Holiday decorations are beginning to appear in north Florida’s homes, offices and businesses. The season’s adornments hang, stand, drape and protrude from every direction and cannot be missed by anyone with a modicum of visual acuity.
The colors were, at some point shrouded in history, ritualized to red and green. The logic is unavoidable since there were, depending on the geographic location, plenty of red and green producing plants in the landscape.
Contemporary America is quite different at least with respect to the shades and tones of the holiday’s identifiers. Many colors, most of which are not found in nature, grace a curious assortment of unusual objects imported from distant east Asian ports.
Sasanqua-type camellias bloom the earliest, beginning in October to December, with bright displays of colors and shades in contrast to many native ornamental shrubs at panhandle Florida homesites.
Luckily there is one red and green producing exotic plant, with a few other colors possible, in many local landscapes. Camellias are providing a burst of colors while many native ornamental plants await the return of warmer weather.
Native to Asia, the first camellia plants were brought to America in 1797 and grown in New England greenhouses. Over the last 200 years, they have proven to be dependable additions to the southern landscape, where they grow and bloom with minimal care.
There are numerous species of Camellia, but the types commonly grown as landscape shrubs in Florida are Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua, and hybrids of these.
Camellia japonica typically grows larger with bigger leaves and flowers than Camellia sasanqua. Camellia reticulata, Camellia hiemalis, Camellia vernalis, and their hybrids are less commonly encountered in regional landscapes.
The young leaves of another species in this genus, Camellia sinensis, are processed for tea. As one of the world’s most popular drinks it is commonly seen in Asia, but there is some production in Florida.
Camellias can be grown successfully in most inland areas of north and central Florida. Coastal areas can be a bit challenging.
This shrub’s success as a landscape plant is usually determined by soil type since they demand well-drained soils with an acidic or low pH rating. Many coastal locations have neutral to alkaline soil or sand.
Special care with regard to soil modification and watering is necessary where these high pH conditions exist. In such cases, this flowering shrub is grown in large containers or the plant bed is heavily amended.
Camellias are long lived and function well as foundation plantings, screens, accent plants, background groupings, and hedges. A major attraction is they flower in the fall and winter when few other plants are blooming.
The Sasanqua-type camellias bloom the earliest, beginning in October to December. They are followed by Camellia japonica types blooming December to March, depending on the weather and other environmental condition.
For the remainder of the year, their glossy, evergreen foliage, interesting forms and textures, relatively slow growth, and low maintenance make camellias excellent landscape plants.
Cultivars and varieties range in plant size and form from compact to large and spreading to upright. An assortment of flower sizes, colors and forms also exist, and new hybrid cultivars are introduced each year.
Blooms range in color from pure white to brilliant crimson, with many color combinations and patterns. Six flower-forms are commonly recognized from single to rose form double.
So naughty or nice, this is the landscape gift which keeps on giving through the winter season. No doubt Santa would approve.
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