Brighten the fall and winter landscape with a profusion of flowers of this charming Southern classic.

Early Wonder® camellia from the Southern Living Plant Collection combines the best qualities of Japanese camellias with the fall bloom cycle of sasanqua camellias. This beautiful low maintenance shrub begins to bloom in fall, a time when only sasanqua camellias traditionally bloom! The stunning double pink flowers continue to open through the winter months, providing long-lasting color in the winter garden and lovely cut flowers to bring indoors.

In addition to beautiful flowers, Early Wonder® Camellia produces beautiful dark green foliage for year-round appeal. This vigorous, upright grower reaches a mature size of six to eight feet tall and four to six feet wide, making a lovely accent to shady gardens. Take advantage of the height to create borders and privacy plantings, or place individual plants in large containers to dress up the porch or patio.

Plant Attributes

Early Wonder® Camellia Care

Camellia Early Wonder® can be planted from fall to early spring in southern gardens. Select a planting site protected from the drying effects of winter winds. Camellia plants are susceptible to root diseases and require well-drained soil. Give these slow-growing, shallow-rooted plants ample space to establish a healthy root system, without competition from neighboring plants. Once established, they live on the landscape for quite a long time.

Light

Camellias tolerate full sun but grow and flower best in filtered light or partial shade. Young plants are more sensitive to sunlight and benefit from planting in a sheltered location. Protects camellias from the hot afternoon sun. Camellias grown in the northern part of their range need shelter from the winter sun to reduce cold damage.

Ground

Good drainage is essential to growing healthy camellias. Plant in loose, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic and rich in organic matter. Avoid planting camellias in heavy clay soil or areas where water tends to pool. If drainage is a problem, amend the soil with compost and plant on mounds or berms. Camellias do not tolerate alkaline soil, which can lead to yellowing of the foliage.

Water

Early Wonder® camellias thrive with regular humidity, but do not tolerate wet feet. Provide young plants with even, consistent moisture during their first two years, but avoid overwatering. Mulch the roots to help retain soil moisture between irrigations or rainfall. Plants require less supplemental water once established, but they need a steady supply of water during flower bud development, which begins in mid-summer. If dry spells occur during this time, plan for additional irrigation to prevent bud drop.

Temperature and humidity

Early Wonder® Camellia is cold hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 through 9. Plants thrive in the warm, humid conditions of the mid, lower and coastal South, although they are not tolerant of salt spray. In the Upper South, protect camellias from winter winds and plant them in partial shade to avoid problems related to temperature variations during frosts.

Fertilizer

Camellia plants are heavy feeders and benefit from fertilizer applications during the growing season with an acidifying azalea or camellia fertilizer. The American Camellia Society recommends fertilizing in early March, early May and early July. Young camellias need higher concentrations of nitrogen than established plants to support their growth, select fertilizers accordingly. Apply only the rate of fertilizer recommended on the label.

Pruning Early Wonder® Camellia

Camellias benefit from light pruning after flowering has finished to help maintain an attractive shape and open the canopy to allow air and sunlight to reach the interior foliage. Start by removing dead branches. Also look for branches that are crossing or rubbing against each other and remove one or both of them.
These pruning steps help open up the canopy. To shape plants, cut off any disproportionately long shoots, reducing them to a leaf or side branch. Lower branches can be shortened to maintain more vertical growth.

How to make the Early Wonder® camellia bloom

Some bud drop on camellias is normal, as plants often produce more flower buds than they can support, but when plants fail to fully bloom, it is time to consider changes in growing the plants . Too much nitrogen fertilizer promotes the development of shoots and leaves to the detriment of flowering. Likewise, too much or too little water can impact flowering, and summer drought can cause buds to drop. Strive to keep the water consistently moist, but not soggy. Make sure plants are placed in well-draining soil and be sure to supplement rainfall during dry periods.

Early Wonder® camellias bloom best when they receive sufficient sun. Make sure your planting site is not too shady. Consider trimming some branches from overhead trees to allow more sunlight to penetrate. Pruning camellias at the wrong time of year can also reduce flowering. Camellias begin to produce flower buds when growth resumes in spring and summer. Pruning right after flowering ensures that flower buds will not be removed by mistake. Finally, some causes of bud drop are beyond your control. Late spring frosts can damage developing buds and cause them to fall off.

