Camellia Growing, Propagating and Enjoying

ibarto? Should I give this one some fertilizer now? Also I would like to know, how big are the ones you have. I would like to see a full view of them.

me too! me too!

Most of my yard is populated with plants from the three nurseries I have worked at over the years
Certainly something to go on my "Thankful for" list, both the plants and the experiences of growing and caring for so many great plants!

On that note, taking time now to say thanks to all the posters here and that all will have a wonderful time giving thanks this year. Happy Thanksgiving you all! Judy

Marie and Judy, I will take more pics this afternoon. The size is really determined by the variety. The sasanquas usually grow a little taller, but the japonica's can still get very large.

I have 1 that is 20 years old and about 4' tall, and 1 that is 20 years old and almost 16'tall. I will try to show some of the bloom patterns too.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Linda

A few more blooms opening up, but only at the bottom.

marie---
I like the shiny, deep green leaves on that one!
The bloom color is nice too.....Gita

Wow, Marie, looks like your baby bush is settling in nicely for you. Lovely!

I sure hope so. so far it is doing good. But I still want to know if I should give it some food since it is a new planting and it blooms in the winter?

Any reports on your Camellias and how they are doing this roller coaster of a winter? Just wondering.

Judy--
Since my "Bob Hope" camellia is all new growth (over 4'-5' tall now) I know i will not have too many blooms this year.
I did see some bloom buds near the base of the shrub--probably on older growths.

I sure hope that me cutting it, totally, back last Spring will solve the leaf problems i was having.

Did the cutting back on advice of my "Camellia Guru"--Mike Quinn in GA.
It looks healthy! The leaves are deep green and shiny. Will, probably, prune it back a bit in early summer to bush it out a bit.

Gita

Here! I just took a picture of it. A bit dark--as it is getting dark outside....

Wow it is looking real nice now. I hope that you get some blooms, but if not at least it looks better. That rimming did ht trick.

Marie--I hope so!

I want to take some cuttings as I prune it back and see if i can root them.
There seems to be so many different advices on how to root woody cuttings.
The stems now are ALL woody. Will have to wait till the new growth comes (after I prune it back) and then
root them. This should work by August.

There are a few bloom buds on the bottom--as I mentioned. Will just have to be patient for it to be all
full of blooms again.

Gita

Oh good Gitagal. good luck. I am still watching mine. So far it is still doing good.

here is a picture of my Camelia , it is even more opened now.

I truly did not mean to let this thread get so far behind. My camellias have been spectacular and I have been collecting pictures each time they have bloomed, but I haven't had a chance to post any. I will work on that later tonight.

Orchidfancy, that is a really pretty white.

This one is my appleblossom camellia sasanqua.

How beautiful, mine is not really a true white it has a pink tint to it as you can see in this picture hopefully, my red camelia has already fallen into the squirrels paws . They love the red blooms and feed on them also just shred them or carry them into their boxes. What can I say....

I'm reviving this thread in hopes of getting your help in finding a camellia.

I've fallen in love with Pink Perfection! I went to Behnke's today where they had a new shipment of camellias in bloom. BUT they said the grower had sent Pink Princess instead because they had no more Pink Perfection. :'-(

I looked up Pink Princess, which is supposed to be a "seedling" of Pink Perfection, but I'm just not in love with it!

I see that Camellia Forest Nursery is selling Pink Perfection on line, but there's a 20 dollar shipping charge. Yikes!

http://www.camforest.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=pink+perfection&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

Is there another camellia that's similar to Pink Perfection that you'd recommend? Is there another source of camellias that I should look into?

If mine takes off well I now I am getting more. I have always loved the way they look. But not everyone carries them. 20.00 shipping is a wee bit high. Watch the nursery's this spring.

Brookside Gardens in Wheaton,, MD is hosting the 58th Camellia Society of the Potomac Valley show and sale on April 7th this year.

http://cspv.org/where-to-see-buy/

THANK YOU for the link!

I had Pink Princess but not Pink Perfection. It died. Do you have a picture of Perfection? I am not surprised at the cost of shipping being $20. I have an order of gardenias to ship to LA and the cost is $33.95 for USPS Priority. Does that not hurt your pocketbook? If these charges keep going up for the different locations I will not be selling to some states. That is also bare root and the weight is 6 pounds or less. I am really concerned as to why there is such an extreme difference in shipping from one state to the other. Anyone know the answer to that?

I have a few cuttings that I have started but they are April Tryst and hopefully they will grow. Mine are all in pots and I do not have the space for too many but I love them with a passion. I want all I see and that is not going to happen or I will have to build another room and greenhouse. Too old for that. Have a great day this wonderful weather. JB

JB, how/why did your Pink Princess die?

