Billabong Garden Nursery is a ConnectGV social enterprise that has provided employment opportunities for young people with disabilities for 20 years.
The nursery offers a year-round garden and on-site propagation that provides plants suited to native conditions and soil types.
Looking for a tough shrub to add to your garden as a feature or even hedging/screening? Look no further than the camellia.
Camellias can also be planted in pots with a premium potting mix and make a beautiful display at your front door or in entertainment areas.
The best time for repotting is August to September.
Camellias are among the most popular of garden plants because they're tough and live long lives, tolerating a wide range of conditions.
Their glossy green leaves and showy flowers add color to gardens from autumn all the way through winter and on into spring.
They are an evergreen shrub so can provide a green background for the autumn colours and bare branches of many other shrubs and trees in the winter.
There are two main varieties of the camellia: sasanqua and japonica.
The sasanqua camellias start flowering in the autumn and through into the winter.
They are well adapted to a hotter position than the Japonica, but will also do well planted on the southern side of homes in semi-shade.
The japonica camellia is more suited to a shady position.
They prefer plenty of morning sun with some dappled shade in the afternoon.
Make sure they are protected from our harsh summer sunlight, as this can scorch their leaves and affect their overall health.
They generally start flowering from early winter into spring.
All camellias love a slightly acid soil with a PH level of around 5.5-6.
Make sure they are planted in a well-drained soil - they hate growing in soggy conditions.
Once established, camellias grow well with regular watering, once to twice a week.
Camellias will flower best when fertilised.
You can provide them with some fertiliser after the flowers have dropped in spring.
If the growth seems slow and the leaves lose their colour, feed your plant again mid-summer.
Like most shrubs, the camellia requires a regular prune after the flowering period has ended in spring.
You can cut off any weak or dead branches and thin out the growth if it is too dense for the flowers to open properly.
Remove any spent flowers to enable new growth.
— Tracy Lamont, Billabong Garden Complex manager
Billabong Garden Complex is located at 295 Numurkah Rd, Shepparton. If you have any questions for Tracy, contact her at billabongnursery@connectgv.com.au
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