What month do you prune camellias?

My husband prunes the ones we have growing outside.

I guess it depends on the species and whether you need to remove the tree at all, or if it is only to shape. I am more concerned with the roots that can grow in your garden beds when you're pruning camellias!

My pruners have always worked well with camellias because I like having them full so that they don't grow any taller than necessary. It looks like what I said about how to prune and keep camellias from growing past their crown is a good rule of thumb for me to use with any tree. Good luck with your prunings!

Thank you all, it sounds like a lot of work, but if someone enjoys pruning or wants to do more, it is worth it. Some trees take a little more work or time to prune, but I like the process of pruning, and I hope to keep at it.

It helps to know what kind of pruner to buy because if you want to be more or less aggressive, you will need more of the right tool. A light pruner that cuts only the branches not the wood of the tree can help in some cases if a bigger pruner cannot get to the roots for some reason.

I also think that a pruner should be kept on hand to be used if needed. Some people don't want to commit to a larger pruning job, and that's okay if you don't want to be too aggressive with it. But if it is pruned enough to remove the big lower branches to grow a bushier tree or remove a tree so that it can have a bushier shape, it is also nice to be able to quickly prune again a few weeks later.

my husband works on our camellias every year, as he has a lot of experience. He keeps them cut down to the trunk.

Can camellias be cut back hard?

In my part of California we have a good year round climate but it goes downhill in the winter.

The canes are long and spindly at this time of year and I'd like to prune them in the winter, to get rid of some dead material. They are growing a little but not yet showing new shoots. Will the pruning harden the canes up? When should I do this? And how many weeks or months before they actually produce buds is best? Any info is appreciated, thanx.

Yes, you can cut back the canes in winter, though they will grow somewhat longer if you don't. Camellias do best with 2,000 ppm during cold periods to allow them to extend when there's more warmth.

At least 1,500-2,000 ppm during cool, rainy weather such as now is about all they will tolerate. Camellia cultivars that bloom earlier than June may be set out in mid February (they bloom from leaf primordia just as the leaves emerge) but those that take 3-4 weeks to bloom should wait until April at the latest.

Hi, I live in San Francisco, CA, near Stanford University, too.

How do you prune an overgrown camellia bush?

I have an overgrown one in my front yard.

It looks like a tree trunk at the base and the leaves are too small to be taken out.

Yes, that's what I meant. The "trunk" is actually a thick trunk that has become woody over the years.

So you are talking about a shrub here. A shrub is not a tree. But it can become one if it is allowed to grow in a similar fashion.

And yes, if you are removing the leaves, then you are pruning the shrub. If the leaves are still of acceptable size, then you would simply trim the top. If they are getting too small for any kind of practical use, then you would cut back the entire shrub.

The pruning of shrubs and trees is done according to the type of shrub/tree. For instance, evergreen shrubs such as camellias are best pruned in winter or early spring. Shrubs that are deciduous such as azaleas, are best pruned in late fall or early winter.

Pruning shrubs is a different process than that of pruning trees. For instance, if you take out a large limb on a tree, then the tree would be more affected than if you take out a smaller branch on a shrub. A tree is affected by this removal as the whole canopy is affected. A shrub is affected by this removal only to the extent that the shrub is affected by the removal of this branch.

I hope that helps. I'm glad you asked. This was exactly what I was thinking. The leaves are too small to be used in any way, but the bush keeps growing. I figured I would take some of the larger branches and just cut them off. What do you think?