Illustration
Chinese Stewartia
Stewartia sinensis
Also called stewartia gemmata
Chinese Stewartia blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Chinese Stewartia
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–7. Expect it to reach about 15 ft tall and 13 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 15 years (checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Chinese Stewartia. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Chinese Stewartia
Plant Chinese Stewartia in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 7, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Chinese Stewartia get?
15 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult13 ftwideSee Chinese Stewartia in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Chinese Stewartia
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Chinese Stewartia about 13 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Chinese Stewartia to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Chinese Stewartia's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 10 published sources on August 11, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- brokenarrownursery.comBroken Arrow Nursery, Hamden CTheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, diseases and pests
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- vdberk.comVan den Berk Nurseries, Sint-Oedenrode NLheight, spread, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color, soil and toxicity
- keepingitgreennursery.comKeeping It Green Nursery, Stanwood WAheight, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- pollyhillarboretum.orgPolly Hill Arboretum (nationally accredited Stewartia collection)height, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- arboretum.harvard.eduArnold Arboretum of Harvard University (Arnoldia 68(2), Del Tredici 20...height, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and years to mature size
- diggingdog.comDigging Dog Nursery, Albion CAheight, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and soil
- treesandshrubsonline.orgTrees and Shrubs Online (International Dendrology Society)height, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and years to mature size
- botanicgardens.uw.eduUniversity of Washington Botanic Gardensheight, spread and bloom months and color
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Foliage
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.