Our plant of the week is the camellia shrub, a classic Southern landscaping favorite.

First introduced to America in the 18th century, camellias are prized for their glossy evergreen leaves and their beautiful winter to early spring blooms. These versatile flowering shrubs grow best in USDA zones 7–10, making them a perfect choice for Louisiana landscapes. In North Louisiana, camellias thrive with the right care, but it’s important to protect flower buds from harsh winter freezes.

Camellia flowers can grow from 1-5 inches in diameter depending on the species and come in shades of white, cream, pink, red, purple, or yellow. Some Japanese camellias can grow up to 25 feet tall if allowed, and other camellia varieties can live up to 100-200 years. The oldest known camellia plant was planted in 1347 and still lives at the Panlong Monastery in China. You may have come into contact with parts of a camellia plant without even knowing, as the leaves of Camellia sinensis are used to make tea (green, oolong, black and more)! 

A Shi Shi is a type of camellia often planted in our area and blooms in late fall/early winter. It’s important that you DO NOT trim Shi Shi right now, because they are producing small buds for the fall. Trimming them would cut off the blooms and affect the next bloom cycle. If you absolutely need to trim a Shi Shi, be sure to make selective cuts and not an aggressive trim. Try to avoid cutting the small buds! The best time to trim is late winter, depending on the shrub’s blooming cycle. We hope this helps, if you have any questions, let us know.