With the onset of winter, even gardeners in relatively warm winter climates have a tendency to pull the covers over their heads, and hunker down until spring beckons. But our zone allows us to appreciate the beauty and colors of many winter-friendly plants, even if we’re viewing them through the windows of our cozy, warm homes!
Camellias are easy-care evergreen shrubs with dark green, glossy foliage that do not require much pruning and look great year-round. When thinking of Camellias, most people visualize Camellia japonica, a beloved shrub that provides beautiful flowers in a wide array of (mostly) pastel colors in early spring. The winter-blooming Camellias are Camellia sasanqua, beautiful shrubs that provide masses of blooms in white, pink or red during the fall and winter.
Strategically choose an early, mid-season or late variety to provide color when you’d like to see it, or plant a mix of different varieties for an extended season of bloom. Don’t have any garden space? Camellias make excellent container plants for the patio, porch or deck!
All varieties of Camellia sasanqua display a graceful, arching growth habit. Take advantage of its pliable branches and train it as a show-stopping espalier, or simply let it grow naturally as a single shrub, or use them in groupings under trees or in light shade.
Depending on the variety chosen, Camellia sasanqua will grow slowly to a height of 4′-10′ tall and spread 6′-8′ wide. Some are low or mid-sized spreaders and some much larger, making these types good candidates for foundation planting. Because they are slow growing, they can be easily pruned to control their height and spread, but it is best to prune them naturally rather than in a more formal way (of course, wait until after the last blooms have dropped to shape them).
Camellias like ample moisture, but must have good drainage. Their roots tend to spread out much farther than they go down, so when preparing the hole for planting them, dig it wider and just a little deeper than the rootball of the plant. They require an acid soil, so if your soil tends to be alkaline, make sure to use a generous amount of an shade plant mix in the planting hole. Lastly, position the plant so that the surrounding soil level will be about an inch below the top of the rootball (they like their roots high). Wait to fertilize them until after they have finished blooming, using a shade plant fertilizer.
Camellias make excellent companions for plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, gardenias, ferns and Japanese maples. While they grow very well in light to medium shady areas, they will tolerate more sun than their later-blooming counterparts, making them a more versatile choice for the home garden.
Unlike many plants, camellias are most dormant during the blooming season, so don’t hesitate to plant them as soon as you get them home from the garden center, even when they are covered with flowers. Come in soon to see our great selection of Camellia sasanqua plants and add some winter color to your garden!