Camellias bring brightness to the winter garden

December is the kickoff of sasanqua camellia season, and these evergreen shrubs provide a lovely, winter flower display now through February.

They have dark green, medium-sized leaves, with flower shapes varying by petal counts. Depending on the selection, a sasanqua camellia may have a single flower style like the popular Yuletide (red with yellow center), semi-double flowers like Cleopatra or a full peony style flower like the White Dove.

Sasanqua camellias are easy to grow and are one of the most sun-tolerant, shade-loving shrubs available. Sasanqua camellias can thrive in full morning sun or half a day of afternoon sun exposure, even during our summers. Camellias like regular water.

Take care when planting any camellia. Aggressively work the roots loose, soaking in water if you have to. You want the roots to look like they were never in a pot. Lots of folks make the mistake of not spreading out the plant’s roots properly before installing. You won’t hurt your camellia by roughing up the roots, rather you’ll do more harm to your installations by not working the roots apart.

If you already have sasanqua camellias in your landscape, caring for them is easy. Prune after flowering at will, wherever needed to achieve the shape you desire. If your plant appears leggy, cut it back – stretching branches for a more upright appearance. Always remove dead wood.

Fertilizing

Fertilize all camellias now with a formula that will feed the flower and not encourage new leaves. Look for a formula where the label’s first number in the series of three is smaller than the second and third. For example, 0-10-10, 2-10-10 or 3-20-20. If you can’t find any of these formulas, get one that is close – as long as the first number is smaller than the second.

If the leaves on your camellias are light green or yellow, apply a dose of iron as well. Starting in March, begin feeding camellias with an acid fertilizer. Be careful and don’t use more fertilizer than recommended. Always follow package instructions.

Sasanqua camellia shrubs make great additions when planted along a fence line or against a blank wall of house trained as an espalier. Shop for sasanqua camellias while they’re in bloom so you can see all the glorious colors.

Companion plants to consider are azaleas, pieris, hydrangea and rhododendron. Companion perennials to be used as under-plantings could be hellebores, Japanese anemone, brunnera and hosta.

Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. You can contact her with ­questions or comments by email at gardengirl94517@yahoo.com