The best time to plant Camellias in the UK is undoubtedly the Autumn and early winter, it’s logical when you think of it, just like the sea, the soil begins to warm from Spring onwards, by the end of the summer and in early autumn the soil is at its warmest point. This planting period also extends from autumn into early winter – as long as the soil is not frozen (from a very cold snap) it’s still warmer now right through to December than it will be in the depths of February for example.
So with this in mind here is another in our series of Best Time To Plant Camellias. Previous topics were on Best Time to Plant Hedging and Best Time to Plant Magnolia
Camellia Japonica General Colletti flowering in Spring
How To Plant Camellias
When you plant an established shrub or tree you really need to give it the best start – warm moist soil, time to settle in before putting on any growth spurts and plenty of mulch (good quality mulch – never use manure around young Camellias) in the planting hole around the roots and around the stem on the soil surface. If you’re planting directly in the ground (as opposed to planting in a container) make sure you make a hole at least twice as deep and twice as wide as the potted roots of the Camellia.
Before you even think about planting, stand the plant in a bucket of water for at least an hour. Once the hole is dug, fill it with water and then let the water run away. Next pile in lots of good mulch, Camellias like their roots to be free – they don’t like a clay clogging soil. Use some ericaceous soil, mixed in with the mulch, in the bottom of the hole. Place the plant inside the hole and back fill it with ericaceous soil, heel it in to remove any air pockets and top off the surface of the soil with another good layer of mulch. Finally – water it again!
Camellias don’t like to be waterlogged (another reason why they don’t like clay soils) but they do need moisture. Remember naturally these are woodland shrubs, growing under the canopy in semi-shade and in moist soil with plenty of rotting down leaves and twigs as mulch around their stems.
Our Best Camellias For UK Climate
Here we’re featuring some absolutely beautiful Camellia Japonica cultivars that are new to our collection this year, all have been carefully selected by our expert team to be hardy and suitable for the UK climate. Plant them now and prepare to be amazed by Springtime…
Camellia Japonica Compacta Alba (left)
Camellia Japonica Snowball (right)
White Flowering – Camellia Japonica Compacta Alba | Camellia Japonica Snow Ball
Camellia Japonica Kirin No Homare (left)
Camellia Japonica Australis (right)
Rare Cultivar – Camellia Japonica Kirin No Homare | Camellia Japonica Australis
Camellia Japonica Nuccios Pearl
Camellia Japonica Nuccios Pearl
Camellia Japonica Sarah Frost
Camellia Japonica Oki No Nami
We specialise in Camellias and our expert team at Paramount Plants are on-hand if you need any advice, especially if you’re not sure which Camellia is right for your space – please get in touch we’re only too happy to help you. We welcome visitors to our plant centre in North London, alternatively, why not visit our webshop, our entire range is there to view and is available to buy online for UK wide delivery.
Paramount Plants & Gardens Ltd
131 Theobalds Park Road
Crews Hill
Enfield
London EN2 9BH
Tel: +44 (0)20 8367 8809
[email protected]
