When most of my garden is sleeping in January and February, my camellia bushes wake up and burst into bloom and the profusion of elegant pink, white and red blossoms breathes a breath of springtime into the winter landscape. Their arrival is a much-anticipated event for both me and people who pass by my garden and ask what I do to get them to bloom so beautifully.
Our climate near the coast is perfect for growing camellias and mine seem to love the semi-shaded environment that receives mostly morning sun and the shelter my walled garden provides, so just like in real estate – location, location, location matters. I fertilize my camellias after they finish blooming, around Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day, which makes it easy to remember. An organic fertilizer for acid- loving plants, such as Dr. Earth’s Camellia Mix, will work wonders and will promote beautiful flowers. Remember that camellias should never be fed when they are in bloom, which is actually their dormant season and feeding them at this time might kill them.
When selecting camellias for your garden, there are six basic forms of flowers to choose from: Single petal, semi-double, anemone, peony, rose double and formal double. Now is a good time to go to your local nurseries when they are in bloom and choose the shrub with the flowers and colors you prefer. Camellias also come in a variety of sizes and some of my older camellias are more than 12 feet tall. They can bloom at different times during the year and by selecting several different varieties, you can enjoy these graceful flowering shrubs in your garden from early fall, through the winter, and into spring.
Never let your camellia plants dry out during the warm summer months, otherwise, they will not bloom and their buds will simply fall off. A layer of organic mulch near the base of the plant will help retain moisture during the summer. My established camellias only needed a deep watering twice a week, but newly planted bushes should be watered more frequently when it is warm. Camellias prefer slightly acidic soil that is rich in organic matter, which you can purchase and add to your soil before planting them. They also need good drainage and hate “wet feet.” Keeping these tips in mind, you can also plant them in containers.
If you have an older camellia that is not blooming, try lacing out the branches to allow air circulation through the bush and remove old branches. Pruning should be done when the bush is in bloom and before its new growth sets in. In the spring, begin the fertilizing and hopefully, your plant will respond. I pruned a 60-plus-year-old camellia bush at another property I own that was not blooming and it responded to the care and was covered with flowers the following year.
Today in my garden, we are not the only ones enjoying the camellias – the bees are flocking to the flowers to enjoy a winter feast and I am happy to host them!
