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Although their flowers are not as bright as those of their parents, the tea trees have presented the colors of local landscapes this fall.
The flowers are about an inch in diameter and are white with orange stamens. To my astonishment, bees love them, seeking to collect pollen.
The tea plants are true camellias that like the same growing conditions as the more colorful varieties of japonica and sasanqua that begin to bloom for the winter.
They grow best with filtered sun and slightly acidic soil. Some use their tiny tea leaves for a drink but report varying results.
Camellias well spotted along a trail or used as a backdrop for gardens might be your answer to the winter colors.
Several species and varieties are available in many colors, with red and pink variations as well as white in local garden centers. There is even a yellow camellia.
Camellias generally grow best in filtered sunlight. Many can tolerate full sun, but the slight shade seems to give them stress relief. Here are some additional tips to help you add camellias to your landscape.
- Select a variety known to grow well locally. Usually, the oldest varieties are the best.
- Keep new plants moist and add mulch. Constant care is needed for about a year.
- Water established plants at least once a week during dry periods.
- Feed once in March, June and August with an azalea-camellia product.
- Control of the tea scale, a white insect, with a systemic insecticide found in garden centers.
- Finish all the prunings at the end of May, when the camellias begin to form their flower buds.
If you want to take a closer look at the camellias, many of them are on display in the Bok Tower gardens in Lake Wales, at Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando and in Mead Garden at Winter Park towards the end of the year. 39, autumn and winter.
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