There is such a vast difference in the beauty and habits of various camellias that the home gardener who has “got the bug” should have some help before collecting them.
The camellia is an evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves, which, during the winter months, bears single, semi-double, or fully double flowers in white, pink, red, and various combinations of these colors in blotches and striations. There are no yellows or blues.
The forms of the flowers vary a great deal. Some of the singles, with prominent yellow stamens, resemble a hollyhock bloom; some of the semi-double and fully double varieties are loosely and irregularly formed and may remind you of the peony or rose; others are fully imbricated and perfectly formed like a zinnia bloom.
Some strains of tuberous begonias so closely resemble camellias that in passing by quickly, you would hardly notice the difference if you saw the flowers side by side.
Soil Acidity and Humus
Camellias thrive in acid soil that is brittle and rich in humus. In some sections of the country, they require protection from the hot afternoon sun—in other sections, they will tolerate full exposure.
The more sun they will stand, the heavier the crop of blooms will be. The more shade, the greener and glossier the leaves— but this is accompanied by fewer flowers.
Some varieties are tall growers, eventually reaching 25′ to 35′ feet. Others have branches that droop like fern fronds and grow more bushy than upright.
Humidity
For best health, they like a humid atmosphere. While freezing weather does not bother the foliage or the flower buds, the cold begins to work havoc when the thermometer crawls to around 10° degrees Fahrenheit above zero.
The damage, of course, depends upon whether the branches still have tender leaves—if all of the foliage has matured and hardened, the plants will withstand colder. Severe cold often causes the flower buds to drop; if too severe, the plant may expire.
Although camellias are natives of the Orient and prefer a mild, humid climate, these conditions are duplicated in greenhouse culture in sections of the country outside the Southern and Pacific Coast states.
In many Midwestern and Central states, camellias are grown in commercial greenhouses for their flowers, which are at the height of their glory from Christmas through March.
Camellias’ Value
Unlike most shrubs, camellias increase in value year after year. While many shrubs grow old and gnarled and woody and are finely chopped down when they become too unsightly or get “out of bounds,” camellias increase in value just like government bonds, only much faster.
This year, I have turned down offers from $50 to $150 for camellia trees, which cost me but $5 about ten years ago.
Transplanting
Camellias can be dug and transplanted during the blooming season when, strangely enough, the plants are dormant. This will usually be between November and March.
Camellias grown in pots or wooden tubs at the nursery can be transplanted at almost any time of the year because the root systems are not disturbed in the transplanting. They are simply removed from the containers, set in place, and are on their way.
Care should be taken not to suddenly be exposed to the full sun of a potted plant grown in a nursery lath house—give it the advantage of temporary shade in its new location until it can become acclimated.
This may be a lath frame and burlap stretched between stakes or similar shade-producing arrangements. Remove shade when the plant is established.
Optimal Sunlight and Shade
Contrary to the popular conception that camellias require full shade, may I say that the rule I follow— and I have owned over 350 varieties—is to give a camellia all of the sun it can stand without burning the foliage.
The tolerance of a given variety can be determined only by the trial and error method.
What might prove ideal in Mobile, Alabama, might not work out well in Seattle, Washington. Some varieties tolerate more sun than others.
The glorious white double Mathotiana Alba cannot stand the afternoon sun on the Pacific Coast and does best in an east or north exposure.
The grand pinks, Chandleri Elegans and Grandiflora Rosea, can be safely planted in a south or west exposure if care is taken to water frequently to keep the soil uniformly moist—never soggy—around the roots.
Shade is conducive to beautiful foliage; sunshine causes camellias to set flower buds more heavily.
No one can intelligently prescribe suitable conditions for all varieties in all sections of the country.
The way to find out what suits a given plant best is to set it out in a given location and watch the results.
If the plant can’t stand full sun—move it into a position where it will get only the morning sun.
If that is still too much, move it to the north side of the house or give it filtered sunlight through the limbs of deciduous trees.
