Practical camellia care from two decades in the garden
Helen Pritchard · June 2, 2026
Most camellias are odorless — full stop. That single fact catches nearly everyone off guard the first time they hear it, and I watched it land like a small deflating balloon at a winter garden society gathering last year when a member asked me point-blank which of my camellias smelled the best. Three dozen faces … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 31, 2026
Fifteen years — that’s how long my ‘Donation’ camellia had occupied the same patch of ground before I decided to dig her up and march her clear across the garden. She’d grown into a sprawling four-foot beauty, smothered in crimson blooms, and by the time I made my decision, she was throwing so much shade … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 28, 2026
Can a Zone 6 garden actually support camellias? Straight answer: absolutely, provided you’re picky about which ones you plant. This question lands in my inbox constantly, usually from someone who assumed camellias were reserved for milder climates further south. Most camellias, it’s true, evolved for gentler winters. Still, after twenty-plus years cultivating more than 200 … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 26, 2026
Most camellia problems I’ve solved over two decades trace back to one invisible culprit: soil pH. You can have perfect drainage, consistent watering, and afternoon shade—yet your camellias still yellow, drop buds, and sulk. The leaves start looking anemic. Growth stalls mid-season. That’s usually pH talking, not bad luck. Camellias are finicky about acidity. They … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 23, 2026
Hi there! I’m Helen Pritchard, and I’ve spent over two decades nurturing camellias in my garden here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. With more than 200 named cultivars under my belt, including favorites like ‘Donation’, ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’, and ‘Nicky Crisp’, I’ve learned a thing or two about what makes these stunning plants tick. Growing camellias … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 21, 2026
A late-February hard freeze dipped into the low twenties here in my zone 8a garden a few years back, and it pushed me to dig up and relocate a ten-year-old Camellia japonica ‘Elegans’ that had been sitting in a spot suddenly too exposed to the wind. Sliding the root ball free of its planting hole, … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 19, 2026
No plastic tag wedged into a nursery pot will ever warn you about this: cottony white tufts creeping along your camellia’s stems aren’t lint, mould, or garden debris—they’re eggs, and by the time you notice them, they’ve often already spread. I found this out the hard way on my treasured ‘Donation’ shrub after more than … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 16, 2026
I’m Helen Pritchard, and I’ve spent over two decades cultivating camellias in the lush, temperate climate of the Pacific Northwest. My journey has led me through the intricacies of more than 200 named cultivars, from the delicate sasanquas to the robust japonicas and stunning reticulatas. I’ve had my fair share of successes and, believe me, … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 14, 2026
Nearly every camellia grower I’ve ever swapped notes with operates on the same unspoken assumption: the ground beneath a mature shrub is simply lost real estate, destined to stay bare or scraggly no matter what you throw at it. I believed that too for years, standing under my oldest camellia—a towering ‘Donation’ japonica that had … Read more
Helen Pritchard · May 11, 2026
Behind my potting shed sits a narrow bed I’ve never gotten around to naming — just six camellias tucked against a weathered fence, and the anchor of the group is a ‘Donation’ Williamsii hybrid I’ve nursed through six full growing seasons here in my Zone 8a garden. One afternoon I wandered back there with my … Read more