Home - Garden
If Your Garden Has Shady Spots, This Flowering Shrub Is Perfect
By NICK POLISHCHUK
To fill shady spots in your garden, try planting glorious camellias. This perennial shrub loves partial shade and will parade its large, colorful blooms in late fall or spring.
Its lush foliage comes in handy year-round, too — you can use these plants as hedges, privacy screens, or beautiful additions to your home's foundation perimeter.
They like neutral-to-acidic soils, so add acidifying compounds if it’s too alkaline, and steer clear of full sun and shallow-rooted trees that could sap their water and nutrients.
Dig a shallow hole 1 foot long on either side, place the plant in the hole, and cover its roots with topsoil. Pack soil around it to keep water in and then water it well.
Don’t plant other camellias too close. A distance of at least 5 feet between them is ideal, but 3-foot spacing will suffice if you want to produce a privacy screen.
Camellias need regular watering, so don’t let the soil around them dry out, especially during the flowering season. Ideally, the soil should be moist up to 1 ½ feet down.
Mulching is vital to safeguard against weeds and soil erosion and protects the roots from drastic temperature changes. Organic mulch, like leaves, is also a source of nutrition.
Camellias can fall prey to spider mites, aphids, and tea scale, and excessive fertilization can promote infestations. If you spot them, spray them forcefully with your garden hose.
For tea scale, use oil emulsion sprays and insecticides, including Cygon, Orthene, Malathion, and Sevin. Switch to slow-release nitrogen fertilizer or use natural insecticides.