Camellia

I found these plants at a camellia specialty nursery about 4 to 5 years ago and have kept them in their original nursery pots. I have the...Read Morem in partial shade and water them regularly during the summer. These plants have been very low maintenance and bloom year round in Southern California (although they bloom most profusely in the summer). Although I probably should plant them in the ground, they have done quite well in pots, which gives me more flexibility to give them more shade during the worst heat of summer. I do get seed pods on my plants, but have never tried to grow them. I highly recommend this sturdy plant with beautiful deep salmon to red/orange flowers.

This lovely Camellia flowers for me (North-central Florida, z8b/9a) in late spring to early summer. The flowers are single with 5 scarle...Read Moret petals. My original plant had been grafted (probably on C. japonica) and the nursery told me they grafted them because cuttings were difficult to root. I have taken cuttings at different times of the year and had varying results. Softwood taken in early February, treated with typical store-bought rooting hormone powder and placed in mist, rooted 100% in 8 weeks. Cuttings taken in April of somewhat newer growth were a total failure. Cuttings taken at other times of the year have rooted in varying percentages.

My original plant grows in part shade in very infertile, sandy soil with very little supplemental irrigation (except in long droughts). It has survived and grown 3 feet in 6 years which is actually good considering my soil.

5/4/2022 update -- Although I was able to root cuttings, none grew much and all eventually died after a few months, so now I know what the nursery meant when they said it was difficult to root. I will try grafting it.