How to Care for a Camellia Tree

For all the elegance of their flowers, camellias are rough-and-tumble shrubs.

The same elegant evergreen that was pampered in the grand conservatories of 18th-century Europe is a rough-and-tumble flowering shrub in America. Once their basic needs are met, camellias do well in an ever-increasing range of U.S. climate zones, due in part to the adaptability of hardy hybrids. Well-drained and well-aerated soil is essential. If you have heavy clay soil, create raised beds for your camellias or grow them in containers; wet feet spell doom. While mature camellias may survive in full sun, they generally do best in partial or light shade. Grow varieties that are cold hardy for your area.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp bypass-style hand pruners
• Sharp bypass-style loppers
• Slow-release camellia fertilizer
• Pine straw

Instructions

1. Prune in spring just after flowering, before buds for the following year's blooms and vegetation form. Camellias need minimal pruning. Cut back dead, damaged or diseased wood and any crossing branches. Thin inner limbs as needed to improve air circulation and sunlight penetration. Create more compact plants by cutting leggy branches or stems back to their origins.

2. Mulch with 2 to 4 inches of pine straw--dried pine needles--dropped by the handful to create the permeable natural thatch typical of a forest floor. Avoid getting mulch closer than 2 inches to the central stem or trunk. Water pine mulch thoroughly, to settle it.

3. Withhold fertilizer for a camellia's first year. Otherwise, fertilize as directed in spring after blooming is finished but before new growth begins. Apply fertilizer again in mid-June or early July. Evenly sprinkle fertilizer over the mulch, avoiding the trunk area. Water thoroughly.

4. Water regularly, applying an adequate regular supply. Camellias need predictable moisture to develop quality flowers and a good quantity of them. The exact amount of water needed varies depending on seasonal rainfall patterns, temperature, humidity, soil type, camellia species and cultivar, plant age and size of blooms. Consult local Master Gardeners for advice.

5. Practice good garden sanitation to prevent or minimize petal blight, caused by a fungus that easily spreads from plant to plant. Fungal spores can lie dormant on plants and in the soil for up to four years. If plants are infected--brown spots on flower petals grow larger and soon engulf entire flowers--clean up all dropped flowers and other vegetation after blooming and send refuse to a landfill. Remove and replace all mulch.

Tips & Warnings

• Transform any camellia shrub into a "tree" by removing lower branches flush with the trunk.

• Camellias grown in containers become root-bound after a few years and need repotting with fresh potting soil and, usually, a larger container.

References

• Alabama Cooperative Extension: The Culture of Camellias, the State Flower of Alabama
• North Carolina State University: Camellia Care