Again, if you own a camellia that does not seem to bud up well, move it to a spot where it will receive more sun. Keep trying until you find the right location to suit the constitution of the plant.
Container Gardening
Camellias can be grown in containers for years and will do well if careful attention is given to fertilizing and watering.
I have many of them growing in wooden containers, from the size of jelly or candy pails to lard and butter tubs, and quite a number growing luxuriously in half barrels.
I always advise wooden containers in preference to clay pots because the latter evaporates moisture too rapidly.
With the aid of a hand truck or wheelbarrow, tubbed camellias can be moved around your premises at will—and if you move to a new location, load them onto the van that calls for your furniture and take them along.
Planted in containers, they are always ready to go when you are. Planted in the ground, they can only be safely balled and moved during the winter months—and being affixed to the real estate, you might run into legal difficulties with your landlord if you started to dig up the shrubbery when you left.
Planted out in the garden, they become a part of the real estate and title vests in the landlord, even though you paid for the plants. Planted in containers, they remain movable personal property.
Cultural Suggestion For Beginners
A few cultural suggestions are for the beginner. The soil should be loose and friable, rich in humus and acid.
You can create this condition by spading into your soil liberal quantities of peat moss, oak, pine, or redwood leaf mold.
The soil, whether in containers or the garden, must have good drainage and be uniformly moist.
Never cultivate around camellias, as this disturbs the fine feeder roots, which are in the top few inches of soil.
Fertilizing and Maintenance
Any weeds should be pulled out by hand—not hoed out. Start fertilizing camellias as soon as the last blooms fade, as new growth begins. This differs with varieties, but mid-March is about right for most sections.
Use an acid-reacting fertilizer made up of 10 parts of cottonseed meal, 4 parts of superphosphate, and 2 parts of sulfate of potash.
Fertilize once a month from March through July. After this, new growth should not be encouraged to avert possible early frost damage to turgid, tender leaves and stems.
Choosing The Right Camellia For Your Garden
Habits of growth should be taken into consideration when selecting a camellia for a specific location.
If you have a spot between two windows where you want a camellia that will grow tall and upright with dense foliage, buy the pink double Kumasaka or the double orange-red Elena Nobile.
If you want a camellia for a sunny location, a bush with drooping fronds, and exceptionally fine flowers, get Chandleri Elegans, Grandiflora Rosea, Candida Elegantissima.
If you want a camellia hedge and are interested more in dense, glossy green, clean-looking foliage than in-line flowers. Lady Campbell would be your logical choice.
The flowers are medium-sized double pinks, and while nice in themselves, they are inferior compared to some of the fine varieties I have mentioned above.
Exploring Camellias: Nurseries and Shows
If you are starting with camellias, go to a camellia nursery and see the plants bloom or study a mail-order catalog. Then you can select the types of flowers which you like best.
If you live in the South or on the Pacific Coast, where camellias have long been in high favor, you would be delighted to attend one of the numerous camellia shows put on by camellia societies in these states.
A letter addressed to the American Camellia Society, P. O. Box 2398, University Station. Gainesville, Florida, will bring you information as to the location of the nearest camellia society and the place and dates of flower shows that have been scheduled.
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Steps in Rooting Camellia Cuttings
Cuttings of the current season’s growth are made in early fall. Three leaf buds beneath the blade of the clipper will send out new shoots the following spring and make the plant bushier.
Cuttings, with all but 2 or 3 of the terminal leaves removed, are set in a box with 8 inches of moist sand. The liaises of cuttings are first dipped in water, then in a rooting hormone.
After several months, a callus will form at the base of the cutting, and from the callus, the new roots will emerge. Varieties vary as to rooting time from a few weeks to several months.
When cutting is well rooted, it can be transplanted to a 3- or 4-inch pot. The potting mix should be of about 1/2 leaf mold, 1/4 peat moss, and 1/4 good soil mixed equally with sharp sand.
44659 by O. E. Hopfer