Camellias in your Garden

December 2001

By Mary Bernard, Master Gardener


Camellias are a beautiful addition to the landscape and make excellent container plants for porch or patio.  They come in a wide variety of forms, sizes, and colors.  Bloom time runs from September through March, depending on the variety.

You can visit a local nursery now to select plants that will bloom in late winter and early spring.  A healthy plant will have plenty of leaf and flower buds.  Be sure to check the plant carefully for signs of pests or disease.  Camellias should be grown in partial shade for best flowering.  They do best where they are protected from extreme exposure to heat, cold, and wind.

Camellias are shallow-rooted and require a well-drained soil.  Cultivate the soil to 8 or 10 inches deep and mix in plenty of organic matter to encourage root growth and development.  Place the plant so that the root ball is level with the soil surface.  Never allow soil to cover the base of the plant.  Keep the root zone evenly moist, cool and weed free by mulching with 2-3 inches of organic mulch.

Camellias prefer moderate applications of water and fertilizer.  Avoid over-watering and over-feeding.  When watering, be sure to give them a deep soaking to leach accumulated salts out of the root zone.  Apply a commercial acid fertilizer just after they have bloomed.  In addition, chelated iron may be used if chlorosis is a problem.  Read the package label and follow the recommended rates.

Pruning should be done after flowering, in the summer or fall.  Remove any dead wood or weakened branches.  Thin out center of plant to allow for better air circulation.

A common fungus disease of camellias is Petal Blight.  Disease development requires cool, moist conditions in early spring just before or during early bloom.  The disease first appears as small, water-soaked spots or as large, single, and brown to tan areas in the flower center.  During proper weather conditions the smaller spots rapidly expand to encompass most of the bloom.  Petals are quite slimy to the touch.  The fungus carries over to the next season on fallen, diseased blooms.  Prevention of the disease through proper sanitation is preferable to use of fungicides.  Remove all infected flowers and discard.  Rake up and dispose of old mulch, as disease spores can survive here as well.

University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers can provide additional gardening information upon request .Call the San Luis Obispo office at 781-5939 on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 PM.  You may also call the Paso Robles office at 237-3100 on Wednesdays from 9 AM to 12 PM.  The San Luis Obispo Master Gardeners website is at http://groups.ucanr.org/slomg/. Questions can be e-mailed to: mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu.