What is the best solution?

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Author Message   Heathergirl  Supporting Member My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2008 - 02:13 pm EST :    Every year I have this dilemma. I know that you are supposed to prune camellias after the flowers are finished but mine always put on new growth before the petals drop. I can't always prune as much as I would like or as soon because I don't like to spoil what remains of the flowers. What do the rest of you do? Also I prune to give the bushes a nice shape but wonder whether I need to do this every year. I pruned last year and the year before and they look much nicer and bushier as a result. I don't start feeding them until I have pruned, after the flowers are mostly gone, but this year that will be sometime this month. Instructions on the camellia feed packet I use suggests starting in April but flowers are at their peak then. Again I'm wondering when everyone else starts. Heathergirl - County Durham, Zone "8"   Galanthophile  Supporting Member My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 03:57 am EST :    I have only pruned my camellias a handful of times in the last 15 years! I always allow them to produce their new growth after flowering and if a branch is untidy trim it but not the whole plant as a matter of course. I only feed them from about August onwards until they develop next years flower buds. They do fine for me this way. Galanthophile - Ann (Northern England), Zone "8"   Heathergirl  Supporting Member My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 02:52 pm EST :    Thanks Ann. I will just skip the pruning this year. I only do it to give them a nice shape. Some of the camellias I see in gardens open to the public are spoiled by what I can only describe as leggy and unkempt growth. It's a shame because the flowers they produce are so beautiful. I decided to start feeding mine earlier last year and the year before and found that the flowering was more prolific as a result. I just don't like to start before the flowers are finished. Heathergirl - County Durham, Zone "8"   Galanthophile  Supporting Member My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008 - 02:37 am EST :    I have several very big plants and they are all very different in their habit, some are naturally bushy, some are weeping and some are tall like a column. Love them all though. How long have you had your plant(s)? Galanthophile - Ann (Northern England), Zone "8"   Heathergirl  Supporting Member My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008 - 03:24 am EST :    'Debbie' is the one that I have had the longest, about ten years. Started out as one tiny stem in a pot, now about 5 ft tall. My favorite is 'Desire', I have 3 of those. I'm re-designing our front garden and hope to include more in the new layout. Which are your favorites? Heathergirl - County Durham, Zone "8"   Luis_pr  My Time Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 06:07 pm EST :    I also do not prune camellias much either. I do scan them when rose pruning season starts in February-March and will prune stems that cross or that grow towards the inside. Luis_pr - Hurst, Texas, Zone "USDA 7b/8a"

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