Evergreen shrubs or small trees.
Camellia has a crown color, green leaves, large and gorgeous flowers and a long flowering period, which is in late winter and early spring.
Jiangnan area can be clustered or scattered in courtyards, flower paths, rockeries, lawns and tree edges to decorate the scenery, or planted as mountain tea gardens for viewing.
Potted plants should be planted in the north, and the layout of halls and venues is very effective.
Camellia is an evergreen broad-leaved shrub or small tree with yellowish brown or grayish brown branches.
The leaves are leathery, alternate, ovate, obovate or elliptic, the apex is acuminate or acute, the base is wedge-shaped to nearly round, the edge is serrated, and the leaves are shiny.
Flowers bisexual, usually solitary or 2 ~ 3 flowers inserted at the top of branches or between leaf axils; Petals 5 ~ 7; Bright colors, including white, pink, red, purple and red and white; The flowering period is from February to April.
There are more than 15000 camellia varieties in the world, and there are about 300 in China.
According to the petalization of stamens, the natural increase of petals, the evolution of stamens and the petalization of sepals, it can be divided into three types: single petal, compound petal, double petal and 12 flower pattern.
Camellia prefers shade to sunshine.
I like a warm and humid climate, but it is not suitable for extreme heat and cold. The suitable growth temperature is 18 ~ 25℃, and the initial flowering period is 2℃.
Slightly acidic soil, which is fertile and moist and well drained, is sensitive to soil pH value, and the most suitable pH value is generally 5.5 ~ 6.5.
Neutral soil is not good for growth, and alkaline or alkaline soil is not suitable for camellia growth.
Roots are fleshy roots. If the soil is sticky and flooded, the roots will rot and turn black, the leaves will fall and even the whole plant will die.
Camellia has dense branches, compact structure and strong tree potential.
Branches are issued twice a year, and the growth of spring shoots is large and there are many branches, which are the main branches that form the crown and flower buds. Flower buds are planted in the branches, with few in the middle, and it is difficult to see flower buds in the lower part; The growth of summer shoots is small and the number of branches is small. Shoots in early summer can also form buds. Summer shoot growth is the auxiliary, and the bamboo shoot rate is low. The growth period of summer shoots is generally from early July to mid-September.
Camellia has strong germination ability, and various shapes can be created by shaping and pruning. According to different varieties, the crown shapes are different, such as round, oval, umbrella, cone, straight tube, irregular and so on.
Camellia grows slowly in its infancy, so as long as care is taken not to bifurcate the top of the crown, it is generally unnecessary to prune it.
However, if it is used in potted plants, it should be picked or chopped according to the strength of seedlings before germination in February and March to promote the germination of slightly inclined new branches, thus reducing the height of trunk and enhancing the ornamental effect of potted plants.
After the big seedlings are planted, several branches close to the ground will be drained, and the trunk with a certain height will be kept, and the height of the trunk will depend on the needs of the garden.
From the lowest main branch up to 50 cm, gradually choose 3 ~ 4 branches staggered as the main branches on the main branch, leaving a certain distance between the main branches.
The remaining unselected branches on the trunk are gradually cut off, such as those that are too dense, pests and diseases, and germinate.
The twigs can be cut off at one time, because the wound is small and does not damage the growth of the trunk; For stronger branches, the branches should be retracted first, and it is best to cut them off at the branches, so as not to affect the growth of the trunk or adjacent branches, fill the gap in the crown, and increase the amount of flowers.
It takes a long time for the flower buds and leaf buds of camellia to develop and form, and the crown develops evenly, basically without special pruning.
Combined with pruning after flowering every year, the annual branches are cut short, and the branches of 1/3 ~ 1/2 are cut off, and the outer buds or oblique branches are cut off to promote the germination of lower lateral buds and develop lateral branches, so as to reduce the flowering position of the next year.
New shoots stopped growing at the end of May, and summer shoots began to grow in July. From May to July, cut off semi-lignified new cross branches, overlapping branches, over-dense branches, disorderly branches, pest branches, sprouting branches, twigs and over-dense branches.
Camellia is a multi-flowered tree species, especially on weak plants, if the buds are dense (as many as 10 on one branch), it will consume too much nutrients.
In order to ensure nutrient supply, buds should be pruned in time, and the suitable pruning degree is 1 ~ 2 buds per branch; The rest of the lateral buds should also be picked.
There should be a certain distance between the remaining buds, that is, the buds should be evenly distributed to achieve the effect of three-dimensional flowering.
Cutting off the residual flowers in time after flowering is of great benefit to reducing nutrient consumption and increasing tree vigor.