Here's a davesgarden link to pics of Pink Perfection:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/258529/

I have no clue. I think it just did not like it here. LOL. I also have those tan little critters, which I forget the name on mine every Spring. I have been fighting those since I got them. I think they were infested when they arrived and I can not get rid of them. Yet, I must be doing something right because they are growing well. In pots it is difficult to keep them all happy in the winter since I must find places they like in the house...the greenhouse is full of other tropicals that would not survive in the house. Thanks for the link. I will check it out when I get back from the doctors.

JB--are you talking about scale? Are the "tan, little critters" on the stems and undersides of leaves?

Sprays do not affect scale--as the outer shell is waxy. They have to be removed in other ways.
Systemic granules (Bonide) may work--but it takes time for all the plant "juices" to become toxic to sucking insects.
If you feel up to it--get a sponge and a bucket of warm water with some original "Dawn" in it and scrub away
the undersides of the leaves.
For the stems--you can use an old toothbrush or other small brush. Rinse plant off afterwards.

Check back in a couple weeks and repeat-- if needed.

Gita

Gita, I have used Dawn and just the other day I noticed some I used alcohol on each leaf individually. It has a name and I think it begins with a T, but I can not remember it for the life of me. I also tried the neems oil and dawn spray and it does not work as well as taking each leaf and wiping it off. I think the name is Tea Scale

As soon as I can take them outside and hose them down I will guarantee they will go away, but I think they are in the soil. I even use ladybugs in the house to help me but they can eat that much. LOL

JB--

Check your larger, independent Garden centers and see if they sell Espoma "Systemic Granules".

I bought a "jug" (4lbs) at a fancy-schmancy Garden center a couple of years ago--I paid about $22.00
Yesterday--I went to one of my favorite discount stores (Good Stuff Cheap) and bought the same exact "jug" for $5.95.

We used to carry this at HD many moons ago. It came in a small, white, plastic jar.
Then HD stopped carrying it--probably b/c it is a toxic substance--and they clearanced it out.
I bought every jar they had.
After a few more years--I had none left. Could not find it anywhere.....
Then--one day--I was in the vicinity of a VERY popular "fancy-schmany" garden center and decided to look for it.
WOWSA!!!! They had it in this big "jug" for $22. So i bought it. Just happy to find it again. Price was NO object!
Now I am well supplied for years to come.

There has been a lot of negative things written about this. Lets face it--almost any kind of an insecticide, or such,
has some kind of toxic properties. You just have to be careful. Don't breathe it in. Don't lick your hands after using it---etc...

The reason I NEVER have any insect issues in my dozens of plants I bring into my house for the winter is because
I treat EVERY pot coming inside with this product about 2-3 weeks ahead of time.
It really does work!!! It will kill any kind of sucking insect that decides to dine on your plats.

Here is a picture of the smaller jar of this product.....and then the 4lb. jug.
The fact that this product is now showing up in the "Clearance-type of stores" may mean that it is really
going off the market.
Bayer and other brands have now replaced it with more updated products--perhaps safer ones???
HD CARRIES A FULL LINE OF BAYER PRODUCTS.....I DO love them all!
Many new ones will be added this coming season. Look for them in your local HD.

Gita

Will give it a look, but I try not to use those things because the birds are in the same room in the house as the plants and they can die with one wiff. LOL.....Later sweet friend. Jb

I have those bugs flying all over my house from the plants. I let the soil dry out and as soon as I add water , out they come. I used a spray on them this fall before I brought them in, but it did not work. I guess I should have gotten that stuff and drenched the soil.

marie---

The having the Fungus Gnats are NOT YOUR problem.
Their eggs and larvae come in soil that has not been properly sterilized in the production cycle.
There is nothing much you can do--but treat the soil by various methods.

--Keep it on he dry side. They LOVE moist soil!
--put some kind of deterrent product on top of the soil--like sand or Diotomacious Soil.
--You can also water your plants with a light solution of 1TBS of Ammonia in a Gallon of water to get rid of these.

The Fungus Gnats lay their eggs in moist potting Mix. IF the soil is not properly disinfected by heat in the production cycle---
the eggs will not be killed. Then the eggs hatch into larva in the soil and feed on the plant roots.
Then they mature into Fungus Gnats and fly all over your house to annoy you.
They are NOT harmful to anything---just annoying....The adult Fungus Gnat lifespan is about 2 weeks.
That is why treating the soil is better than worrying about all the Gnats flying around...

I am sure there is a lot of information out there on this. I have just given you the "capsule" version...

