The mild March weather has produced some colourful displays of camellias in my garden. In fact, I think they're the best I've enjoyed for many, many years.
What a superb spring it's been so far for camellias. The mild March weather has produced some colourful displays of camellias in my garden. In fact, I think they're the best I've enjoyed for many, many years.
My camellias are grown in three distinct ways. The oldest variety I grow, and the earliest to flower, is 'St Ewe', which I planted directly into my border soil. Now I wouldn't claim my clay soil is ideal for camellias, which enjoy a lime-free and water-retentive soil, but this one has certainly flourished. It also provides support for a Clematis viticella planted alongside, and I loosely train new shoots up the camellia as they grow.
Next come two camellias growing in raised beds in a shaded position. I built low brick walls to create the beds, filling them with ericaceous compost that I knew acid-loving plants would love. One bed provides a home to a much loved Rhododendron yakushimanum that was a gift to me on leaving a rhododendron nursery I worked at. By filling the beds with bags of compost I knew they would be weed-free (and still are after 15 years), and would provide perfect planting conditions.
Lastly comes a camellia growing in a large terracotta pot, again filled with ericaceous compost. Despite using the perfect compost I still feed my camellias with a liquid drench of iron sequestrene each spring. This helps prevent foliage becoming pale and yellow, providing the magnesium and other nutrients needed to keep their leaves deep green.
Perhaps it's the feeding that has helped create such a colourful show, or maybe the weather has just been kinder than in previous years. Whatever the reason, I'll enjoy them while they last. You never know when a night frost will creep up and put paid to the spectacle!
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