
CULTURAL sisi 

EXPOSURES 
Camellias do not thrive in 
full shade. In such an expos- 
ure good foliage and good 
flowers will result but flowers 
will be very few in number. 
The most favorable exposure 
is full morning sun and shade 
during the afternoon. Give 
them as much sun as they will 
stand without burning the 
foliage. 
SOIL 
Camellias should have a 
loose friable soil which can be 
secured by a mixture of % 
loam, 14 leaf mold, and 4% peat 
moss. These ingredients also 
produce an acid condition. 
Good drainage is absolutely 
necessary, and can be pro- 
duced by digging a deep hole 
and filling the bottom portion 
with gravel. 
PLANTING 
Dig a hole 1 foot larger than 
the diameter of the root ball 
of the camellia. Fill this with 
the soil mixture mentioned 
above. Firm the soil to pre- 
vent the ball from settling. 
Place the camellia so that the 
top of the root ball is level 
with the surrounding soil. 
Leave a basin well around the 
plant and flood with water. 
Never plant camellias deeper 
than grown in the nursery. 
WATERING 
Water Camellias thoroughly 
after planting. Thereafter keep 
the soil uniformly damp but 
not soggy. Never permit the 
soil to dry out and cake. The 
feeder roots in the top few 
inches of soil cannot take 
nourishment from dry ground. 
Water plants overhead as the 
foliage never mildews and 
washing the leaves is bentfi- 
cial. 
FERTILIZING 
One should use an acid re- 
acting fertilizer, sold by most 
nurseries. Apply about Feb- 
ruary 15. Loosen the top half 
inch of soil; apply two hand- 
fulls of fertilizer around a 
small plant, more around larg- 
er bushes. Water immediately. 
Repeat application of fertilizer 
once a month through July. 
CULTIVATING 
Camellias are top feeders 
and should never be cultivated 
deeply. It is well to keep the 
surface of the soil loose so that 
water will permeate. This is 
especially desirable after fer- 
tilizing. A mulch of peet or 
lawn clippings is excellent for 
keeping the ground loose and 
cool and for water retention. 
DISBUDDING 
Camellias very often set 
more buds than it is desirable 
for a plant to mature. To ma- 
ture an excessive number ex- 
hausts the plant and some- 
times results in small, inferior 
flowers. Leave but two buds . 
to each terminal for quality 
flowers taking care to not in- 
jure the leaf bud in removing 
the flower bud. 
PICKING 
A Camellia bush can be 
ruined by improper picking of 
the flowers. Flowers wanted 
for floating in a shallow bowl 
can be twisted off the stem. 
Those for corsages should be 
cut with a knife or shears, tak- 
ing only two or three leaves 
with each flower. Avoid cut- 
ting below the current sea- 
son’s growth. 
PLANTING SEASON’ 
Under favorable conditions 
Camellias can be planted any 
month of the year if bought in 
containers and if the root sys- 
tem is not disturbed in plant- 
ing. Transplant balled plants 
during fall, winter and early 
spring while the plants are 
dormant. In our nursery we 
ball Camellias from early Oc- 
tober through the middle of 
April. 
BALLS OR CONTAINERS 
To accommodate Camellia | 
buyers who prefer plants in 
containers we grow some stock 
in gallon cans. The greater 
part however are grown in the 
ground under lath and must 
be balled. Because of the light 
friable condition of our soil it 
fuses easily with the soil in 
the new location to which our 
plants are moved when sold. 
This adds much to the ease 
with which our plants grow 
and become established in 
their new homes. ‘We pride 
ourselves on the vigor of our 
plants. 