Gita

Fungus gnats fyi

We had a pretty good discussion on ways to get rid of them on this thread

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1228520/

ssgardener 'Pink Perfection ' is beautiful. In general I like the old standard plants that have passed the tests of time. You might try contacting the Camelia Society of Potomac Valley to see if Camelia Forest Nurseries is one of the suppliers for the April 7th Show and Sale. Or, maybe you could attend the March meeting and get some more info. To me, finding a plant I want, grown by a reputable grower, that will have the best chance to thrive in my garden is a better bargain than a cheaper gamble that is mass produced/marketed. Good luck

Thanks a lot. I have been wondering how to control these things and where they came from. I don't remember having them before when I brought my plants in. Just in the past few years.

I am so sorry to have let this thread slide for so long. I will try to post some new pictures and answer a few questions later this afternoon or tomorrow.

SSgardener, I have found a link for you to check out. I have a pink perfection, but it is to small to cut yet and struggling in it's current location or I would be happy to share. anyway, I know nothing about this nursery, I just found that they have this variety and I know that it is hard to find. I thought you might want to check it out.

http://www.thujagardens.com/C-PinkPerfection.html

I will also list the varieties that I am growing and the zones they will tolerate. I will be happy to share or trade as it gets later in the season.

Linda

Thank you Linda! I will check out the link. I'm also planning on attending the local Camelia society gathering coming up on April.

I

I bought a "Camellia 'Winter's Snowman'" (Sasanqua) two Falls ago. It is a hardy-type. It blooms in Winter - no joke. And, if it has a fault, it would be that there are too many buds on it! It is incredible in bloom! I am finding this Camellia to be extremely low-maintenance, and it seems very happy planted near my back porch, where it greets the morning sun, and is shaded in the afternoon. I wish my father was still alive, as his most-coveted bush was the Camellia, but his often succumbed to the harsh Virginia weather. I hope to plant another Camellia, in his honor. It will be of the same type, as I've had great success so far with this type...

I saw some small new "bush type" of Camellias recently, at a high-end Nursery, and wondered if anyone knows what I am talking about? Honestly, they looked like pussy willows - vase-shaped and tiny buds...?! Of course I need to go back to probably buy the, dont'cha think? LOL!

I found it! The interesting Camellia that I saw at the nursery is a new plant, Monrovia Gardens, "Fairy Blush Camellia - Camellia sasanqua 'Fairy Blush.' "Deep pink buds open to reveal dainty, single, apple blossom colored blooms. The blossoms' delicate fragrance as well as the smaller growth habit make this well suited to a small courtyard or patio. Mid to late season bloomer. Evergreen."
Says it needs filtered sun, so it's not for me. But, I am sure that one of you will take it home!

ssgardener I'm looking forward to a report on the Camillia Society event you attended. Did you find what you were looking for? Do tell!

Grace, pis please...

Thought you all might find this interesting

plants.com/articles/view/Trish/349/Camellia-Forest-Nursery-

Coleup, I had looked forward to going to the Camellia Society event, and even had the map printed out in my car. I was going to first pick up a free rose bush that was advertised on craigslist.

But when the rose was dug out of the ground, we saw that there were little to no hair roots. I was concerned that it wouldn't survive the transplant so I spent the next couple of hours digging a better hole, preparing the ground, pruning it back, mulching, etc., etc.

Well, after all that, it looks as if the rose is dead after all! :'-(

ibartoo----

I have a propagation question......

My Camellia has now been re-growing (from being seriously cut back 2 years ago),
but it seems to have mostly these long stems on top of it. They are woody--not soft-wood.

I want to cut some of these longer shoots back to let the camellia fill out a bit more.
Is there any chance that these will root? What would I need to do to have a chance?
My Pakistani neighbor sticks all kinds of things in the soil and pots, and most of them all root.
She believes in watering all her rooting things every day! All through winter.

She king of puts me to shame. She said, if i cut the camellia back--to give her all the cut off pieces.
I would like to try to root some myself--but have read that Camellias are hard to root.

Any advice?????

Here is what things look like right now; I do not expect any blooms this year as this is mostly new growth.
There are a couple blooms on the very bottom--on the original, older wood.

Wow, that is beautiful Gita. I wish mine looked like that. I got so tired of mine getting that crud they get I put them outside. Washed them off with soapy water and just left them outside. If they die, they die. Every Spring they get that scale and it is maddening. JB

JB--Have you seen the blooms on this one?????

Bob Hope camellia.

Gita: You know I think that is a fabulous Camellia!

Ibartoo: How do the shapes of the different Camellias compare? Are any better as landscape plants? What about the Ackermans? I want beautiful flowers, of course, but I also want the shrub to have a good shape and glossy leaves if I am going to plant it next to my house ....

And what would happen if I were to grow a Camellia that isn't appropirate for my zone? If it gets too cold, I realize that it will kill the whole plant. But if the weather colder than the Camellia likes but not so cold that it dies, what happens? Will it stop blooming? Become disfigured?