GARDENING : Bouquet of Camellias Keeps Yard Blooming From November to March
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance shrub to add color to a winter and early spring garden, consider camellias.
“I don’t know any more satisfactory plant than camellias because they’re almost bug-free and don’t get out of hand like many shrubs do,” said camellia hobbyist Mary James.
She and her husband, Travis--both members of the Southern California Camellia Society--have more than 150 camellia shrubs at their Garden Grove home. They’ve planted their garden with camellias that bloom at different times in the winter and early spring.
“If you plan right, you can have camellia blooms from November through June,” Mary James said.
There are more than 3,000 named varieties and types of camellias, which are grown as shrubs or small trees, but only several hundred varieties are available commercially. Camellia hybridizers are still producing new ones every year.
The most popular variety is Camellia japonica, a slow-growing, upright plant that can grow to 20 feet or more, but may take 100 years to achieve that height. Broad-leaved plants with glossy foliage, like all camellia varieties they prefer filtered light and grow best in a northern or eastern exposure.
Because there are varieties that bloom at different times, they are categorized by bloom time: “E” for early bloom, usually October to December; “EM” for early mid-season, December to January; “M” mid-season, February through March, and “L” late, April to May. These blooming periods can vary for warmer or cooler locations.
The James’ garden also contains Camellia reticulata, which produce very large flowers.
“Retics have spectacular flowers but aren’t attractive shrubs since they’re almost leafless,” James said.
Camellias are native to eastern and southern Asia, and new varieties are still being discovered. Southern California has one of the world’s most acclaimed camellia hybridizing and nursery businesses--Nuccio’s Nursery in Altadena. Nuccio’s offers hundreds of varieties of camellia plants in one-, five- or 15-gallon containers. It has the largest selection of any commercial nursery in Southern California.
This year, Nuccio’s is introducing several new varieties that will perform well here:
Black Magic. According to Julius Nuccio, this C. japonica is the first very dark red, glossy camellia. It’s a mid-season bloomer and a moderate-sized shrub, growing to seven feet.
Happy Hugo. This upright-growing red C. japonica is noteworthy for its large flower size (up to five inches) and unusual stamen pattern. Also a mid-season bloomer, it will reach a height of eight feet and blooms freely.
Honeymoon. Camellia hybrid (C. japonica and species cross) produces unusual coral pink buds that open to creamy white flowers with yellow at the base of the petals. It’s a vigorous, upright grower and a late-season bloomer.
Red Hot. This bright red, upright C. japonica is an early mid-season bloomer and is a compact, bushy shrub of up to four feet.
Spring Fling. This late blooming C. japonica shrub with red formal flowers is an upright grower reaching a height of eight feet.
If you have camellias and think your bush is doing something strange if it produces two distinct colors of blossoms, you can be assured by Nuccio that the bush is behaving normally.
“For the most part, hybridizers, not nature, have developed camellia flowers that are striped or blushed with another color,” he explained. “Often, bushes will have both the hybrid flowers and solid color flowers on some of its branches which were in its parentage. We can’t predict when this will happen, since it varies from variety to variety, and even from bush to bush.”
Camellias have an undeserved reputation for being hard to grow. They’re acid-loving plants that do best when planted in well-drained soil amended with organic materials such as compost.
Probably the most common mistake people make is planting them too deep. The trunk base should be just above the soil line. Add several inches of mulch to keep the roots cool.
Camellia shrubs need fertilizer, but not when they’re in bud or flower. Wait at least a month after they finish blooming, and then apply an acid-based fertilizer every eight weeks until they set their buds. Some camellias will drop buds. This can be a natural result of the shrub setting more buds than it can open or, more often, because it has not been planted with good soil drainage.
Camellias are excellent container plants if they’re planted in appropriate containers, such as wooden tubs or half-barrels. They can add color to a northern or eastern deck or patio, or can be placed in the garden when there is filtered light from overhanging eaves or trees.
Frances Butler of Tustin keeps her collection of 125 camellias in containers because her house has century-old eucalyptus trees that would interfere with the bushes’ growth.
“There’s no reason why people can’t enjoy camellias as container plants,” she said.
Butler has been growing camellias for 35 years and still has some of her original shrubs. She says her secret for success with container growing is to replant the shrubs every few years into larger containers.
Depending on the variety, it takes two to three years for a one-gallon camellia shrub to grow large enough to be transplanted into a two-gallon container. The shrub can remain there for another two or three years before replanting into a five-gallon container. That will hold it for another two or three years before it needs replanting into a seven-gallon container or wooden tub.
If this seems like a lengthy process and you think you’d prefer to plant the one or two-gallon camellia directly into a wooden barrel, don’t. Camellias are very susceptible to root diseases. A young plant has a small root ball and if placed in a large container is probably going to have too much water near its roots. That’s why experts advise gradually increasing the size of the container as the root ball grows.
If you do plant in a large container, be sure the container soil is dry well below the soil line. The tendency is to add water if the top of the soil seems dry, and that’s when disease problems can start.
When grown right, camellias are almost disease free. They are susceptible to petal blight, characterized by brown, mushy petals that will destroy the entire blossom. Be sure to clean up all fallen blossoms and remove any diseased flowers from the plant. Replace mulch with fresh.
The only insect problems are aphids, which can be controlled by hosing with water or spraying with a nontoxic insecticidal soap available at nurseries or garden centers.
Sources for Camellias
Nuccio’s Nursery, 3555 Chaney Trail, Altadena, Calif. 91001. (818) 762-5234. Mail-order catalogue available plus on-site purchases; largest selection in Southern California.
Rogers Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Road, Corona del Mar, Calif. 92625. (714) 640-5800. Stocks about 50 varieties.
Village Nurseries. Retail locations in Brea, Buena Park, Huntington Beach, Orange. (714) 963-4544. Grows own camellias.
