Camellia

Camellia: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, dense shrub 2–3 m tall and 1.5–2 m wide; slow-growing.

Leaves

Oval, 6–10 cm, leathery and glossy dark green, with finely toothed edges.

Flower

Single, semi-double or double, 7–12 cm across, from February to May.

Colour

Mostly pink, also white, red and lilac-pink shades.

Roots

Shallow and finely branched: it likes cool, moist soil under a mulch.

Flowering: February–May · Plants: April–May and September · Pruning: May–June

Why grow it?

• Flowers from as early as February, when the garden is still mostly bare.
• Glossy evergreen leaves: an attractive shrub all year round.
• Drops its faded flowers by itself: no deadheading needed.
• Hardier and easier than the common Japanese camellia.
• Suits a shady garden and a large pot.

Camellia: where does it grow best?

• Partial or light shade, sheltered from cold winds.
• Ideally out of morning sun: frozen buds then thaw slowly and stay unharmed.
• Acid, humus-rich soil: sand, loam or peat. It does not tolerate lime.
• Evenly moist but well-drained.
• Allow 1.5–2 m of space.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Acid

Moisture

Normal

Size

3 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -18 °C)

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: Likes the same acid soil and partial shade and flowers just after the camellia.
• Pieris: Evergreen, with white flower sprays in early spring.
• Ferns: A fresh underplanting in shade.
• Japanese maple: Fine leaves and autumn colour next to the glossy camellia foliage.

Camellia: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September.

1. Plant in April–May or in September.
2. Dig a wide hole and mix the soil with ericaceous compost or leaf mould.
3. Set the root ball at the same level as in the pot or slightly higher: camellias resent being planted too deep.
4. Firm the soil and water in well with rainwater.
5. Mulch with pine needles, shredded bark or leaf mould.

Care

Watering

Preferably rainwater. Be sure to water in dry spells from July to September: that is when the flower buds form.

Feeding

In April, and if you like again in June, an ericaceous fertiliser; nothing after that.

Mulching

A layer of pine needles or leaf mould every spring keeps the soil acid, cool and moist.

Deadheading

It drops spent flowers by itself. Clear fallen flowers if they start to rot under the shrub.

In a pot

Use ericaceous compost and a pot with a drainage hole; repot every 2–3 years.

Tip: Plant it on the west side of a wall or under tall trees, out of the morning sun: frozen buds then thaw slowly and stay unharmed.

Camellia: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–June.

When: After flowering, in May–June, before the new flower buds are formed.

How:

• Prune lightly: only shorten overlong or awkward branches to just above a leaf.
• Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches.
• Rejuvenate an oversized shrub over a few years by cutting back a few old branches hard each time; camellias regrow well from old wood.

Caution: Do not prune after June: from summer onwards the flower buds for next spring are already sitting at the tips.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In July–August, take 10 cm semi-ripe cuttings with one leaf and a bud and root them in moist, acid cutting compost under plastic. Rooting is slow, two to three months.

Layering

In spring, peg a low branch into the soil; sever it after one or two years.

Camellia: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −18 °C: protect young plants.

• Hardy to about −18 °C: no problem in most Belgian gardens.
• Open flowers and buds can turn brown in frost; the shrub itself is unharmed.
• In a pot: wrap the pot in hessian or bubble wrap and stand it against a wall, as the roots are more tender than the branches.
• In dry winter weather without frost, water occasionally, especially plants in pots.

Diseases and pests

• Bud drop: Buds fall before they open. Usually caused by drought in late summer: water regularly then.
• Yellow leaves: Yellow leaves with green veins point to lime or too high a pH. Use rainwater and an ericaceous fertiliser.
• Scale insects: Brown scales under the leaves, sticky leaves and black sooty mould. Wipe off with a soft brush and soapy water.
• Vine weevil: Notched leaf edges; the grubs eat the roots, especially in pots. Use nematodes against the grubs.
• Brown flowers: Caused by frost, or by morning sun after a cold night. Choose a spot out of the morning sun.

Through the year

• February: Flowering begins.
• March: Full flower. Protect pots in hard frost.
• April: In flower. Plant. Apply ericaceous fertiliser. Mulch.
• May: Last flowers. Plant. Prune after flowering.
• June: Light pruning. Feed again if you like.
• July: Take semi-ripe cuttings. Water in dry weather.
• August: Water in dry weather: the flower buds are forming.
• September: Plant. Keep watering in dry weather.
• November: Wrap pots against frost.

Did you know?

• The tea you drink comes from a related species, Camellia sinensis.
• The genus is named after Georg Joseph Kamel, a Jesuit and botanist who described the plants of the Philippines around 1700.
• The flower buds for next spring are already formed in summer.