How to Care for Camellias

Planting Camellias

Plant in light shade. This is a golden rule. Camellias do best in light shade that protects them from hot afternoon sun. This doesn't mean that they need total shade, just enough so that they don't bake in the sun. As a camellia grows, it can tolerate more sun. This is because a mature camellia will have a big canopy of leaves that will shade the roots and make sure they don't get too dried out by the sun. This also depends on what climate you are planting the camellia in. If you are in a climate that never gets very hot, then a camellia can cope with a spot with less shade.

Ensure your site has good drainage. Camellias can't stand having “wet feet” and must have well-draining soil.

Keep camellias out of the path of wind. The more sheltered the camellia, the better the flowering will be. This is because the dehydration from winds any time of year can kill camellias, whether it be warm winds in the summer or cold winds in the winter. Try planting your camellia between 3 to 6 feet from your house. This will give it good protection from the wind. If you need to, erect a fence or trellis to divert direct wind away from your camellia plants. The lighter the flower color, the more protection from wind is needed.

Planting the camellia. Dig a hole that is two feet wider than the root ball of the plant. The hole should be just a bit deeper than the root ball in the center but a few inches deeper than that around the edges. Keeping the hole shallow in the center will prevent the plant from sinking. Digging the hole deeper around the edges will give the plant's roots some looser soil to easily spread out into. Place the rootball in the hole, making sure the top is slightly above the soil level. It's important to keep the rootball 2–4 inches (5.1–10 cm) above the soil line because camellias are sensitive to being planted too deeply. Fill the rest of the hole with a mixture of top soil and organic material. Press the dirt around the plant down so that it is firmly in place. Slope the dirt up the sides to meet the top of the rootball, but don't cover the rootball with any soil. Then give the plant a deep watering. If the weather is dry, give a new plant a thorough watering every week until it is well established.

Caring For Camellias

Use deep watering. Camellias love deep watering about twice weekly, rather than daily shallow watering. This is partially because camellias love generally moist soil as opposed to soggy soil. Giving a deep soak allows the soil to have a generally moist consistency for longer.

Mulch around your camellia. Mulching will help keep moisture in the ground and it will keep the soil cooler on hot summer days. In addition, mulch will help keep weeds at bay. Use whatever mulch you have readily available but don't pile it more than a few inches high, no matter what you use. This can keep soil too wet and lead to root rot. Remember that the mulch should not touch the trunk of the plant. Mulch also adds new organic material to your soil. This will help to break up clay soil or add richness to sandy soil. In general, it will increase the quality of your top soil tremendously.

Apply a suitable fertilizer every spring. Some Camellias are considered heavy eaters, meaning that they need a lot of nutrients from the soil in order to thrive. This will ensure lush growth and good flowering each season. There are other varieties too, where the plant is not a heavy feeder, and do not react well to over-stimulation. Do not fertilize after August. Interestingly, their bloom time is also their dormant period and so should not be fertilized then. Cottonseed meal and fish emulsion are good natural choices. Two or three feedings between April 1 and September 1 is all that is necessary. Contact your local extension service or camellia experts to get recommendations of fertilizers that work well in your specific area and for your specific variety of the plant. Fertilizers usually have three numbers on them, which tells you about the nutrients in it. The first number is for nitrogen, the second number is for phosphorus, and the third number is for potassium. If you want your camellia to increase in size because it is newly planted, give it a fertilizer with a larger first number, such as 10 or 12. If you just want to maintain the size of an already established plant, then a lower first number, such as 4, will work well.

Don't overdo the acid. There is a common perception that camellias are acid-loving. The reality is that camellias prefer slightly acidic conditions but they do not like very acidic conditions. If you've been overdoing the acidic fertilizing, stop now! If you test your soil, it should have a ph between 5.5 and 6.8 to make a camellia happy. If you notice the leaves turning yellow, the camellia likely needs more acid in the soil. Re-pot with fresh potting soil formulated for acid-loving plants.

Look for infestations. Check the top and the underside of the leaves weekly for aphids and spider mites. When you spot an infestation, rinse off the insects with a strong stream of water. Check the woody stems for scale insects. Scale appears as raised welts that scrape off easily. Spray scale with a ready-mixed all-season horticultural oil.

Pruning Camellias

Prune right after blooming. If you prune right after blooming then you will give the plant time to rejuvenate and grow new buds for the following spring. There is a good period of dormant time between when the plant blooms and when it starts to sprout new growth for you to do this. Pruning at other times of year will not kill a well-established plant. However, it will eliminate your buds for the following spring, so prune off season carefully.

Remove dead and dying growth. This will improve the overall health of the plant. Pruning reinvigorates the plant and decreases the chances of bug or disease infestations. To avoid the chance of disease entering the plant, cut branches flush to feeder branches, instead of leaving nubs.

Shape bushes to your liking. To begin with, remove leggy or lanky branches that stick out and don't look good. Then prune for general shape. Pruning should also be done to shape the plant so it fits into your landscape. This may mean a light or severe pruning, depending on the shape of the camellia and how long it has been left to grow untended. Severe pruning means removing one third to one half of the plant. This should be done without fear of losing the plant, as most camellias are very strong and will outlive those that planted them. However, the year following a severe pruning you will probably have fewer blooms, as the plant is focused on regrowing its branches and leaves. Light pruning can be done with small hand shears or larger shaping shears. You will get a cleaner look if you prune individual branches, as opposed to cutting large swaths with shaping shears.