Camelias are a plant we focussed on during this weeks Mark Patterson Show. Camelias are a mighty popular plant, seen in any mature garden, we just love them here in Derry. When you drive about between now and Mid May large mature Camelias are a joy to behold, with their glossy foliage and bright flowers, they are a real eye-catcher.
For the novice gardener Camelias can be a bit of a turn off, they're sometimes spoken about as if they are hard or delicate to grow, this couldn't be further from the truth. the vast majority of Camelias you would buy in a garden centre are as tough as nails, indeed Camelias are naturally a woodland plant found from the Himalayas to Japan and south as Indonesia, so they're well adapted to our georgraphy here in the North West.
What you have to get right with Camelias is the soil you grow them in, they demand a good humus rich acid soil, so when planting work in a generous amount of Ericaceous Compost and some general fertiliser (such as Fish,blood and bone), and after planting mulch with a good thick layer (2-3inches) of conifer needles, and repeat this mulching with needles routinely as the year goes on, every few months put a fresh supply around the base.
hard pruned camelia
Camelias are quite neglectful plants, so don't overfeed, feed them a balanced fertiliser in mid spring and again about mid summer, but if you overfeed you'll get rampant foliage and poor flowers. Pruning is not normally required, but you can prune to enocurage a shape or if you have a monster Camelias you can cut them back as hard as you wish and yes they will re-grow, it will take a few years to get them back into flower are hard pruning.
Talking of flowering time, Camelias that we admire are all been growing for yonks, so my simple advice is buy a Camelias as big as you can afford, yes you can pcik them up sometimes for a fiver, but save up and spend £50+ on on, this will get you a more mature specimen which will flower more and be more impacting in your garden, likewise if you ever fancied a Magnolia follow this purchase guidline - 'Buy Big Get Better!'
frost damaged flower
Other important thing for Camelias is their positioning, they detest, absolutely detest morning sun, like a teenager they want to have a long-lie so get the compass out and ensure that your Camelias are positioned so they don't get the morning sun, so make sure they face away from the East. The flowerrs on a Camelia form from August onwards so they can be easily damaged by drought (especially when growing in a pot) so keep pots well watered and plants well mulched to reduce water stress.
Pest wise they're largely trouble tree in these parts, they do get a touch from Aphids and scale insects and as a resuly a harmless sooty mould can appear on the leaves (this sooty mould grows on the honey residue left by the aphids and is easly washed off)
But take time to get the soil and site right and the camelia will be happy for years and years in your garden
you'll get a surprising selection available now in garden centres, there are over 250 species to choose from and endless varieties, so ask questions when your buying to make sure you have a good hardy variety which will flower well here, and not some soft type you have to keep in a greenhouse!!
But take time to get the soil and site right and the camelia will be happy for years and years in your garden
you'll get a surprising selection available now in garden centres, there are over 250 species to choose from and endless varieties, so ask questions when your buying to make sure you have a good hardy variety which will flower well here, and not some soft type you have to keep in a greenhouse!!
