Article Written by Khadejah Scott, Horticulture & Ag/Natural Resources Agent, UF/IFAS Extension – Wakulla County
In the serene charm of winter, a beautiful flower comes to life, adding its beautiful blooms to gardens everywhere – the Camellia, often hailed as the “Rose of Winter.” Adorned with lush, glossy evergreen leaves and a tendency to bloom even when other plants are dormant, the Camellia showcases nature’s enduring strength and grace. Consider choosing and planting camellias this January to bring this touch of elegance to your own garden.
Camellia flowers. Photo by Marisol Amador, UF IFAS
Description: Originally from Asia, camellia plants first arrived in America in 1797 and were grown in greenhouses in New England. For over two centuries, they have proven to be reliable and valuable additions to the southern landscape. Their leaves are simple, thick, serrated (notched like a saw), alternately oriented, and usually glossy. These plants produce large, multicolored flowers that can grow up to 5 inches. The common name “camellia” refers to hybrids of Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua. Sasanqua types bloom from October to December, followed by japonica types, which bloom from December to March.
Landscape Uses: Camellias stand out when few other plants bloom in the fall and winter. Camellia blooms look similar to roses, as well as anemones and peonies. The rest of the year, camellias make excellent landscaping plants due to their glossy, evergreen foliage, intriguing patterns and textures, and low maintenance requirements. Camellias can be used as foundation plantings, screens, accent plants, background groupings, and hedges in the landscape. Mass plantings or clusters can yield the most significant benefit.
Photo by UF IFAS
Plant Selection: You can buy camellias from nurseries, plant sales, garden festivals, and camellia displays. Plant size and form vary significantly among varieties, ranging from small to big, spreading to upright. There is also a great variety of flower shapes, hues, and conditions, and new types are released yearly. A comprehensive list with descriptions and images is available from the American Camellia Society (https://www.americancamellias.com/care-culture-resources).
Care: To ensure the longevity of your camellias, choose a suitable location with bright, partial shade, protecting them from intense afternoon sun. Plant between November and February for optimal root establishment before summer. Use mulch to retain moisture and stabilize temperature fluctuations. Camellias thrive in well-drained, fertile soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. While generally resistant to drought, consistent watering is necessary during prolonged dry periods. Apply acid-forming fertilizer twice a year, and prune lightly in early spring if needed.
Ultimately, camellias stand as enduring botanical treasures and timeless landscape companions. For more information about camellias, contact your local county extension office.
I’m hard pressed to tell you my favorite song, movie, or place to eat, but when we start talking plants I can come up with whole categories of favorites. I won’t commit to just one species, but when it comes to woody shrubs I am a huge fan of viburnums. We have small ones, tall ones, evergreen, deciduous, smooth leaves, textured leaves, berry producers and sterile types. There are so many different types there must be one for every gardener.
Buds and flowers of Viburnum luzonicum. Photo: J_McConnell, UF/IFAS
I thought I knew a lot of viburnums after spending ten years in the nursery industry, but had not seen Luzon Viburnum, Viburnum luzonicum, until Dr. Gary Knox gave one to me in the fall of 2014. The plant was little more than a couple of stems and light green leaves, but he assured me it would get large and would perform well in the Florida panhandle.
That scrap of a plant went into a large, non-irrigated, full-sun bed in my yard and was hand-watered through the first summer, but after that has been left to fend for itself. My Luzon viburnum is currently over 6 feet tall by 4 feet wide and covered in flowers. It gets no TLC in my landscape, but has yet to be plagued by any pests. The foliage emerges with a slightly pink tone then settles into a light green usually starting in February or March. By late March clusters of small white flowers cover the shrub. It is reported to have the potential to produce berries that transition from red to black, but I have not yet observed that in my garden.
This is not a plant you are likely to stumble across in most garden centers, but is worth keeping a lookout for in case you see it. It is on display with many other wonderful plants in the Gardens of the Big Bend at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy and in the past has been available at Gardening Friends of the Big Bend plant sales.
Pruning is one of the most controversial aspects of maintaining crapemyrtle. Traditionally, many crapemyrtles are routinely topped, leaving large branch and stem stubs. This practice has been called “crape murder” because of the potential impacts on the crapemyrtle health and structural integrity. Topping is the drastic removal of large-diameter wood (typically several years old), with the end result of shortening all stems and branches.
Hard pruning (topping) stimulates crapemyrtle sprouting from roots, upper stems, or the base of main stems. If basal and root sprouts are not removed, one or more may form woody stems that eventually compete with existing main stems. These additional or competing stems may result in poor form and structure, such as stems that rub against each other.
Topping typically delays flowering up to one month compared to unpruned crapemyrtle. On some cultivars, topping also shorten the season of bloom. Long-stem sprouts emerge just below large-diameter cuts that result from topping. These sprouts usually develop into upright, unbranched stems that eventually flower, often bending under their own weight. Rain or wind storms can cause extreme bending and some will break because they are weakly attached to the main stem.
