We have finally found a beautiful plant to live on our shaded front porch......a Camellia. It started to bloom at the beginning of this month and is still going strong. Does anyone know how long they bloom for, and how they do in the summer heat here in Texas??
Thanks.
I have one that is a dead ringer for the one in your pic and it thrives here in SE Oklahoma My nephew has a lot of those under his care in Central Louisiana so that should indicate they are heat hardy..This is a plant that seems to need a yearly application of iron ,,,When my nephew was trying to renovate the ones under his care he consulted me for advice and my first advice was to add ironite ( these were 60 year old plants ) the first year after the ironite they were much healthy the second year they were covered with a wealth of blooms '''
We planted it in a pot and added compost to the soil. So far so good. But it has done so well through the winter that I thought to get more, but maybe will wait to see how it does in the summer.
Yours does look like ours. I will remember ironite if we have any issues. Thank you.
The ironite just acidifies the soil the first indication that something is off will likely be a slight yellowing of the leaves..Just thought to share a little something about the Camelias they are of the same family as the common tea that we southerners consume by the gallons..Interesting
You may also need to apply some all-season horticultural oil spray (safer than regular dormant oil spray in hot climates) while it is still cool (and before it gets hots) to prevent scale. Scale "moves" and can be controlled early in the season - after the first few warm days. Be sure to spray underneath the leaves. I'm an organic gardener, but I do use this one product to control scale (which can really disfigure and ultimately damage plants). I usually spray about three times to try to catch it; haven't had scale on hollies, camellias, or gardenias ever since. By spraying when I do, I don't inadvertently spray ladybugs, etc., which aren't moving yet.
Leslie
I have a sasanqua camellia, red with a large yellow center. Mine is in a pot and was just covered in blooms this year but that flush of bloom is all there is, similar to an azalea in that regard. I love that it blooms in winter and is evergreen and grows in the shade. It is an acid loving plant, like azaleas, gardenias, dogwoods and blueberries. The ironite is a winner for acidifying the soil and "greening up" acid loving plants. This last summer was the hottest, driest on record for us here in Houston and these plants did fine with some supplemental water. I think you have found a winner for your area. Best of Luck, Marty
Well, the blooms seem to be still happy after a month, so I'm pretty pleased with this plant. Too bad no spring or summer blooms, but it looks good on the front porch.
Thanks for all the advice and info everyone.
