Winter beauties- Camellias
This beautiful Camellia is flowering in the laneway near my house. The colder it gets the more blooms it has. I took these photos on a very wild and windy Monday…..it was absolutely freezing cold and bucketing with rain.
I am not sure of the variety…..could be Camellia japonica ‘Desire’.
There are two main types of Camellias. Camellia sasanqua and Camellia japonica.
Flowering season: NOW!
Most Camellias prefer semi shade or full shade as the hot sun will burn leaves and those very delicate flowers. They do like to have their roots covered with a nice amount of mulch and don’t love too much competition, so keep planting underneath to a minimum, if at all.
Camellias do very well as a screen or hedge, and are very pest and disease resistant.
Fertilising should begin with the first signs of new growth, even though the plant may still be blooming. Feed regularly during the growing season; September, December and February with a liquid fertiliser such as Aquasol. It is important to water ground well before and after applying fertiliser.
Apply Osmocote Plus as a six month slow release fertiliser in Spring and Autumn. Specially formulated Camellia and Azalea Food is suitable for use on established specimens: eight years and older (avoid using on potted specimens).
Some of my favourite varieties are:
Beatrice Emily
Desire
Buttons n Bows
Nuccio’s Gem
Early Pearly
Hiryu
Pure Silk
