FLIMBY: Keep camellias happy for years to come

This is another installment in our new Flowers in My Back Yard series, dedicated to blooming plants.

Sacramento is the Camellia City for a reason; camellias love it here.

And Sacramento gardeners tend to love camellias. More evidence of that mutual adoration was on display this past weekend (March 7 and 8) during the 102nd annual Sacramento Camellia Show.

More than 1,000 camellia lovers wandered through the Scottish Rite Center, which was packed with all things camellia, including hundreds of exhibition blooms – and hundreds of plants to take home.

Presented by the Camellia Society of Sacramento, the floral display proved particularly remarkable due to the weather challenges leading up to the show, the nation’s largest of its kind.

After blooming as much as three weeks early, local camellias got pelted by cold rain (and even hail), whipped by strong winds, then toasted by unusually warm days. Those conditions could mean no flowers for show weekend.

But growers still had enough blooms left to fill the auditorium’s tables – because camellias are resilient, too.

That resilience helps camellia plants survive (and hopefully thrive) for decades with little attention.

The one thing they need for success: The right location.

Naturally slow-growing, camellias need to be planted (or potted) in the right place – dappled shade with excellent drainage. They require just enough sun to bloom their best, but not so much that their foliage burns. They hate standing in water (which can make some clay soils problematic), but they love loamy soil on the dry and acidic side.

Such planting sites mimic their native habitat as under-story shrubs – growing under the dappled shade of big trees in Asian forests. Camellias are probably their happiest growing under a pine or redwood.

When planting, position the camellia so its crown (where the main stalk comes together with the roots, usually the soil line) sits about an inch above surrounding soil; that will help promote drainage.

Late winter or early spring (as in now) is the best time to plant camellias – including those plants that you may have bought at the Sacramento show. Camellias are also available at local nurseries.

Most of the camellias blooming now are Japonica varieties. December-blooming Sasanqua camellias (also known as Christmas camellias) can tolerate more sun, drought conditions and colder temperatures. Both species grow very slowly – and for a very long time. Healthy camellias can live for several decades (as evidenced by many local shrubs).

Japonica varieties need consistent soil moisture and appreciate mulch (such as pine needles or wood chips). Once established (a.k.a. well rooted in their planting site), they should be irrigated weekly during their growth period (spring after they bloom) and twice monthly year-round.

While they are blooming, pick up and dispose of the fallen flowers to help prevent petal blight, a fungal disease that turns camellia petals prematurely brown.

April is the best time to shape Japonica camellias, after they’ve finished their bloom cycle. As they finish flowering, prune camellias lightly to remove any dead wood or to gently shape. They don’t need much, but selective pruning can promote bushiness, upright growth and more bloom next winter.

Then, feed with an acid-type fertilizer formulated for camellias, which prefer slightly acid soils.

Don’t feed camellias until after they finish blooming (usually in early March). Feeding while camellias are in bloom (or about to bloom) may cause them to drop unopened buds.