Camellia

Camellia: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, upright, evergreen shrub of 2–5 m; slow-growing.

Leaf

Alternate, 5–10 cm, oval with a pointed tip, finely toothed, leathery and highly glossy.

Bark

Smooth, greyish-brown.

Flower

Large (6–12 cm) white, pink or red flowers, single or double; they drop off whole.

Fruit

Round, woody capsules.

Difference from rhododendron

Rhododendron has larger, untoothed leaves and trusses of funnel-shaped flowers in May.

Difference from cherry laurel

Cherry laurel has larger leaves and white flower spikes.

Flowering: February–April · Pruning: April–May

Identify by feature: Evergreen leaves · Pink blossom · Winter flowers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Rhododendron Rhododendron: larger, untoothed leaves and trusses of funnel-shaped flowers in May. Difference from rhododendron
• Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus: larger, thinner leaves and white flower spikes. Difference from cherry laurel

Why grow it?

• Large flowers from February to April, when little else is in bloom.
• Evergreen, glossy leaves: a neat shrub all year round.
• Grows in partial and full shade, even against a north- or west-facing wall.
• Also lovely in a large pot on a cool patio.

Camellia: where does it grow best?

• Partial to full shade, sheltered from cold east winds and early morning sun.
• Humus-rich, acid, moisture-retentive soil that drains well; no lime.
• Allow 2–3 m width in the long run.
• In a pot: ericaceous compost and a large pot with a drainage hole.

Light

Partial shade or shade

Legal basis

Acid soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

4 m tall, 2.5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: Needs the same acid soil and partial shade, and flowers in May, after the camellia.
• Japanese skimmia: Evergreen, for the same shady, acid spot; red buds in winter.
• Japanese pieris: Hanging white flower clusters in spring and red young leaves, in the same soil.
• Hydrangea: Flowers in summer in the same partial shade: that way you have flowers from February into autumn.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerates shade and suits planting under large trees such as: english oak, sessile oak, pin oak, turkey oak, red oak, holm oak
• Like acid soil, just like this plant: heather, rhododendron, japanese skimmia, raspberry, highbush blueberry, witch hazel, broom, gorse

Camellia: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in spring (April–May) or early autumn, so that it can still root before winter.
2. Dig a generous planting hole and, on chalky or heavy soil, fill it with ericaceous compost or acid leaf mould.
3. Don’t plant deeper than it was in the pot: the root collar stays just above the soil.
4. After planting, water well with rainwater and mulch with bark or pine needles.

Care

Watering

Use rainwater, not tap water, which is often limy. Keep the soil moist in summer and late summer, or it will drop its buds later on.

Feeding

After flowering, a rhododendron fertiliser or acid leaf mould.

Soil

A layer of bark or leaf mould keeps the roots cool and moist.

In a pot

Water regularly, even in winter in dry weather, and in hard frost move the pot against a wall or into a cool, light room.

Tip: Plant a camellia against a west- or north-facing wall: there it escapes the morning sun and the flowers stay beautiful after a frosty night.

Camellia: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: After flowering, in April–May.

How:

• Little needed: shorten overlong branches to just above a leaf or side branch.
• Remove dead and weak branches; reduce an oversized shrub gradually over a few years.

Caution: Don’t prune after mid-June, as it is then forming next year’s buds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In July–August, take 10 cm semi-ripe cuttings with a few leaves and root them in acid cutting compost under plastic; this takes a few months.

Layering

Bend a low branch to the ground, nick it lightly and cover it with soil; after one or two years it will have roots.

Camellia: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy in the ground in a normal winter; in hard frost flowers and buds can be damaged.
• A camellia in a pot is more vulnerable: protect the pot from freezing or, in hard frost, move it into a cool, light room.

Diseases and pests

• Bud drop: Buds fall before opening, usually because of drought in late summer or frost. Water regularly with rainwater.
• Yellow leaves: Yellow leaves with green veins: soil too limy or tap water. Water with rainwater and give a fertiliser for acid soil.
• Scale insects: Small brown scales under the leaves and a sticky black coating on top. Wipe them off or let ladybirds and parasitic wasps do their work.
• Vine weevil: Half-moon notches in the leaf edges; the grubs eat the roots, especially in pots. Control them with nematodes in spring or late summer.

Through the year

• February: Flowering starts; after a frosty night, shield from the morning sun.
• March: Full flower.
• April: Prune after flowering; feed.
• May: Last pruning; planting.
• June: No more pruning from mid-June: the buds are forming.
• July: Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• August: Water regularly with rainwater: drought makes the buds drop later.
• November: Protect pots from frost.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Evergreen shrub with large flowers while it is still winter; also in a pot on a cool patio.

Also used for

Related to the tea plant; in Japan, camellia oil is made from the seeds.

Caution: Needs acid soil and rainwater, like rhododendron.

Did you know?

• A relative of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Keep it out of the morning sun: frozen buds that thaw quickly turn brown.
• In Japan, camellia oil is pressed from the seeds and used for hair and skin.
• The genus is named after Georg Joseph Kamel, a Jesuit and botanist who worked in the Philippines in the 17th century.
• Linnaeus named the camellia after Georg Joseph Kamel, a Moravian Jesuit and botanist who worked in the Philippines.
• The camellia is the flower of Alexandre Dumas fils’s novel ‘La Dame aux camélias’, the story Verdi turned into his opera ‘La traviata’.