How long do camellias take to grow to full height?

It was the question that kept the nurseryman glued to the garden and watching his plants with eager anticipation.

Every season, he'd send his camellias for pruning and shaping, and every year his heart raced when the first buds appeared on the ends of new growth.

The garden has now been transformed into the Camellia Garden. There's a great sense of satisfaction as you stroll around the beds of the huge range of varieties and appreciate their beauty and colour. Come down with us this season to enjoy the new environment and meet the owner David Wright.

Our first workshop held in January 2024 at The Art Institute with guests from all around Australia. We'll be running workshops again with our friends from the AISL in July.

The Art Institute has been busy transforming the old nursery garden, so it will have to be our garden this season and the Art Institutes wonderful sculptures are on display this week. We'd love to hear your stories. Did you get some beautiful blooms out of your garden? How did you keep your garden alive during our harsh winter weather? We've all heard the saying, 'spring is coming'. It's no secret that this is exactly the time of year that gardeners dream about, and even more specifically what to look forward to as it marks the arrival of summer. Our annual plant sale is just that! With many gorgeous flowering plants coming off trees and shrubs at incredible prices. So grab yourself an early-season bargain with the new and improved plant sale at The Art Institute & Camellia Nursery.

For a number of years now, we've been hosting an indoor plant sale. But this year we decided to go bigger and bolder and create an outdoor plant sale like no other. There are over 2,500 plants, flowers, bonsai, pottery, books, tools and more available. And with an ideal autumn or winter sun-position, a fantastic line-up of plants, amazing customer service and plenty of free barbeques, the plant sale is set to be the season's hottest ticket.

The sale will run from Tuesday 4 December to Sunday 10 December from 10 am to 5 pm. The Art Institute welcomes a diverse range of talented students and budding artists each year.

How big do camellia bushes get?

I've got a new house that's not in the best shape.

I'm trying to get some ideas on how to revitalize it. My first thought is to plant a lot of camellia bushes. I've heard they're very fast growing and could even be seen from space, but they can get huge.

My question is, how big will they get? Are they really meant to take up a room? Is there some limit on how tall they can grow, or is it just a matter of waiting for them to mature? You know, if you're going to plant camellias, I'd say go for it. But I don't think they are to be found in space. They are native to Japan, and were used to adorn the Japanese Imperial Palace back in the day.

I think some of the biggest shrubs in the world are Cercidiphyllum japonicum. It's native to China and grows between 6-10 meters tall. It was once the tallest flowering plant on earth. That's where the name comes from: cer-kida-phillum = "high-up hill". The name is also a hint at the shape of the leaves. Think of a half moon shape with a broad blade of a leaf.

A lot of camellias are not actually native to Japan. They were introduced from elsewhere. However, these are certainly the biggest shrubs on this planet.

I think they reach a height of about 12 metres, but have only been growing in a large part of South Eastern Australia for about 30 years. My mother and father had one which was about 8m tall.

The only camellia I grew in our back garden for over 10 years was a cv. 'Golden Ball'. I planted many thousands of seeds, but it never came above 3m high.

I have a neighbour who has a huge specimen which is about 6m tall and I believe is nearly 100 years old. In my country, when people talk about 'big' plants, they talk about trees. In my country, only in forests and in other protected areas can you find such gigantic trees.

Where is the best place to plant camellias?

If I'm not mistaken, camellias are native to Japan and they bloom every year in May in the United States.

It's a great time to plant them for maximum blooming.

I like to plant camellias in the spring after all the other garden plants have bloomed, because that's when the flowers are at their peak of bloom. And here in California, even though we don't experience a lot of rain, they bloom all summer long.

One of the best places for planting camellias is in a border or lawn with grass in front and flowers in back. And don't forget camellias can grow to 15 feet tall. So you don't want to place them too close to trees.

Are there any special fertilizers I should use? Since this is a shrub, you don't need to use fertilizers. Instead, water well and give it plenty of room to grow and spread.

Do camellias go dormant in winter? No, they continue to grow all winter long. But if it's extremely cold, they might be hard to transplant because it's hard to dig in snow. So instead of digging, you can remove a root ball from the pot and move it to a warmer location.

If you're trying to save the roots, be sure to dry them thoroughly and store them in the freezer. But remember, they should be planted in late fall and early spring.

How do I prune camellias? This is a tricky question because every plant is different. For example, you may have a large plant that is blooming, but the flowers are just starting to bloom. You might want to cut it back so the plant can grow and grow big. But if you don't take that big healthy plant down, it will send out a branch somewhere and you don't want that.

The general rule is, When to prune, cut back. When to leave alone, let it grow.

If you want to reduce the size of your plant, you should leave it alone and wait a few months. Then take down the whole thing by cutting it at the base of the trunk.

Can I plant camellias in containers? Yes.