Wintering

Early Wonder® Camellia benefits from a layer of mulch in winter to moderate soil temperatures and conserve moisture. In colder regions of the South, plant camellias in locations protected from strong winter winds. Make sure plants are well watered before fall and winter. Avoid late-season pruning and fertilizer applications, which encourage new growth that won’t have time to harden off before freezing temperatures arrive.

Camellias tolerate temperatures as low as 0°F. If temperatures are expected to drop below this level, consider protecting plants with blankets or several layers of horticultural fleece. Camellias growing in containers are less insulated against cold temperatures and need protection when temperatures drop below 20°F. Insulate containers by wrapping several layers of bubble wrap around the pots, extending to ground level and a few inches above the rim of the pot. Fill the top of the pot with dry leaves and pile mulch around the base. Consider moving potted plants to an unheated greenhouse or garage when subzero conditions are expected.

Propagation of Early Wonder® Camellia

Early Wonder® Camellia is patent protected and cannot be propagated.

Potting and repotting Camellia Early Wonder®

Camellias are easy to grow in containers and make beautiful additions to patio plantings. Select a well-draining container and use a frost-resistant pot in areas where frosts are expected in winter. When potting nursery-grown camellias or repotting existing plants, select a container one to two sizes larger than the current pot. Camellias should be repotted every two to three years into larger containers and fresh soil.

Provide Early Wonder® Camellia with an acidic, well-draining soil such as a commercial mix labeled for rhododendrons and azaleas or camellias. A mixture of equal parts coarse sand, finely shredded pine bark, and oak leaf mold also works well. Container-grown camellias perform best with morning sun and afternoon shade or filtered light all day. They also dry out more quickly than those planted in the ground. Be sure to water containers deeply when the top two inches of soil are dry to the touch. Fertilize potted camellias with a water-soluble fertilizer for acid-loving plants according to the label.
directions from spring to midsummer.

Common Plant Pests and Diseases

Insect pests of camellias include tea scales and aphids, both of which produce a waste product called honeydew that encourages sooty mold to form on the foliage. Manage mealybugs and aphids using horticultural oil following label directions. Sooty mold problems will disappear when the insects are controlled.

Camellias are also susceptible to a number of diseases, the most serious of which are blossom blight, root rot, dieback and camellia canker. Most disease problems can be avoided through proper plant care, including planting them in well-draining soil, fertilizing them properly and maintaining appropriate soil acidity, and avoiding damage or injury to plants. stems.

Symptoms of camellia dieback and canker include sudden wilting and yellowing of foliage and dieback of branch tips. This fungal disease appears as gray spots on the bark, which eventually develop into sunken cankers. Remove diseased twigs by cutting them several inches below the affected area and burn or throw the prunings in the trash. Disinfect your pruning tools between cuts.

Flower blight or petal blight is also caused by a fungal pathogen. Flower petals turn brown quickly and fall off, usually within 24 to 48 hours. Practice good sanitation to limit the spread of this disease. Pick up and destroy any fallen flowers as well as any infected flowers still on the plant. Also remove and discard the mulch around the base of the plants and replace it with a new layer.

Common problems

Paying attention to soil health also avoids a common problem among camellias: chlorosis. Chlorosis causes leaves to turn yellow while remaining green along the veins and is the result of improper soil pH. When planted in neutral or alkaline soil, camellias cannot absorb enough nutrients. This is easily corrected by amending the soils with garden sulfur to adjust the pH.

Burnt or tanned areas on leaves usually indicate sunscald. Sunscald can be a problem when camellias receive too much sun. This is most common for plants located along a wall with intense south or west exposure. Plants moved from shady locations to bright sun may also experience sunscald. Providing plants with adequate protection from intense afternoon sun usually avoids this problem.

Camellias are hardy plants that withstand occasional insects, diseases and other challenges quite well. Basic plant cultivation and care goes a long way in preventing common problems and ensures that your camellias remain healthy and blooming for years to come.

Related: 11 Best Shrubs for Winter Containers