The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Trees and Shrubs => Topic started by: Fleur Pavlidis on April 11, 2013, 10:39:05 AM
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Using Hilary's introduction of Camellia in her note on Madrid (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=1292.0), can someone give advice on how to care for camellias in pots in our climate eg how much sun/shade, what soil and fertiliser and possible needs to be/not to be potbound
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Fleur,
Every year vans pass in Corinth selling Camellias and Gardenias.
People, including me in the past, enthusiastically buy them but I have never seen one that lasted more than a year or so.
They just do not grow in Corinth, either they don't like the water or the climate.
However, there are a few growing in Sparta in shady back yards under vines and in large barrels.
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I used to know a number of people who grew Gardenias very successfully in Athens, using large iron barrels. The plants were kept close to the house in shade. There is a Gardenia (cultivar ?) which can take full sun. Our neighbour grows it on Paros.
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Yes, Gardenia thunbergii will grow in sunny situations and doesn't mind alkaline soils, even quite difficult rocky soils. I am unsure about its cold tolerance but it certainly grows very well on the Adelaide Plains, in the Barossa and Clare Valleys. Old 19thC camellia varieties tolerate similar conditions well too tho' they do best where the roots are in a cool shady site with top growth in the sun, or light dappled shade. A mulch of old manure - cow, horse, goat, alpaca, donkey, sheep etc is good mulch and helps to keep the soil and roots cool. Near here there is a plantation of Camellias that were planted in 1846 - all old Italian, French, British, Portuguese and Australian bred. They are small trees and are on a bald hill top and haven't been watered in at least 100 yrs. The old kinds are much tougher than modern kinds.
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Back to Camellias, under vines means summer shade and winter sun so perhaps that's something to try. Thanks, Hilary.
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Camellia japonica, Camelio
We saw this Camellia in THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, MADRID in April 2018
This, together with other Camellias, is growing under the summer shade of some very tall trees. One of the trees is Gleditsia macrantha.
When we saw the tree it was just beginning to produce leaves, I took a photo of the trunk and bare branches; you can see that there are other tall trees in the neighbourhood.
Fleur says in a discussion about Camellias on this Forum
“Camellias, under vines means summer shade and winter sun so perhaps that's something to try.”
Gleditsia macrantha
Looking this tree up in the excellent index to THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN I came across this article in journal number 42, October 2005
LUCK OR JUDGMENT? by Rory Stuart
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Camellia japonica, Dr. Clifford Parks
Yet another Camellia seen in THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, MADRID in April 2018
Camellias are mentioned in many issues of the journal; however, I was lucky enough to find an article I had not already ‘used’ very quickly
Read
MY HERBACEOUS WATERWISE GARDEN
By Eile Gibson in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 97, July 2019
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Hilary, they are really beautiful flowers. I have never tried to grow them. The lady opposite us has a medium size tree. She spends lots of time feeding it to get results. I do not have that type of patience. By the way I loved your still life arrangements.
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I like making the still life arrangements
There is another one waiting to be posted probably in about ten days
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Good, I look forward to it. Do you ever sit and relax painting your arrangements?
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This camellia grows very well for us in Sussex, particularly when there's a hot spring like we have at the moment. Although the late Prof Waterhouse who bred it lived in Sydney, I know that at least one Melbourne nursery stocks it, so I'd hope that it might do well in the mediterranean-climate parts of Australia.
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Camellia japonica, variegated
This is the last photo from our visit to the Royal Botanic Garden, Madrid in April 2018
Looking in the journal index I found more references to Camellias than I could wish for
In the end I chose GANNA WALSKA’S LOTUSLAND by Martin Wood for you to read.
I just wonder how many of you actually are in possession of
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 4, Spring 1996