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How to Grow Camellias Camellias like the same type of soil as Azaleas. A Ph of 5.0 to 6.5 is ideal. Camellias like damp soil but not soggy. If you are gardening in sand, add a mixture of one half peat moss to your planting site and mulch with oak or pine mulch to keep the roots cool during the summer. Don't use peat moss as mulch because it dries out and forms an impentratable layer over the root system, so mix it with the backfill. Applications of a soil acidifier several times a year may be required, but is not necessary if your soil Ph is below 6.5. A raised bed is preferred if you are gardening on hardpan or the roots will remain shallow and susceptible to freeze damage. You can prepare hardpan by pulverizing the soil to a depth of 24 inches and adding enough organic matter so it won't easily become compacted again. Camellias will be tough to grow in alkaline soill, but it is possible in a raised bed or large container amended with a soil mixture specifically for camellias and azaleas. It is best to plant Camellias from September throughl February, so the roots can settle in before summer. Plant Camellias at least five feet apart and don't plant them any deeper than they are in the nursery container. The north side of your home is a great location for a Camellia. Avoid areas under shallow rooted-trees such as elms or cottonwoods that will stay too dry. Big tree roots will take up all the available moisture. Camellias require little pruning except to remove dead limbs and to keep the natural shape. Don't shear your Camellias, as this will promote dense top growth that will prevent sunlight and air circulation around the lower branches. A disease called Twig Die-Back forms tiny soft cankers on the limbs that eventually girdle the limbs and cause them to die. Trim off all limbs below the cankers, and sterilize the cutting tool between cuts with a weak bleach solution, hydrogen peroxide or Lysol. If Camellias get too tall and leggy, cut them back as low as 6 inches to the ground between now and March. Remove all the foliage to give them a fresh start. You will see new growth in 4 to 6 weeks. Tea scale is a common pest that infects the underside of the leaves and makes yellow-brown spots on the top of the leaves. They are tiny bugs that look white, gray or brown. Their secretions make the black honeydew that causes a black fungus to form. Control Tea Scale with wettable Sevin Dust or Acephate (Orthene.) You must spray the underside of the leaves for effective control. Apply in the fall and spring. Horticultural oil works by smothering pests, but only apply if temperatures are between 85 and 50 degrees. Use the lightest oil available. Flower Blight Fungus attacks the entire flower and causes them to turn brown. Don't confuse with limited freeze damage. Pick up all fallen flowers and put in fresh mulch to keep the fungus spores from spreading. Use a standard garden fungicide for control.
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A shrub that provides winter color and makes a great landscaping plant is the Camellia. They are in full bloom all around town. There are two types, the Camellia Japonica and the Camellia Sasanqua. The Sasanqua has smaller blooms, is more winter hardy, and will finish blooming by midwinter. It's usually used for dense hedging. The Japonica, with larger double blooms, will bloom in midwinter and is preferred as a specimen plant. The Rose Dawn and Purple Dawn varieties are two of the many suitable for this part of Texas. 
