Do camellias like sun or shade?

Do camellias like hot sun?

And you, my dear, were quite at ease out on that path; but I feared for the poor little thing; and so, as I looked from the window, all at once, my darling, I saw her running after you with outstretched arms.

I rushed out, caught her up in my arms, and cried: 'Well, dear!' - Oh! a wonderful joy! 'My dear! My precious!' I was about to embrace her when I heard her say: 'Don't say anything to mother, dear; for I am going away in a minute.' And thereupon she ran out of the room.

Oh! the look on her face! Her lovely little mouth opened wide; and in her eyes there was such an expression of tenderness and sweetness. I was about to rush after her, when I remembered I could not, unless I changed my clothes. Then I sat down in the garden with her, and cried: 'What would you do if your dear papa could no longer love you?' She said nothing. It seemed to me that her poor face had grown pale; for it was not long since she had been reading this same book to me. Then I took a few flowers, and pressed them against her soft cheek. Suddenly she blushed very red, and her beautiful eyes looked at me with a tender smile. I held the poor child in my arms and kissed her. 'I am crying, papa,' she said softly. But I could not reply, my eyes were full of tears; and I went back to my room saying: 'I am happy.' But I was sad, for she had left me.

Next day we found her asleep on a sofa, in her little white muslin dress. Her face was radiant, like a sunset sky; and she was dreaming peacefully.

All that morning, my darling, I was in a perfect fever of impatience. At last the doctor came; and I hurried him off to my children.

He shook his head and said: 'Your dear daughter will die of heartbreak, if she does not get some strong emotion.' He left us in a moment, but he came back again to examine her. I was terrified at the look of dismay and gloom upon his face.

How do you care for a potted camellia?

You probably think that a potted plant means sitting by the window without much else to do but water.

Well, that's fine for your houseplant, but did you know that your camellia needs care all year? Not only that, did you know that the plant might need special care if it's in a pot? Read on!

When Careting your Potted Camellia. Camellia are one of the best houseplants to grow because of their small size. However, it also means that you only have about 5 to 10 hours of light for them, and they do not like sun. You'll have to make sure that you put your camellia in a window or in a south-facing spot that gets a lot of morning sun. Your plant won't survive much beyond 4pm, so try to keep it away from areas of direct sunlight.

Pots with drainage holes should be in shady areas away from the sun. Plants like to absorb nutrients in the form of a compound called urea. They will only absorb a small amount of urea if there is direct sunlight and it is heating up, so plants need to be in shaded areas away from the sun to conserve urea. Watering is important as well, as the pot will dry out over time if left too long without water.

What about the soil in the pot? It should be loamy sand, and ideally not compost in it (it's too acidic). You can do this yourself by mixing some organic soil with sand, as long as the sand is more than half the soil in the pot (and preferably 80% or more). The camellia likes soil that drains, so avoid using a peaty compost for it.

If you notice little, leaf-like green growths popping up in the leaves, then this is a sign that the plant is suffering from root rot. You should stop watering right away and do an emergency fix by digging the soggy soil out of the bottom of the pot and pouring any remaining water into the tray. This will allow the roots to breathe again. Water your plants in the spring when they start growing again. If the plant starts looking really pale, then call us on 1300 621 927 for some advice.

Do camellias do well in containers?

I always see them in garden centers, with big, fat roots that I am unsure of.

I could grow them from seed, but they seem to take years to get them to flower. Is it the same as having grown in the soil?

If you have a container you won't have that problem, but what you would want to consider is, can you use potting compost in it? I grow camellias on a woodsy mountain near my house, and in a few years I'll begin to prune them back, leaving 3-5' tall trees where they are, until they look too much like Christmas trees! But the tree branches would be wonderful, because they'll never get quite as hard and spiny as the live, healthy trees that I don't take down, because their leaves are so pretty, and so full of tiny camellias! If you haven't already, it may be a good idea to check your local gardening supplies store for local "grow" supplies. It can be a real pain, finding what you're looking for.

One thing I'm sure of. You won't have to worry about whether camellias do well in containers! "A flower has within itself the means to remove the stamen and ovary so that there can be no fertilization" (Pam, page 33). Here is a great book to refer to that discusses this process more fully: "The Plant's Own Guide to Flowering: A Step-by-Step Approach to Flowering in All Flowering Plants (First edition)" - by Barbara Hulbert. I grew camellias in the ground until I was in my mid-20's, then one day, instead of pulling one out of the ground to admire, I decided I was going to buy some, and have flowers! After all, what else was new? Anyway, one fine spring day, I had just pulled them up from the ground, when I saw one of the oldest ladies on the block walking up to the curb as I began to pull them up! She informed me that she'd been trying to grow them for years, but she just didn't get very far. She had just bought this one at the local nursery.

When I looked in her soil, it was filled with leaves and old stems, and other stuff.