Camellia Growing

Some trees on our park have grown tall enough to obstruct the adjoining homeowner’s view of the countryside and industrial units. The council took action and with the help of a subcontractor managed to chop the tops off and shred the resulting wood into neat piles. The trees look a bit odd, being lopped isn’t the most visually pleasing style and I’m sure if it was in your own garden a tree surgeon would have done a bit more sculpting.  It’s not really an issue here and if the neighbours are happy then all’s well. 

I’m benefiting too as I’ve been scuttling down there with my empty coal and compost bags shoveling in the resulting woodchip. It’s very good stuff too. I’m a bit unsure what to do with it and will be leaving it in the bags until I decide to use it as weed suppressing mulch, put it in the compost and let it rot down before using it, or both. I’m not short of it now and there’s plenty more to go at. There’s even enough for the neighbours to have a few bags as well. Enough about mulching, let’s have a look at a spring favourite flower, the camellia.

Camellia

Camellias are one of the most popular winter- and spring-flowering shrubs, providing a vivid splash of colour when little else is in bloom. Although they need acid soil, they are easy to grow in containers of ericaceous (acidic) potting compost.

Growing

Site and soil conditions

Camellias are woodland plants that grow best in shelter and light shade, although with careful watering they can be grown in sunny positions.  They prefer free-draining conditions, with plenty of organic matter, such as leaf mould, incorporated into the soil. Being ericaceous plants, camellias require an acid soil. If your soil isn't acid then consider growing your camellia in a container.

Watering

Rain water is ideal for watering camellias and is preferable to tap water if you need to keep young plants moist in the summer. There’s less calcium in rainwater.

Feeding

Feed camellias in spring and early summer with acidic fertilisers if needed. I’ve found that most gardens are adequately acidic but nearer the coast some peat based soil could be used as mulch or get yourself some seaweed. 

Container growing

Camellias make lovely container-grown plants and this is a particularly good method if your garden soil is too alkaline for camellias. Use an ericaceous or multi-purpose potting compost. John Innes ericaceous compost usually gives good results, as its loam content makes it especially easy to manage.

RHS research has found that soil-less potting media, including peat-free potting composts, are suitable for camellia growing. However these composts can lose their structure over time leading to poor drainage and an airless root environment, causing leaves to brown and die back. Re-potting in spring every other year into fresh potting compost is recommended. In the intervening year, replace the top 5cm (2in) of compost and look out for root eating grubs. After a few years you might need to try a bit of root pruning if they are not put into a larger container.

Pruning and training

Camellias form flower buds in late summer and autumn, especially on new growth. Pruning at this time could remove potential flowering growth. Therefore pruning is best done in spring, immediately after flowering and following the advice given for other evergreen shrubs. Where an overgrown camellia needs to be reduced or renovated, hard pruning is usually safe and reliable.

Propagation

Camellias can be propagated from semi-ripe cuttings, hardwood cuttings, layering and grafting. Seed is also an option, but seedlings will not usually come true to parent type.

Semi-ripe cuttings often root better if slightly wounded by taking a 1.5cm (5/8in) strip of bark off the base of the cutting and dipping the wound in hormone rooting compound.

Hardwood cuttings are taken as for semi-ripe cuttings, but between autumn and late winter. They can root in three months.

In a good summer, camellias sometimes produce seedpods – more often in single-flowered varieties. Although the resulting seedlings will take six to eight years to flower and will be of unpredictable quality, many gardeners like the challenges of seed propagation

Problems

Despite being easy to grow, camellias are occasionally subject to problems, normal leaf drop isn’t any cause for concern but other things might be. There are a few diseases that cause leaf drop or yellowing. Some winter protection might be needed for container grown ones, buds might drop off in cold weather and if the plants are fed after July. Don’t let this put you off growing them though, they are well worth the effort and if one does die you can always replace it with one of your rooted cuttings.