Are Camellias as High Maintenance as Rumor Has It

Although blessed with beauty that can stand a chance when compared to the endlessly glorified roses, camellias are often depicted as demanding and rather picky plants. While this statement isn’t untrue, being able to successfully take care of them has a lot to do with how their life cycle begins. This means that if the shrub is planted properly, the hardship that comes with maintenance is to be reduced significantly.

Camellias can be used as foundation shrubs for the purpose of creating the basis of the landscape and concealing what you don’t want focus on – much like putting foundation and concealer on one’s face (chuckles). But with its striking green foliage and gorgeous blooms (white, pink, red or yellow), it can also take up the role of a specimen plant and simply be the first thing that catches the eye.

There are large camellia bushes for sale available from nurseries where they are already growing vigorously and all you need to do is keep the momentum going, preferably with the help of a fertilizer. This is a great way to make sure you are on the right track, from the very beginning.

When it comes to planting position, camellias need to be planted a little high. This is done so that the top of the root ball can be level with the surface of the soil. This will ensure that the water can drain away from the plant’s trunk. Due to the fact that a camellia flower bush has shallow roots, it is wise to avoid planting it under trees such as maple and birch because they are a tough nutrients competition. It is best to grow them in light shade, such as the one provided by deep-rooted pine trees.

Camellias can also grow in containers. Both small and large camellia bushes for sale are available in plant nurseries, so you want to grow some in a container, make you choose from the smaller varieties. These plants thrive in well-drained and acidic soil. The perfect pH is between 5.0 and 6.5 and the most suitable fertilizing mix should contain rhododendrons and azaleas. You could also make your own mix by mixing coarse sand with either coarse peat moss or small pine bark. It is also important to mention that the pot should have drainage holes since otherwise the roots will rot and the plant will die.

Thorough watering is important for moistening the entire root ball. A good rule of thumb to follow as to know when it is time for you to water the plant again is when the top of the root ball is slightly dry. Watering should be more frequent during the blooming time in order to encourage the formation of fuller blossoms.

Pruning is also important and ideally, you should do it once the period of blooming comes to an end. What you ought to remove are the dead or weak branches, and also make sure you thin out growth where the density is so high that the flowers have no room.