Extension Service Garden Hints

Winter is Camellia season

CORVALLIS - It was 5,000 years ago when the Chinese first brewed tea from Camellia sinensis. For almost that long, the flowers of ornamental camellias have adorned the art and gardens of East Asia. Today, camellias are found worldwide as foundation plants, in masses, or as single specimen.

Many camellias are in full bloom this time of year. Their large, flat flowers sparkle in shades from white to dark red, some striped or mottled, all set against a backdrop of glossy evergreen leaves.

In their native Southeast Asia, camellias are well-watered by summer monsoons. That's quite a contrast to our Oregon climate. Yet camellias can easily adapt if they receive good drainage, slightly acidic soil, protection from the sun, and regular water for the first few years. Plant camellias with crowns above ground level, and do not disturb their shallow roots. Camellias even do well in large pots.

Now is a good time to shop for camellias because you'll see the shrubs in bloom. With proper care, camellias live a long time. Outdoors, some have reached 500 years, and even potted they may live over 100 years. So consider your investment carefully; your camellias are likely to outlive you.

Japonicas are the most common variety of camellias. They are medium-size shrubs that make excellent foundation plants, especially in north- or east-facing exposures. Sasanqua and hiemalis camellias are lower-growing and somewhat tougher plants that can thrive in full sun. Reticulatas are taller and leggier than japonicas, and grow faster. Although a bit rangy as a shrub, their flowers are among the most spectacular. The common tea plant, Camellia sinensis, is rather plain in comparison, with long, dull-colored leaves and small white flowers.

Camellias are easy to cultivate, seldom attacked by diseases or pests. Occasionally they can be troubled by petal blight, when the flowers turn brown and fall. Petal blight is a spore-borne disease that spreads rapidly, so the best prevention is a clean yard.

Older shrubs will require occasional pruning to stimulate new growth and to allow sunlight to penetrate the interior. The best time to prune camellias is after they blossom each year. To make a camellia bushier, prune some branches back to the base of the most recent growth. Buds below the cut will grow into several new stems. Remove any scraggly, unattractive drooping or crossing branches.

In China, there are huge old camellias pruned as small trees. Old shrubs can be renovated into an attractive tree by trimming all branches from the lower reach of the trunk. Cut out any crossing limbs from the remaining upper foliage and remove any weak or twiggy wood.

By: Peg Herring
Source: Ann VanDerZanden

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