It’s winter here and there is no greater joy than seeing the stunning blooms of camellias in other people’s gardens as I travel around conducting garden maintenance in Perth as well as in my own garden.
These plants you would think, belong in cold climate gardens and have no place in Perth, not true. Our winters are pretty mild in comparison to other parts of the world and this winter we’ve been blessed with some lovely warm, sunny days with rainy evenings. This has been great for gardens and absolutely fabulous for camellias.
It is true that in recent years camellias have gone out of fashion for many designers and so you don’t see them featured as much as you used to but I am here to share with you that you really can’t get a tougher plant that needs less water or love.
Mythbusting
There’s a school of thought that camellias are not water-wise, this is simply not true, mine survive and thrive on two waterings a week throughout the summer months and nothing except rain between March and October. I have seen them doing well in gardens with absolutely no reticulation at all, just the odd hand water from the garden owner in Summer.
There are some who might say that camellias do not do well in alkaline soils. not true, I have mine growing behind a low limestone retaining wall without any change made by me to the PH of the soil-they have adapted and love where they live. They get an occasional dose of Mature Compost and that’s about it. My camellias have survived a major renovation and have been moved several times. They were moved when they were fully in bloom which I have learned in the best time to successfully move them.
There are many varieties of Camellias and I have had good success with both Japonicas and Sasanqua varieties, the main differences between the two are that the leaves of the Japonica or Japanese varieties are larger than that of the Sasanqua. The Sasanquas generally do better in full sun and the Japonicas have larger blooms as a rule. Sasanquas make great hedging plants, better for their smaller leaf and tighter growing habit, they can be tightly clipped for great effect. In general, sasanquas will perform better in a full sun position.
Would I plant Camellias right on the coast with salt laden winds?…Probably Not.
Would I plant them in an established garden that needs a splash of winter colour?… Most Definitely, Yes!
Camellias can be planted as a single specimen or in a row as a hedge or a screen. You can plant different colours along a fence for wonderful winter accent to the garden.
You will often see them in old gardens as they live long lives and are pretty tough, requiring very little care except for a hand full of fertilizer when you think of it and perhaps some Mature Compost from time to time throughout the year. They are generally maintenance-free except for the odd prune as you feel the need and raking up the large blooms if they happen to fall on the lawn. If they fall on the garden bed, I leave them as mulch and have not had a problem with fungal diseases unlike that which you might experience if you left rose blooms to fall around the base of the plants.
So, if you are looking for a good-sized, tough, and reliable plant that will bring you great joy every autumn through winter and even into spring, think about adding a camellia or two to your garden. I am so happy that I kept all of the ones that were in our garden when we first moved in, they have been moved around many times and still survive and thrive, much like the gardener who tends them.
It’s the perfect time to plant….Camellias.