Topping removes large amounts of starches and other food reserves stored within branches. Topping dramatically reduces the size of the plant canopy, ultimately decreasing the plant’s ability to produce food (starches) through photosynthesis. The large branch stubs caused by topping result in large areas of exposed wood that allow access by insects and wood-rotting organisms, weakening the plant’s structure. Finally, topping results in many dead stubs throughout the tree.
Proper pruning may be needed, just like any other tree. Lower limbs of crapemyrtle are removed to increase clearance for pedestrians or vehicles. Stems are cut to increase branching. Other pruning may be conducted to direct growth away from structures, stimulate flowering, and remove spent flowers, seed capsules, and dead or damaged branches and twigs.
Properly placed, crapemyrtle is a low-maintenance plant needing little or no pruning. Problems with overgrown, misshapen, or misplaced crapemyrtle can be greatly reduced with proper selection of crapemyrtle cultivars, proper plant selection at the nursery, and proper placement in the landscape. For more information on cultivar selection go to: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg266.
If pruning is necessary, use the following recommendations:
Pruning for safety may be done anytime. This may involve removing damaged or weak branches or pruning lower limbs for pedestrian and vehicle clearance and visibility.
Pruning to improve plant structure, redirect growth, or alter plant shape and appearance should occur when plants are leafless and dormant–typically December through February. Although this can be accomplished at any time, without leaves, the branching structure is clearly visible to more easily determine appropriate branches for pruning.
Prune to remove crossing or rubbing branches.
Prune dead, damaged, or diseased branches at the branch collar.
Remove vigorous branches growing toward the center of the canopy.
Severe pruning should be performed late in the dormant period. Pruning too early might stimulate new growth that could be damaged by low temperatures.
Magnolias are well known plants to gardeners and many are familiar with the foliage and flowers of these plants. If you are looking for another earlier bloomer, you may want to consider adding a specimen selection to your landscape, the Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata).
Although not native to the United States, star magnolia is a slower growing multi stemmed deciduous shrub reaching about 15 feet in height over time. The best feature are the bright whitish pink star-shaped blooms appearing in late winter before leaves emerge. The flowers offer gardeners a peek of the spring to come and remind us that our Gulf Coast winters are not that long.
Plants do best in soil with some organic amendments and mulch over the root systems. A planting area that receives a little afternoon shade is ideal but established plants will adapt to sunnier locations when irrigation is provided during drier weather. Only occasional pruning is required to remove crossing branches or those that grow out of bounds. Prune after flowering if needed.
Nothing signals spring in the south like the reds, pinks and whites of azaleas in full bloom. Nearly every yard has one. For two weeks out of the year there are flowers everywhere. But the glory fades fast. That was, until the late 90’s.
Twenty-eight Encore® azaleas have been released since 1998. Robert E “Buddy” Lee, an avid collector and azalea breeder from Independence, Louisiana initiated an azalea breeding program to incorporate fall blooming characteristics into a winter hardy, evergreen azalea. He started his work in the 1980s, working out of his home with the goal of bringing the beauty of spring azaleas to other seasons. As the project grew, he eventually teamed up with Flowerwood Nursery to continue the process that would bring Encore® azaleas to the public. And, this spring number 29, Autumn Fire™ , a true red dwarf will be released, nearly a year ahead of its original predicted introduction date.
Lee selected the seedling that was to be named Autumn Amethyst™ in 1986, but did not receive the plant patent until 1998. So far, there are two series of Encore® azaleas: the Autumn series and the Southern series. The Autumn series can be grown in Zone 7 or warmer. The Southern series was designed for even warmer climates; they can be grown in Zone 8 or warmer. The Southern varieties are especially good for the Florida panhandle and the Mississippi and Alabama gulf coasts.
Different parents were used for the various cultivars now available. The fall flowering trait primarily comes from Rhododendron oldhamii Fourth of July – a cultivar selected from seed collected in 1968 at 2,500 feet up Taiwan’s Mount Tai Tun. The female parent used to create Autumn Amethyst™ was a winter hardy hybrid named ‘Karens’ a cross between ‘Hinodegini’, the old Kurume variety, and R.yedoensis var. poukhanense, the Korean azalea.
At the 2015 Gulf States Horticultural Expo last week, I got to see Autumn Fire™ in full bloom. It is a bright cherry red with 2.5” blooms, on a nice compact 2.5’ X 3’ dwarf plant. I think it’s a keeper. Encore® azaleas are available in an array of colors, growth forms and bloom characteristics. New hybrids provide the traditional spring display during March and April, but they also bloom again in the fall, usually during September or early October. They reliably bloom in the spring and fall, but are never quite as covered with a complete carpet of flowers as you might see on a traditional azalea.
Encore® azaleas have the same cultural requirements as traditional azaleas. They should have a pH between 5.0 and 5.5, a well drained organic soil and water during the summer months. Bloom is heavier in brighter locations, with areas having morning sun and afternoon shade probably the best. If pruning is required to control size, thin and shear them in the spring just after bloom.
