Garden Cameos: Camellias add color, elegance

Spartanburg is fortunate to be able to grow camellias. There are not too many hardy shrubs that can brighten up a dull winter day as a shiny camellia bush can. As you ride around Spartanburg, many people have camellias in their yards. They put on a pretty bloom, and are both cold- and drought-resistant once established.

Two kinds of camellias are grown by a large number of people in this area. One is camellia sasanqua and the other, camellia japonica. For purposes of this article, camellia refers to the latter, which is the variety that most people know and is blooming at this time of year.

Its glossy green leaves add a touch of elegance to a winter garden. It also flowers at a time when many other plants are still sleeping. Although my childhood yard did not have too many camellias, we did have varieties that bloomed over a long period of time. A favorite memory of mine is my father putting a camellia flower in his lapel before heading off to the hospital.

There are a thousand or more different types of camellias. Some bloom as early as before Christmas (Debutant), and some do not bloom until April (Simeon). Bernice Boddy, Lady Clare and Margaret Ratcliff are a few that bloom for a very long season. These three are more cold- hardy. When the weather chills, some of the flowers get burned, but the bush shakes off the bad weather and pops open again as soon as a warm day comes.

In terms of planting, camellias like protection. I did not realize this when I first started gardening 35 years ago. I planted a number of camellias in our yard. The ones that survived never grew very tall nor had the correct luster in their leaves. It took me a long time to realize that the winter exposure atop our hill was too great. Specifically, the winds rolling off Black Mountain were the problem.

The plants I placed at the edge of the woods grew and were outstanding. The tall canopy of pines and nestled hill were the perfect natural shelter to minimize the wind exposure. After that revelation, I had great success with lots of different kinds of camellias.

Another lesson I have learned is that the secret of really pretty bushes and lovely camellia flowers is feeding and pruning. I prune my bushes by cutting long stems to bring in the house and to share with others. Bushes respond to pruning; they will become bushier and healthier. I see many around town that could use a good haircut to make them look better.

Most people do not do anything to their bushes once established, but if you want the foliage to have a really shiny, green luster and for the blooms to be larger, feeding them will make the difference.

I fertilize with equal parts of the following: cow manure, (40 pound bag), cotton seed meal (40 pound bag) and Epson salts (2 cups). This mix is a wonderful slow-release fertilizer for most plants and adds the trace minerals that are needed in our soil. I fertilized mine this week and will do it again in late April or early May with some 10-10-10. You can use azalea camellia fertilizer, but with the acidity that the pine needles add to my soil, I just use this less expensive mix. If you choose to use the azalea camellia fertilizer, it has everything you need, including the ability to make the soil acidic.

When you are deciding on a variety to plant, there are several things to consider. Some grow larger (Greensboro Red) and some grow narrower (Crimson candle). If you are more interested in color, camellias come red, pink, white, variegated, striped and shades in between. You also might want to see what kind of flower shape you want. There are six different shapes: rose, single, semi-double, formal double, anemonea and peony.

I hope you will seek out some of these plants. I have been to a number of nurseries and lots are available. Quick Carl, Carolina Farm & Wildlife, Piedmont Farm, Carolina Garden World and Fosters are a few that have them on hand. I am sure your favorite garden center can get them for you.