Camellia basics 101: A few tips for keep the blooming beauties

Camellias are easy to grow in Tallahassee and require little maintenance, which is something I very much appreciate. However, if you are new to growing camellias it is always good to have someone share with you the basics.

1. Select what you love

Hopefully, you have been to someone’s home with blooming camellias and admired them or you have been to one of our Tallahassee public gardens and seen them in bloom there. If there was one that you really loved, that is a good place to start in selecting one for your yard.

Pick one you love. Also, pay attention to its growth form because it will do the same in your yard. Is it huge and do you have room for it? Does it grow upward, like a column, or spread out at the top and is this an appearance that you like? How fast does it grow, and do you want it big now or are you willing to be patient and let it grow over time?

2. Pay attention to its growth habit

Some varieties of camellias grow faster, but in general they grow slow. Most folks look at the blossom appearance and color when selecting a plant, and that is good, however, it is also wise to pay attention to what the plant itself will look like as it grows up.

Camellias come in many forms, from wide and bushy to tall and narrow. Some will grow into 30-foot trees and others will remain low and shrubby. Depending upon what you want you can find it. Its growth habit may also influence where you choose to plant it. You do not want to place a tall bushy camellia right up against your house. That will be one that belongs in an open spot in your yard.

When selecting your camellias, if you do not know its habit or whether it can tolerate full sun, first check the label, as it may tell you. If not, ask your nursery sales help, as we have some great nurseries in Tallahassee that make it a point to know their camellias.

If they do not know, then you can always type in the name of the camellia on your phone’s search engine and find out that way. Both the American Camellia Society and the Atlantic Coast Camellia Society have informative websites.

3. Plant it in the right place

In general, camellias prefer to be planted in partial shade, especially late afternoon shade. They do wonderfully as an understory planting. So, if you have tall pine trees, oaks, or other native trees, camellias will be happy planted under their shade canopy.

However, do not plant them too close to your existing trees because you do not want to damage the existing tree roots while digging.

There are some camellias that can tolerate full sun. I have two varieties that are planted in full sun and are thriving.

One is commonly known as Snow on the Mountain and produces a lot of white flowers in late fall. I use it as a hedge and have six that have received full western sun for two decades and they are healthy and happy. Another one I have is named Spring Festival and it receives full southern sun. It is a slow grower and has been in the ground for four years now and is doing fine. It produces a lot of pink flowers in the spring.

4. Plant it high

How you plant your new camellia is very important. In general, folks plant trees too deep. If you feel around the top of your camellia (or any tree) you can find one or more roots coming off of the trunk. That top root should be planted at ground level and should not be buried under soil or completely covered with mulch.

Your camellia will want to take in air from that root and if you bury it, it will not be able to, and its growth will suffer. If you question that advice, go into your yard, and find your healthiest tree. I bet you will see its top root above ground. Also, think about how many times you’ve walked through a healthy forest and stepped over an exposed root (hopefully, not tripped).

After you have planted your new camellia, they do like to be mulched with pine straw or pine bark. This is because camellias like acidic soil and can get that naturally from the mulch. When mulching, place it in a ring several inches away from the base of the tree trunk in a donut shape and then out to the drip line. Do not pile the mulch up around the tree trunk as it will harbor moisture, insects, and hinder air flow from the roots.

5. Water after planting but do not keep the roots wet

Be sure to water your new camellia well for the first few months. It does not want to be saturated in water, so if it is raining, skip the water. However, if the weather is dry like it has been this past summer then you will need to water it several times a week for a few months until it is established. Camellias do not do well with constant wet roots, so you do not want to plant it somewhere that holds water.

6. Fertilize at least once a year

If you are like me and want lots of flowers, then fertilize your camellias twice a year. Once after they stop blooming in the spring and then again after they have set their buds in late August to early September.

You can find azalea/camellia food at any garden center, and you should follow the directions on the bag. If you only fertilize once a year, or not at all, your camellias will probably produce flowers anyway, they just might not be as large or produce as many.

7. Watch for pests

There are three camellia pests that I most often find on my camellias, and they are scale insects, spider mites, and aphids.

Tea scale insects form a white powdery substance on the bottom of the leaves. Spider mites result in leaves turning from solid green to a bronze or silver cast up through the center of the leaf along the spine. Aphids mostly attack new growth and result in leaves being curled up or crinkled upon opening. Also, they excrete a honeydew that promotes the growth of sooty mold and can result in a leaf covered in mold.

All three of these pests can be addressed through the use of insecticidal sprays with miticide in the spring after the plants have stopped blooming and if needed again in the fall before the new blooms. Aphids in particular can be controlled using environmentally friendly soap sprays. These sprays are commonly available in garden centers.

If you have any other questions pertaining to camellias you are welcome to attend a Tallahassee Camellia Society meeting as they are open to guests and ask the experts or go to their website and leave a question at TallahasseeCamelliaSociety.com.

Brenda Buchan is a Master Gardener Volunteer with UF/IFAS Extension Leon County, an Equal Opportunity Institution. For gardening questions, email the extension office at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Camellia basics: 7 tips for keeping these shrubs blooming