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 they start collecting them.
The camellia is an evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves. It bears single, semidouble, or fully double flowers in white, pink, red, and various combinations of these colors in blotches and striations during the winter months. There are no yellows or blues.
Flower Forms Vary Greatly
The forms of the flowers vary a great deal. Some of the singles, with prominent yellow stamens, resemble a hollyhock bloom. Some of the semidouble 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.
Camellias thrive in acid soil that is flaky 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. The more shade, the greener, and glossier the leaves, but fewer flowers accompany this.
Some varieties are tall growers, eventually reaching a height of 25′ to 35′ feet tall. Others have branches that droop like fern fronds and grow more bushy than upright.
Camellias Fans of Humid Atmosphere
For best health, they like a humid atmosphere. While freezing weather does not bother either the foliage or the flower buds, the cold does begin to work havoc when the thermometer crawls down 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 more cold.
Severe cold often causes the flower buds to drop off, and if too severe, the plant may even expire.
Although camellias are natives of the Orient and prefer a mild, humid climate, these conditions are duplicated in greenhouse culture in sections outside the Southern and Pacific Coast states.
In many places in the Midwestern and Central states, camellias are grown in greenhouses for their flowers, which are at the height of their glory from Christmas through March.
Unlike most shrubs, camellias increase in value year after year. While many shrubs grow old and gnarled and woody and are finally chopped down when they become too unsightly or get “out of bounds,” camellias increase in value.
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 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 they are on their way.
Care should be taken not to suddenly expose to full sun a potted plant that has been grown in a nursery. Instead, give the plant the advantage of temporary shade in its new location until it can become acclimated.
This may take the form of burlap stretched between stakes or similar shade-producing arrangements. Remove shade when the plant is established.
Do Camellias Need Full Shade?
Contrary to the popular conception that camellias require full shade, may I say that the rule I follow after owning 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.
In Mobile, Alabama, what might prove ideal might not work out so 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 and never soggy around the roots.
Shade is conducive to beautiful foliage; sunshine causes camellias to set flower buds more heavily.
What Are The Best Lighting Conditions For Camellia Shrubs
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 results.
If the plant can’t stand the 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 which does not seem to bud up well, move it to a spot where it will receive more sun. Then, keep trying until you find the right location to suit the constitution of the plant.
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 luxuriously in half wooden 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. 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. 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 landlord’s real estate and title vests, even though you paid for the plants.
Planted in containers, they remain movable personal property.
Camellias and Pests
The insect that does the most damage to Camellias is a black weevil about 1/4 inch long. The adult chews the edges of the leaves, sometimes making large holes.
The grub of the black weevil can do great damage to camellias. It is white, 1/4 inch long, with a brown head. It girdles the cambium layer of the stem just below the soil surface, often resulting in the death of the entire camellia plant.
Blossom blight, caused by a fungus, results in dark brown blotches on Camellia blooms, especially during rainy weather. Spray the plant with a recommended material and pick and destroy all the infected flowers.
If aphids feed on tender new leaves, spray with Neem oil or introduce ladybird beetles, a natural enemy of aphids.
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.
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.
With all but 2 or 3 of the terminal leaves removed, Cuttings are set in a box with 8 inches of moist sand. The bases of cuttings are first dipped in water, then in a rooting hormone.
When the cutting is well-rooted, it is ready for transplanting to a 3 “-4” inch pot. The potting mix should be about 1/2 leaf mold, 1/4 peat moss, and 1/4 good soil mixed equally with sharp sand.
Cultural Suggestions For Camellia 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 liberal quantities of peat moss, oak, or pine leaf mold into your soil.
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 in the top few inches of soil.
Any weeds should be pulled out by hand – not hoed out. Start fertilizing camellias just as soon as the last blooms fade as new growth will soon begin. This differs with varieties, but mid-March is about right for most sections.
Use an acid fertilizer made up of:
- 10 parts of cottonseed meal
- 4 parts of superphosphate
- 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.
Habits of growth should be taken into consideration when selecting a Camellia for a specific location. For example, suppose you have a spot between two windows where you want a camellia that grows tall and upright. Then, 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 a logical choice. Unfortunately, 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.
Just Starting With Camellias
If you are just starting in with Camellias, go to a camellia nursery
and see the plants in bloom or study an online 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 by attending one of the numerous camellia shows put on by Camellia societies in these states.
FGR-1160 – by OE Hopfer