Camellia japonica
Camellia
Common names: Japanese camellia, Common camellia
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Pruning
- Apr–May
- Flowering
- Mar–May
- Spacing
- 150 cm, rows 150 cm
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Qwert1234 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The camellia, botanically Camellia japonica, is an evergreen shrub native to Japan, Korea, and China. Its glossy, dark green, leathery leaves adorn it throughout the year. Depending on the variety, simple, semi-double, or fully double flowers open between March and May in white, pink, or red, including bicolored forms. Fully double varieties resemble roses. In the garden, in mild locations, it grows 2 to 3 m tall and nearly as wide; in a container it stays smaller. It grows slowly and over the years becomes an impressive specimen plant in light partial shade. In Central Europe it is considered conditionally hardy: early flowers and buds suffer from late frosts, so it should be planted in a sheltered spot or grown as a container plant.
Care instructions
Plant the camellia in light partial shade, sheltered from wind and harsh sun, ideally on a north or west side or under tall trees. Avoid an east-facing position, because morning sun thaws frozen buds too quickly. Do not plant it too deeply; the root ball should sit flush with the soil surface. Water evenly with rainwater, especially from July to September, when the buds for the following year form, since summer drought causes buds to drop in spring. Also water in winter on frost-free days so the evergreen leaves do not dry out. A mulch layer of leaves or bark mulch protects the shallow roots. Typical mistakes include calcareous soil, waterlogging, too much sun, and a winter location that is too warm.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringMar–May
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
lime-avoiding, humus-rich, well-drained
The camellia needs acidic, humus-rich and well-drained soil with a pH between 4.5 and 6.5, similar to rhododendrons. In chalky soil the leaves turn yellow and the plant struggles. In ordinary garden soil, mix in plenty of leaf mould or bark humus and loosen heavy soils deeply so that no water stands. In a container, use acidic ericaceous compost. Water with rainwater, because chalky tap water raises the pH over time.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Apr–Jun
Fertilise the camellia after flowering, from April to June, with ripe leaf compost or horn shavings, which you work shallowly into the soil and water in. In a container, you can give a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants every two to four weeks during this time. From July, stop fertilising so that the shoots can ripen and the plant can set its buds in peace.
Pruning
Camellias need hardly any pruning. If necessary, cut them back straight after flowering, depending on the variety in April or May, at the latest by the end of May, because after that they are already setting buds for the next year. Remove dead, crossing and overcrowded branches, and shorten overly long shoots to a branching point. The camellia also resprouts from old wood, but a hard rejuvenation pruning can cost you the flowers for one to two years.
Overwintering
In mild areas, such as wine-growing regions, the camellia survives the winter outdoors if you plant it in a sheltered spot: cover the root zone thickly with leaves or bark mulch and wrap young plants in horticultural fleece in hard frost. Avoid sites with strong winter sun, because frozen leaves in the sun are often followed by frost desiccation. In harsh areas, keep it in a container: before the first stronger frosts, put the container somewhere bright and cool at 5 to 10 °C, no warmer, or the buds will drop. Water sparingly, but never let the root ball dry out completely.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
The easiest way to propagate camellias is from semi-ripe cuttings. From July to September, cut shoot tips about 10 cm long with a few leaves, remove the lower leaves and insert them into seed compost mixed with sand. Under a propagator lid in a bright, warm place out of strong sun, they root within several weeks to months, so be patient. Layering also works: in spring, bend a flexible shoot that starts low down into the soil and separate it after about a year. Nurseries mostly propagate varieties from cuttings, and varieties that root poorly are grafted. In the home garden, cuttings and layering are the usual methods.
For your garden
Grow Camellia yourself
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