Isn't it in a pot now? As long as it isn't pot bound I'd leave it in its present container until its finished flowering. It will be OK in a container with ericaceous compost and a drainage hole as long as the compost does not freeze solid. You could sink it into the ground to protect it and stop it blowing over - I did that last winter. Otherwise no protection is needed except to site it so that early morning sun does not shine on it.

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I'm guessing that at that height it is in a faurly small (3-4 inch) pot and will fairly tender, young growth which would probably do with a bit of hardening off - depending on where you are, pot it up and put it outside during the day to benefit from the light but move it out of any over-night severe frost threats (into a shed will do) for a few weeks.
The label should give an indication of how hardy it is - they are generally hardy - one of the best UK camellia nurseries is in Scotland!

Oops Canalhopper i neglected to notice that you are up in the frozen north!

Not that far North, Stera! I was working the plant probably being from a garden centre (or even a supermarket) and, therefore, probably raised under cover/ kept indoors, rather than from a 'proper' nursery where plants are out doors. I got my EG Waterhouse from Jackson's (on the edge of the Staffordshire Morlands) where things have to be pretty hardy, but Binnies, near to Edinburgh, is the nursery I was thinking of when I said Scotland.
I think North Wales (Denbighshire) is due to be hit by the snow in the next few days and I'd just be wary about putting anything out that I wasn't sure was ready for snow.

Given the forecast for the next few days, I would suggest keeping it indoors until it warms up a bit. A bright spot (but not in full sunshine) in a cool room would be ideal.

Well, thank you everyone for such helpful answers!
The friend who gave us the camellia lives in Solihull, so it would have been bought in a garden centre there.
Yes, it is in a pot, about 6" I would guess. I was thinking of potting it on into a bigger pot for its first year.
We have a conservatory which is cool, so I will keep it there until all danger of frosts has passed.
And yes, we had a fall of snow last night, but it is already melting this morning.
Happy New Year to you all, and many thanks once again.

You 'can' keep the Camellia in a pot in your conservatory but once this spell of bad weather is out of the way I'd get it outside every day to start hardening it off with a view to having it outside permanently by February. So long as it is sited in such a way it does not get the early morning sun on the buds there won't be a problem. The buds can take the frost it is only if the sun gets to them at that time they will fall off. Our Camellia survived for a good 15 years in our garden and only gave up the ghost when we had an exceptionally bad winter with temps dropping to -15˚C

Hi, I had never heard of Camellia floribunda, so tried googling it, all google came up with was Camellia flowered floribunda roses, so I'm a bit confused as to whether you have a Camellia, or a rose, Derek.

I think it's just an imported name, Derek, that will have come in with the plants labelled up in their country of origin.

Ah well, it must be a sign of the times, that they can just give any name they think of, whether the species exists or not, it's no wonder people get confused by plant names, why can't they just stick to the correct botanical names, recognised all over the world, Derek.

I've noticed that practically every plant in the States now has a 'common' name. So that trend will probably arrive here in about five years' time :-(

Hi Derek if it was bought from somewhere like Lidl then the wonder is it has any name at all however incorrect!

Hi Mg, I quite agree, I think they must just look at something, think, oh that has a lot of flowers, lets call it ' floribunda', then the name sticks, end of story, Derek.

I like camellias and googled these. I found out that the C. floribunda range was bred by Bob Cherry of Paradise Plants in Australia. He was a widely travelled collector and plant breeder. http://www.paradiseplants.com.au/index.php/our-history
The company was acquired by Botanica in 2012. I dk if that is because he died or just retired. http://www.botanicanurseries.com.au/Nurseries/Paradise.aspx
Maybe someone can add to this information.

Thanks for finding that out SG. I looked him up - he's retired and selling his gardens - a mere $2.4m. I think I might be a bit short on the asking price. Any one else got a bit of spare cash?

A holiday home for GOYERS Urbanite. Buy shares here. We can take it in turns to go out to OZ and keep up the good work lol. I do hope whoever buys it does keep it going and has open days as he did. We owe a lot to people like him who spread a little happiness because of their own passion for our living planet.

The garden is called Paradise and the description of it certainly was impressive. I wonder how anyone could give it up after the lifetime of building such a place.

There comes a point in most peoples lives when they have to accept they are no longer capable of doing things they used to do. This may have come to Bob Urbanite and he wants to see the nursery go on not wither.

I did not see the website Urbanite was on when I first went in to the internet but googling Bob Cherry I found that he was selling his nursery etc before it was bought by Botanica in 2012. Presumably they are the new owners and very keen to foster his baby. You are right Mg, the reason he gave for giving up was so he and his wife could downsize to something easier to look after.

Happens to lots of nursery men and women Scotsgran, you can see it is as sad or exciting...

I think I'd have hired help rather than give up the garden (selling the business is a different matter).
But the other side of moving is having a new garden to create.
Maybe after 40 years you could be fed up of camellias ?

I think he was seeing it as an opportunity not a problem. I don't think he would ever be fed up of Camellias. Knowing other "retired gardeners" they never give up on their passion and interest in gardening. I wish him well in his retirement or should that be his opportunity to see what "the third age" has on offer. I have to keep pinching myself to remember I too need to be thinking ahead, every time I feel like getting rid of yet another piece of lawn. Hired help to cut the lawn is so much easier to come by (if you don't expect a bowling green effect) than knowledgeable gardeners, in our area.

Hi Urbanite, hiring staff to run a nursery like Bob Cherry's isn't easy and you still have to be there all the time to make sure they are doing what you want them to, better to sell and move on. I remember John Lawson selling Inschrach Nursery (Jack Drakes) and keeping one of the cottages for he and Christine to live in... they were heartbroken by the way the new owner ran it. So if Bob Cherry has got out good luck to him is my view!

An apology... As I was walking into work this morning I suddenly thought (quite out of the blue) that I had referred to Binnies for camellias when, of course, they're the place for peonies. I'm putting it down to creeping senility or one wee dram too many!

Ah, at last I know who Urbanite is! Was never sure before.

Seems my cover is blown! But I'm not confessing

A worthy attitude Urbanite.

On a Camellia related matter, I've just been reading about Camellia azalea - a summer flowering species - http://www.trehane.co.uk/kb_results.asp?ID=23