Travis wrote:

David Ross wrote:
idec44 wrote:

I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has
bloomed profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to
prune the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the
builder. They are building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want to
lose it.

Go to your public library, large bookstore, or comprehensive
nursery (NOT a lumberyard or hardware store). They should have a
copy of Sunset's book on Camellias, which thoroughly describes how
to prune.

There is no reason to prune the Camellia.

Camellias do not have to be pruned to promote good growth and
blooming. However, there may indeed be valid reasons why someone
might want to prune a camellia.

My camellia bed is outside my dining room window. After a few
years, they begin to block the view of my garden from that window,
especially the view of the hedge of azaleas just in front of the
camellias. I prune them about once every 3-5 years.

A bush might interfere with the coverage from a sprinkler system.
An overgrown camellia might be in the way of having a house painted
or a lawn mowed. And there is always a desire to shape a bush for
aesthetic reasons.

Unlike with many other broadleaf evergreens that can be cut at any
time and might even be sheared, there is an optimum way to cut a
camellia and an optimum time.

By the way, unlike other fruit trees, citrus does not need to be
pruned. However, I am always nipping growth on my three dwarf
citrus trees, just to keep them looking nice.

--

David E. Ross
URL:http://www.rossde.com/

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