at full height. My largest one is kept at about 8 feet, as that is the height I can reach with lopping sheers while standing on my ladder. It is about 50 years old. I do know of one on some adjacent property which has not been pruned in many years, and now stands about 15 feet tall, but it is in poor health. If healthy and allowed to grow to full height it may, I guess, someday reach 20 feet or higher. But it would take a lifetime to reach that height so I doubt you will ever find the growth rate to be a serious problem. And it is my guess that you will want to collect the blooms, so you probably will want to keep it pruned within reach. Congratulations on a wonderful choice, one of the all-time classics.

Here is a photo of my 'Herme' in bloom:

{{gwi:507306}}

wow! can you compare the fragrance of it to any other flower you've smelled?

I cannot describe it, except that it is a sweet fragrance, only very mild. That is more than can be said for most other camellia blooms, which rarely have any fragrance at all. This one just has that little extra bonus.

Do you have a picture of the 8-feet tall Herme Camellia shrub/tree, forrestal? Wow! I would like to see that.