Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Few plants have as long as blooming period as some of our camellias. Although they are classed as early, mid-season, or late, each individual plant sets flower buds that open over a period of months. An open bud or flower will be ruined by frost, but buds that are still tightly closed are unharmed and will open at a later time. That’s one reason that I think we should all have some of single or semi-double flowering camellias in our yards. The European honeybees are going to go out looking for food on those many days in winter when the daytime temperatures are relatively pleasant. If you add appropriate camellias to your landscape, you’ll be feeding bees with no effort for decades to come. Be sure to provide fresh water, too, when it’s dry in winter, water can be scarce for bees and birds.
The Long-Lasting Blooms of Camellias
