Cultural Directions 
Planting: In setting balled and burlapped plants, 
do not remove the burlap. It will rot off within 
a short time. Dig a hole somewhat wider in diam- 
eter than the ball of the plant and fill in the bot- 
tom of the hole with a good mixture of about one- 
half rich loamy top soil, one-fourth peat moss and 
one-fourth leaf mold. In heavy, stiff soils the ad- 
dition of a little sand is helpful. Probably the 
most important of all requirements for growing 
good Camellias is a well-drained soil. Do not put 
your plants in a place where water is likely to 
stand about the roots, as this will inevitably kill 
them. If your soil is heavy and soggy, and re- 
tains water to any considerable extent, it would 
be well to place some gravel or cinders in the 
bottom of the hole before placing the soil mixture 
in. When the plant has been placed in the hole, 
fill in around the sides with more of the soil mix- 
ture, and pack the dirt firmly about the sides, 
so that no “pockets” will be left. Great care 
should be taken not to plant a Camellia any deeper 
than it was growing in the nursery, and the top of 
the ball of dirt should be level with the ground. 
Always water newly-set plants well, and for the 
first year after transplanting care should be taken 
to water the plant frequently and thoroughly in 
all dry spells. A heavy mulch of pine straw or 
leaves will help keep down weeds and retain 
moisture in the soil. Camellias like a humid cli- 
mate. Frequent spraying of the foliage, especially 
when plants are growing in greenhouses in the 
summer months, is always beneficial. 
Fertilizing: It is best to fertilize in the early 
spring, soon after the blooming period is over. 
Of course the ground about the plant should be 
broken slightly before the application of the fer- 
tilizer, so that it will not wash away. Water im- 
mediately after the application. The amount of 
fertilizer to be applied will depend, of course, on 
the size of the plant and the kind of fertilizer used. 
Generally speaking, two handsful of fertilizer 
will be sufficient for a small plant. We recom- 
mend any of the following: Vigoro, Reliance 
Special Camellia and Azalea fertilizer, or a mix- 
ture of two-thirds cotton seed meal and one-third 
18% superphosphate. Well-rotted cow manure 
and sheep manure are sometimes beneficial, but 
we would recommend that you use care to ascer- 
tain in advance the probable results from these 
fertilizers before applying them generally to all 
Bee Sie 

