I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has bloomed profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to prune the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the builder. They are building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want to lose it.

idec44 wrote:
I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has
bloomed profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to
prune the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the builder.
They are building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want to
lose it.

Tell your workmen to get no closer than 2 feet. If they lay a hand on
it don't pay them.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

idec44 wrote:

I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has bloomed
profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to prune
the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the builder. They are
building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want to lose
it.

Go to your public library, large bookstore, or comprehensive
nursery (NOT a lumberyard or hardware store). They should have a
copy of Sunset's book on Camellias, which thoroughly describes how
to prune.

--

David E. Ross
URL:http://www.rossde.com/

I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that
complies with Web standards. See URL:http://www.mozilla.org/.

David Ross wrote:
idec44 wrote:

I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has
bloomed profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to
prune the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the
builder. They are building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want to
lose it.

Go to your public library, large bookstore, or comprehensive
nursery (NOT a lumberyard or hardware store). They should have a
copy of Sunset's book on Camellias, which thoroughly describes how
to prune.

There is no reason to prune the Camellia.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

Travis wrote:

David Ross wrote:
idec44 wrote:

I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has
bloomed profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to
prune the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the
builder. They are building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want to
lose it.

Go to your public library, large bookstore, or comprehensive
nursery (NOT a lumberyard or hardware store). They should have a
copy of Sunset's book on Camellias, which thoroughly describes how
to prune.

There is no reason to prune the Camellia.

Camellias do not have to be pruned to promote good growth and
blooming. However, there may indeed be valid reasons why someone
might want to prune a camellia.

My camellia bed is outside my dining room window. After a few
years, they begin to block the view of my garden from that window,
especially the view of the hedge of azaleas just in front of the
camellias. I prune them about once every 3-5 years.

A bush might interfere with the coverage from a sprinkler system.
An overgrown camellia might be in the way of having a house painted
or a lawn mowed. And there is always a desire to shape a bush for
aesthetic reasons.

Unlike with many other broadleaf evergreens that can be cut at any
time and might even be sheared, there is an optimum way to cut a
camellia and an optimum time.

By the way, unlike other fruit trees, citrus does not need to be
pruned. However, I am always nipping growth on my three dwarf
citrus trees, just to keep them looking nice.

--

David E. Ross
URL:http://www.rossde.com/

I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that
complies with Web standards. See URL:http://www.mozilla.org/.

David Ross wrote:
Travis wrote:

David Ross wrote:
idec44 wrote:

I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has
bloomed profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to
prune the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the
builder. They are building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want
to lose it.

Go to your public library, large bookstore, or comprehensive
nursery (NOT a lumberyard or hardware store). They should have a
copy of Sunset's book on Camellias, which thoroughly describes how
to prune.

There is no reason to prune the Camellia.

Camellias do not have to be pruned to promote good growth and
blooming. However, there may indeed be valid reasons why someone
might want to prune a camellia.

My camellia bed is outside my dining room window. After a few
years, they begin to block the view of my garden from that window,
especially the view of the hedge of azaleas just in front of the
camellias. I prune them about once every 3-5 years.

Can't see myself planting something that will get really big in front of
a window I wanted to look out.

A bush might interfere with the coverage from a sprinkler system.

Who planted the bush in the way of the sprinkler?

An overgrown camellia might be in the way of having a house painted
or a lawn mowed.

One should leave enough room between foundation plantings and the house
so routine maintenance may be performed.


And there is always a desire to shape a bush for
aesthetic reasons.

One should resist unnatural desires.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5




Unlike with many other broadleaf evergreens that can be cut at any
time and might even be sheared, there is an optimum way to cut a
camellia and an optimum time.

By the way, unlike other fruit trees, citrus does not need to be
pruned. However, I am always nipping growth on my three dwarf
citrus trees, just to keep them looking nice.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 03:05:37 GMT, "Travis"
wrote:


One should resist unnatural desires.
Telling an inane talent less gardener like you to shut the F up is a
natural urge....

i'd do any pruning after the builders had departed and just remove any damage they may cause....incidently there is a chinese method of pruning Camellia where shoots and branches are removed leaving gaps just large enough for a bird to " fly through " without touching the plant. i tried this method on some large new transplants and found...in the uk at least...that the greater air movement this pruning style allows meant the individual flowers lasted longer because they dried out quicker after rain .

On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 19:34:24 +0000, idec44
wrote:


I have a large and currently happy red Camellia - i.e. it has bloomed
profusely this year.
We have building works starting next week and I think I ought to prune
the Camellia, so that it doesn't get battered by the builder. They are
building a wall 4 feet away from it.
How severely should I prune it, (or not) as I really don't want to lose
it.

Well-established camillias can take a *lot* of pruning. This may be
your opportunity to shape it up. This site has quite a bit of
information.

http://members.cox.net/vacs/pruning.htm