Lookng for Commentary from Others Growing Camellia Seedlings

14 years ago

A couple of weeks ago, I spent several hours planting a grove of chance seedlings of 'Berenice Boddy.' These plants are several years old and range from two to four feet in height. Some are budded. As they grow, I plan to limb them up so that they will look like evergreen trees.

All of these seedlings had sent out roots from their containers into the soil and were, therefore, difficult to move. I had to cut the nursery pots away from the camellias' root systems and then dig the root systems from the surrounding soil. This took a great deal of patience and effort, but I was successful in saving most of the roots.

I left one containerized seedling in the nursery bed because it is not one of 'Berenice Boddy's' children. It is, instead, the child of an unknown red semi-double camellia cultivar that was literally engulfed by a galloping grove of black bamboo. My question is this: If this plant stays where it is in the nursery bed, what are the chances that it will grow and thrive without being transplanted to another location? If left where it is, I assume that, with time, the nursery pot will become brittle and crumble away. Like the other plants that I moved, its roots have run out of its nursery pot and into the surrounding soil. Do you think that if nature is allowed to take its course, this plant can succeed without transplantation?

Comments (4)

spartacuslives
14 years ago
How well the seedling survives and thrives will be dependent upon the vigor of the plant and the environment that it is located, but with all that said, the seedling would likely survive and grow well without you transplanting it.

One of the old camellia nurserymen was Hugh Shackleford from Albany, Georgia. He introduced many new varieties grown from seed. There is an effort under way to preserve as many of his original plants as possible which are still growing at his old nursery site. One of the interesting things about his old nursery site is all the camellias that were originally in containers that have now grown into the soil. The containers are still there, but the roots have grown out of the wholes in the bottom of the pot into the ground.
User
14 years ago
The problem is not the nursery pot.
The problem I would worry about is the black bamboo.
You say it is engulfed by it.
Choose one or the other. The bamboo will eventually overcome your camellia and it will die.
Especially the way bamboo grows down here, unbelievable!!!
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jay_7bsc
Original Author
14 years ago
Dear spartacuslives and butterfly4u,

Thanks for your replies to my post. Mr. Shackleford's Albany nursery is interesting. Are any of his varieties commercially available?

It's the mother plant that was overtaken by our black bamboo, not her seedling. The mother plant and a _Magnolia grandiflora_ drowned in the bamboo tide. The bamboo has also tried to overtake a live oak tree, but so far, has failed in that attempt. The crown of the live oak reaches over the crest of the bamboo waves. It will probably survive. I rescued the doomed camellia's seedling when I realized the bamboo was on the march. On the strength of spartacuslive's comments, I think I may leave the seedling where it is and see how well it does.
spartacuslives
14 years ago
There are a number of Shackleford varieties being grown today, but I don't know specifically which nurseries are growing them. Fifth Avenue, China Doll, & High Society are just a few of his introductions.