Karma karma karma karma karma Camellia
If you recall, Karma Chameleon was a Culture Club hit in the 80s. Lead singer, Boy George, has evolved into a gardener but that's another story.
This story is about our lovely camellia shrubs and trees.
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| Camellia sasanquas blooming in Diana's garden |
There are many different types. The two most common are the Camelia japonica and the Camellia sasanqua. One of the main differences between these two varieties is bloom time. Sasanquas bloom in late fall to early winter (October to December) as many of you saw when visiting Diana Woods garden in November to see her sasanquas at peak bloom. Japonica usually blooms between December and March. Bloom colours are usually white, pink or red depending on the varieties. There are a couple of varieties that are variegated but I haven't seen any in our region. Does anyone have a variegated one?
Camellias are evergreen and do well in our temperate coastal weather. Most varieties are hardy to zone 7 but a sheltered spot with some protection from the wind, some morning sun exposure and a layer of mulch will help them thrive. Camellia flower buds develop over the spring and summer so they require fertilizing and watering during this time. If you want to shape your camelia or control it's height, it is best to prune them right after they bloom. This allows the flower buds to develop for the next year's blooms. Pruning by up to one third per year is a good general rule.
Some gardeners consider camelias to be messy. I have my camellia in a mulched bed so I just leave the dropped flowers underneath and find that they decompose within a few months.
Camelias like acid soil and, once established, are relatively low maintenance - a bit of compost tea periodically, a good deep watering every 2-4 weeks in the summer and I also knock any heavy snow off them during the winter. In my mind, this is little work for big rewards.
I loveah loveah loveah loveah love my camellia!
Written by Sharon.
Written by Sharon.
Thanks for the picture, Sharon, as I was unable to go to Diana’s.
ReplyDeleteOne of our showiest camellia Japonicas is Donation which I think is a funny name for a plant. It has a big open pink bloom in the spring. I noticed a couple for sale at Springtime Nursery.