| Camellias
27
March 2008
 If
you want a hardy shrub that is good value all
year then select a variety of camellia.
The
glossy, dark green, evergreen leaves are the
ideal backdrop for the single, double or full
centred flowers that appear in late winter,
spring or in late autumn depending on species.
They are as tough as old boots but prefer a
site sheltered from biting cold winds. Camellias
are woodlanders preferring shade. In full sun
they may sulk. The soil must be neutral at least
but preferably acid. A fertile, moisture retentive
soil that doesn’t become waterlogged is
ideal.
When planting steer clear of sites such as east
facing walls that receive the morning sun. Where
there are spring frosts then the early sun on
the frozen flowers will cause them to turn brown.
 They
are shallow rooting and benefit from an annual
mulch of compost, old, well rotted farmyard
manure or leaf mould. Ensure that the soil remains
moist especially in late summer and early autumn
when the flower buds are forming. A period of
drought and the buds will drop.
Where there is a branch that will bend down
to the ground then propagation by layering is
easy. Cut part way through the stem where it
touches the soil and wedge the cut open with
a piece of matchstick. Loosen the soil and peg
the branch firmly in place using u shaped wires.
Cover it with compost and wet the soil thoroughly.
Cover it with a large stone. Within 12-18 months
the branch will have rooted and can be cut away
from the parent plant and be potted up in ericaceous
compost.
 Camellia
sasanqua and its varieties flower in mid and
late autumn. My favourite variety is C. s. ‘Narumigata’
with fragrant, single, white flowers with a
pink tinge.
C.x williamsii cultivars are probably the best
known, flowering profusely and reliably in late
winter and spring.
I
love them all especially ‘Donation’
(semi-double pink), ‘St Ewe’(single,
rose-pink) and ‘Francis Hanger’
with single white flowers with the centre full
of golden stamens.
RELATED
LINKS
The
Camellia by Reg Maxwell
Plant
profile - Camellia
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