Summary: This article is an excerpt from the book “Camellia Culture” published over 60 years ago in a flower magazine. The information is just as valuable today as it was when it was first published.
Where To Plant Camellias?
When deciding where to plant a Camellia, there are several leading factors to take into account. These should be determined before considering what might be termed local or personal problems.
One factor is the matter of color. It is a general rule that varieties bearing red flowers will tolerate more sun than those with white, pastel, or variegated flowers.
There are, however, exceptions to this rule, and a few whites and light pinks will tolerate a surprising amount of sun. One must become acquainted with the varieties to be planted.
Many camellias have variegated foliage. From a cultural standpoint, perhaps the only disadvantage is that these camellia plants will suffer damage from the sun more readily than plants of the same variety, which are not variegated.
Another phase of sun and also heat tolerance relates to the plant’s adjustment. A camellia set out in autumn, or early winter will adjust itself to tolerate much more sun and heat than a comparable camellia planted in spring or summer.
One should not place a camellia near a wall or paved surface where it will receive reflected, accumulated heat during the hotter period of the day.
A plant subjected to reflected heat will often be damaged, whereas a similar camellia, located in the open, will suffer no harm from the same weather condition when a camellia is in a doubtful location, mulch and provide with shade.
Still, another sun factor depends on the size of the plant. As a general rule, a large camellia will tolerate more sun than a small plant. This, no doubt, is due in part to the extra shade afforded the root zone by the plant’s branches and foliage.
Camellias can be safely exposed to more sun in regions of high natural humidity than in areas where the humidity is often low. It is well to remember that the hottest part of the day is normally between eleven and three.
Make provisions to give newly planted camellias some shade during this period unless the surrounding humidity is very high.
As a general rule, camellias do best when grown in light shade. This can be provided by:
- High, open trees, such as oaks or pines
- Shade structures
- Placing the camellias on the east or north side of a building or wall
These steps will protect them from the intensity of the midday sun but will receive plenty of light from the open sky.
There is danger, however, in screening out too much of the sunlight. Many persons think of camellias as shade plants and tend to overemphasize the shade.
Camellias growing in heavy shade will not set flower buds as freely as those planted in the open sunlight or in light shade. They soon tend to become pale and spindly, with weak stems.
A certain amount of sun is essential to good sturdy growth; the plant’s chlorophyll is unable to do its work except in the presence of adequate light.
Camellias are best planted where they will not be affected by drying winds, either summer or winter. Winds can be especially harmful in freezing weather because freezing, in itself, is a drying action, and the plant’s exposure to cold winds intensifies this action.
In gardens near the seacoast, care should be taken to place camellias where they will be protected from damage by salt spray as well as strong winds.
Trees or hedges having shallow, invasive root systems should also be avoided in the vicinity, as they always rob neighboring plants of needed moisture and nutrients.
If the planting site chosen is near a building, one should search thoroughly beforehand for evidence of buried debris. Many contractors and builders have the bad habit of disposing of mortar and rubble by burying them on the spot.
Such materials, especially those containing lime, would have a detrimental effect on the health and growth of camellias. Close proximity to a building or wall is undesirable anyway unless the specimen is intended as an espalier.
Plants naturally grow toward the light, so only when evenly exposed will they develop equally on all sides.
How To Plant Camellias?
Camellias can be grown in a wide variety of soils and under many conditions, but a critical factor in the growth of a healthy camellia plant is the presence of humus or well-decomposed organic matter.
Humus plays a valuable role in sandy soils because it is able to hold moisture. It serves an equally significant purpose in heavy clay soils because it helps prevent the packing and formation of clods, which make such soils relatively impervious to moisture.
Many growers use their own favorite soil mixes. A popular one found satisfactory by most consists of equal parts, by bulk, of peat, leaf mold, and sandy garden loam.
The camellia is native to areas of comparatively high rainfall, but observers report that wild camellias are generally found on hilltops or slopes which afford abundant natural drainage.
Few gardens possess such ideal locations; therefore, drainage must frequently be artificially provided in order to prevent the roots from becoming waterlogged.
If the soil in which the planting is to be made is heavy, the hole for the camellia should be dug approximately a foot deeper than normal, and the soil therein generously mixed with coarse gravel or pieces of broken crock.
A camellia plant will survive drying far longer than it will tolerate soggy soil around its roots. In some areas where the water table is naturally near the soil surface, it is desirable to construct a mound of soil on which to grow the plant.
Perhaps the most important rule governing camellia planting is that the camellia must not be planted too deep. This cannot be overemphasized.
When signs of ill health appear, the first thing to be determined is whether the plant is at the proper soil level. The camellia is a shallow-rooted plant, and the many surface roots are sensitive to too deep planting.
A good method of checking the planting depth is to dig down alongside the trunk with the fingers until the first roots are encountered. If they are found to be more than 1″ inch below the soil level, the plant may be considered to be too deep for best results.
It is the experience of many growers that it is safer to have one or more top roots exposed (although this practice is not advocated) than to have these roots covered with several inches of soil.
A camellia should be planted so that its soil surface is approximately 2″ to 3″ inches above the general soil level. The reason for this is that the soil mix on which the plant rests, especially if the soil contains considerable humus, will in time settle, and in so doing, lower the level of the plant, thus permitting the soil to wash in over the sunken roots.
When a camellia is planted on a slope, it is best to build up a mound on the lower side of the plant in order to provide a level basin in which to hold moisture rather than to cut down the bank on the upper side. When a bank is cut into, soil and debris from the slope above wash down and cover the roots of the plant, thus jeopardizing its health.
Everything should be in readiness before actual planting operations are begun. Many growers believe that it is desirable to have the soil mix prepared several weeks before the operation.
At planting time, it should be moist but not wet. A good test is to squeeze a handful. If it crumbles when the hand is released, it is too dry. If it forms a soggy ball or if moisture can be squeezed from the soil, it is too wet. The ball of soil should retain its form when the hand is released but should easily break apart when dropped.
Several inches of the soil mix should be placed in the hole and should be thoroughly tamped so that the plant will rest on a firm foundation.
When placing the soil around the plant, care should be taken that no air spaces are left among the roots, for they damage the roots by drying and also afford hiding places for insect pests. Air spaces can be eliminated by “puddling.”
The soil around the plant should be firmed, and the hole flooded with water when half-filled. This should be repeated when the hole has been filled, and a temporary saucer has been formed.
Enough water should be supplied to ensure thorough moistening of the surrounding soil as well as the ball of soil immediately around the plant.
It is well to cut away all dead and weak branches at the time of transplanting a camellia. Except on container-grown plants, approximately a third of the foliage should also be removed. This serves to compensate for the loss of roots in transplanting.
It is often advisable to provide a temporary shade until the plant has had time to adjust itself to the new location. Daily syringing, particularly during the heat of the day, is also considered beneficial.
Special care must be taken during this period of adjustment to make certain that the plant is watered with such care that it will become neither dry nor soggy.
When To Plant Camellias?
The ideal time in which to plant camellias is considered in many areas to be early fall. At that period of the year, the ground is still warm, so root growth will continue while the air is becoming increasingly cooler so that the foliage will become hardened and inactive.
Springtime is another favorable period if planting is done after the cold weather has passed and before new growth has started to develop. Cold weather planting should be avoided.
Most camellias, if they are in good health, have two periods of active growth during which it is not advisable to transplant. These growth periods normally occur in late spring and again in late summer.
Although it is relatively safe to transplant camellias between these periods of growth, this rest period is not favored because it comes during the time when flower buds are being initiated and also because weather conditions are likely to be more extreme.
FGR-1158 by Bill Wylam