Caring for Camellias – everything you need to know

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read that caring for camellias is easy. What rubbish! In my experience they’re sensitive little beauties, with all sorts of wants and needs. However once you get to grips with these, they reward you with the most incredible display of exotic blooms.

That flowering typically happens early in the season, in late winter and early spring, when not much else, other than bulbs, is flowering.

So they give you and your garden a real boost during the drabber months. Added to this, camellias are glossy evergreens providing interest all year round. They don’t really need much pruning. Camellias work brilliantly in both pots and borders, and come in a gorgeous array of colours. Their blooms are so sumptuous that they look like they belong in a hot house, but they don’t. They cope perfectly well with our climate. You can see why along with Erigeron and Bearded Irises they are one of my favourite plants.

They can be a bit pricey, but if you don’t already have one, do treat yourself. You won’t regret it. But before you do, have a quick read through my dos and don’t of caring for camellias.

Caring for Camellias – the Basics

• They’re an evergreen shrub
• They flower late winter and early spring
• There are three types – Camellia sasanqua these flower during late autumn, through winter. Camellia japonica and Camellia willamsii flower from early spring
• Need an acidic soil. My garden soil isn’t acidic, that’s why I grow mine in containers, using ericaceous compost.
• Like partial shade.
• Protect them from strong winds.
• Don’t let them dry out in the Summer.

Ok, so let’s break this down a little, by looking at the three critical aspects of caring for camellias…location, watering and feeding.

Location

• Camellias like to be in partial shade.
• They don’t like early morning sun as it scorches their flowers and buds. Early morning sun, hot on the heels of a frost the night before is an absolute no no. The sudden change in temperature can burst their buds like a scene from a horror movie! Those buds need time to warm up gently – rather than being blasted by sunshine first thing. So position your camellia where they won’t get sun until well after lunchtime.
• Certainly don’t position them against an east-facing wall!
• They also don’t want to be in a draft – and certainly not in high winds.
• My camellias are in a sheltered, semi shaded spot on my patio.
• If you’re planting them in the garden, you not only need to ensure they’re in acid soil, also give them room. In a bed they grow to become medium to large shrubs so allow 10-15 ft for them!

Watering

When it comes to caring for camellias I have found to my cost that watering is critical!

• They need plenty of water during their growing season – from April to October.
• In particular, you mustn’t let them dry out in the summer as this is when their buds form. So keep a close eye on them during July, August and September.
• During these months stick your trowel down about four inches, if the soil feels dry water it well.
• Use rainwater rather than tap water, if you can – as rainwater is slightly acidic. (I don’t manage to do this and mine are fine).
• If you are growing a camellia in your garden rather than in a pot, watering will become less critical, as they will be less dependent on you. That said, I think I’d still water them regularly for the first 18 months.
• If you don’t water them properly, you will pay for it! Your camellia will look fine, and you’ll think it’s all going along beautifully, with buds forming and so forth, only to find months later that the little perishers don’t turn into flowers – or even drop off in the spring – so maddening!

Feeding

Caring for camellias also means feeding them at the right time. Get this wrong and – yes you guessed it – those pesky buds can drop off again!

• As you can imagine, producing a profusion of flowers takes up a lot of energy. That’s why the experts suggest you feed your camellias in early spring.
• You also feed them in early summer but don’t feed them after the end of July.
• This needs to be an ericaceous fertiliser – to suit this acid loving plant. If you have something in the shed which suits Azaleas and Rhododendron it will suit your camellia, but follow the instructions on the packet.
• Do not over feed them.
• Excessive and late-summer feeding can lead to – yep – bud drop!

Deadheading and Pruning

Deadheading after flowering simply tidies up the look of the camellia, it doesn’t encourage further flowering. So I don’t bother with this much! Equally, my two camellias are growing with a perfectly pleasant, open shape. So I haven’t pruned them at all.

If you’re not so happy with your plant’s shape, or it is in a flower bed and growing a bit too freely, you can of course prune it. Do so just before the plant starts to grow in spring, just as the flowers finish. According to ‘Gardening God,’ Monty Dom, you’re aiming for a plant with one central stem, leaving the first foot or so bare to get ventilation around the bark. To be honest I’m just aiming for my plants to survive and flower!

My Experience Caring for Camellias

I have learnt all of these ‘caring for camellias’ lessons the very hard way!

I’ve two camellias in pots. It took me four years to get things right. If only I’d had this blog to hand when I started!

My two camellias are both the japonica varieties – Doctor King and Fairy Blush .

I had them in too much sun in their first year, so their buds formed but never opened – they were like brussels sprouts! Year two I moved them a bit but not enough and I didn’t water them in the summer properly – so their buds all dropped off! Year three they got camellia blight.

How I hated these plants. Indeed, I’m amazed I stuck with them at all! But by year four I felt it was a point of principle. Mightily fed-up by all the experts saying how ‘easy they are,’ I was not going to be defeated. So I redoubled my efforts.

I found the perfect spot on my patio – I even marked the paving stones so that they do not move an inch from this optimum position. (I am a bit of an anorak about these things!)

I fed them in the spring – by scraping off the top two inches of soil in their pots and replacing it with fresh, ericaceous compost, I also gave them an ericaceous feed – scrupulously following the instructions.

As for watering, I even wrote in my diary about watering them through summer and remembered, religiously!

Winter Protection Too!

During the winter months I also bubble-wrapped their pots so that the camellias’ root balls were a bit better protected from the cold. If I’d a greenhouse, I’d have moved them into that to avoid the worst of the winter. I’d have also made them cups of tea if it helped! Obviously, if your camellia is in the ground its roots are warmer, thanks to the surrounding soil, so you wouldn’t need to worry.

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All this attention to detail paid off. My camellias on my patio last Spring were extraordinary. In particular the variety called Doctor King was jaw-droppingly fantastic.

Indeed it’s so wonderful that I’ve tried to propagate from it.

Propagation

To propagate my Dr King camellia I followed this video from Carol Klein (my absolute favourite TV gardener). But in essence the process is as follows:

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I have no idea if the technique has worked, as it takes three months for the cuttings to root. Fingers crossed!! But if it doesn’t I’ll simply try again.

Caring for Camellias – my last tip… go for it!

So that’s it – my golden rules for caring for camellias. I hope this hasn’t put you off getting one. I cannot tell you how beautiful they are. Their plump buds during autumn and winter – are all full of promise of what’s to come.

These alone almost take my breath away. And when the flowers come. Well I have to confess dear reader, last March I cried!

Let’s have another look at that beauty!

So go for it. Treat yourself to a camellia. Follows these tips to avoid the dreaded bud drop! And see for yourself why I think camellias are almost the Kings of Spring!