How much sun does a Camellia need?

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wgnkiwi Burlingame, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 03, 2006

Hi all, I hope this is the right forum for my question. If not please feel free to redirect me.
I have a very young Camellia japonica that is being cooked in full sun, and I want to relocate to a different part of my garden. The spot I have in mind is at the back of my house and North-East facing, so in summer it would get sun from early morning (around 8.00am) until mid afternoon but in winter none at all. Do camellias need winter sun or will the summer sun be enough for it? I don't think the shade would be classified as deep, or light, but maybe somewhere in between.

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Soferdig Kalispell, MT(Zone 4b) Jun 03, 2006

In the PNW the camellia thrives in shade. It also loves acidic soil that is high in humus and other forest floor material. Your area sounds good if the soil is good.

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growin Beautiful, BC(Zone 8b) Jun 03, 2006

The house next door has 2 large Camellias in full-shade facing north and I've seen many in deep shade looking good with flowers. Anytime I've seen them facing south they look pale, chlorotic, sad.

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wgnkiwi Burlingame, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 03, 2006

Sofer and Growin - thanks for your replies. The spot that they are in at the moment did provide them with quite a bit of shade, but over Christmas we lost one of the trees which was providing that shade. Now that the sun hits them from first light the blossoms are all tinged with brown and the leaves are very pale. Very sad looking indeed :(

The soil is pretty good, not sure how acidic it is but I will attempt to test it :) then out with the shovel!

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pajaritomt Los Alamos, NM(Zone 5a) Jun 05, 2006

I learned something from this! I have a large camellia at my farm in Southern Mississippi that looks very chlorotic. I have been pouring iron on it like mad and mulching it with everything I can put my hands on -- pine needles and oak leaves, mostly.

Now I realize that it gets strong morning sun, and probably more than in the past because of some huge trees that fell in Katrina and also Hurricaine Georges a few years ago. I bet it is the sun causing this problem. The soil there is generally very acid.

I guess I will have to plant a tree to the east of it. Interesting my other camellias are looking just fine. They still have lots of shade.

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