Master Gardener The Hardy Camellia By Debra Howell
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everal years ago, we experienced a long, cold winter which wreaked havoc on our landscape ornamentals. Following the heartache of disposing of once-lovely plants destroyed by the cold, many people posed the question, “What type of flowering shrub will tolerate temperatures below freezing?” I took this query right to the top -- Dr. David Shibles, Urban Horticulturist. His response was immediate and conclusive: Camellias! According to the USDA Hardiness zone map, Camel lias, which are hardy in zones 7 to 9, would be hardy from 0 to 10 degrees. Their land of origin is the Orient, which can get cold at times. Camellias are evergreen shrubs in sizes from 60 to 20 feet tall, depending on the type. The blooms and glossy green leaves of the sasanqua type are smaller than those of the japonica. Camellias will sprawl to a width of six to ten feet wide, so make sure you allow plenty of room when selecting a site for these plants. Blooms come in red, pink, white and bi-colored flow ers. There is also a rare cultivar known as nitidsimina whose bloom has the appearance of a Magnolia and sports a yellow color. Bloom sizes occur from two to eight inches across and are either single, double, semi-double, small, medium, large, very large, and other rare bloom forms. The Camellia was under cultivation for centuries by the Chinese and became the leaf donor for their signature beverage of tea, or “Cha.”
The sole survivor of a massacre of East India Compa ny officials in 1705, James Cunningham, sent the first Camel lia to England. Sadly, this specimen was killed in an overly hot greenhouse by Lord Petre, ironically known as the best botanist in England. At this point I should add that gardeners are some times known as good thieves due to their propensity to snitch clip pings here and there. This bit of anecdotal wisdom was borne out by the gardener, James Gordon, who had boosted some cuttings from this ill-fated Camel lia. Gordon’s clippings survived, and the rest is history. The Camellia has become such a southern staple that it seems like it’s always been here. However, the plant made its first appearance in North America during the late eighteenth century. The Camellia blooms from about November to March, the peak time falling in January. Cultivars will bloom for a month. We’ve explored the concept of succession planting, and Camellias are good subjects for this technique. Using the plastic tag, which should accompany plants at your favorite nursery, determine what cultivars are available, and whether they are sasanquas or japonica types. A rule of thumb is that sasanquas bloom first, then the japonicas bloom around the same that the sasanquas stop flowering. Camellias are hardy in central and north Florida and can tolerate a slight freeze. The blooms may sustain damage at the freezing point, but a severe freeze (under 25 degrees) will most likely impede blossoming for the season. These plants can have along lifespan, specimens sometimes achieving a hundred years. I must attach a disclaimer to this fact. I have people ask me how long a horse can live. My response is always “totally depends on the level of care which they receive.” The same can be said for Camellias. The better and more complete the care, the longer your Camellia will live. Camellias love organic matter, so I use oak leaf mulch around mine. I have a large ring of what I call “Pineapple bromeliads” (a small, spiny red
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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
March 2013
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