I am wondering why you feel that you shouldn't plant your camellia at this time. Camellias can take sub-freezing temperatures very readily. But perhaps there is something about your climate that I don't know.

This is an ideal time for the planting of woody ornamentals in my Northern Alabama (6b-7a) zone. Frankly, it's easier to protect the root systems from damage if planted, than if not.

Thank you for answering my post, right here in Maryland ( Baltimore County) My zone's considered 6b-7a with occasional 6a weather in January, it's rare. Decembers rarely have snow.

Currently we're having a warm spell and not really dipping under freezing. I guess this means I should plant it now then, right?

Even if it does dip under freezing, your camellia should be fine. You can provide precautionary protection in the event of a very hard freeze, and be SURE you give your plant a heavy layer of mulch.

I've planted a tea olive recently (also somewhat tender) and have kept some old sheets out to cover it in case of some very low temperatures.

Don't ignore the watering during winter planting. And don't fertilize your camellia.

Camellias are generally planted from Fall thru Spring but any time of the year is ok provided the weather cooperates and you are within zone for the particular variety being planted. I have planted most of my camellias this time of the year as now is when they are readily available for sale here in Texas.

Choose a location where the plant will get some afternoon shade, where there will be no competition from roots of nearby trees and where you can supply the plant with adequate water. Note: in Maryland and parts of the northern U.S., you can safely plant most camellias in 'full' sun; however, I always suggest some protection. If the leaves look like they are turning bronze/green, that would indicate too much sun.

The best soil Ph for camellias is in the range 6.0 thru 6.5 but most tolerate alkaline soils well. In Maryland, you do not need to worry much about this because soils are generally acidic. However, soil pH can often be readily corrected with lime if it becomes too acidic for some reason.

Provide adequate moisture for the plant to a depth of 2' approximately; you want the soil to be moist, not wet. During winter, remember to water if the soil does not freeze and there is little rain. Due to the El Nino Phenomenon, this winter is expected to be unusually dry in areas of the northeast so keep an eye on rainfall. Use 3-4" of mulch to maintain moisture and protect from winter damage/winds.

Starting next Spring, fertilize with 1/2 cup of cottonseed meal on March/April, June and September. Adjust the amount of fertilizer as the plant size increases.

Pruning is hardly ever needed with camellias. Cosmetic pruning can be done at any time while heavy pruning should best be done during the winter months.

Common Maryland summer pest f.y.i.: symptoms of camellia scale are sooty mold and honey dew; if the infestation is a big problem, you can apply Imidacloprid or Merit but otherwise do not worry.

Other good camellias in your area: Bonanza (deep pink/red; single), Yuletide (red; single), Carolina Moonmist (pink; semi-double), Setsugekka (white; semi-double), {{gwi:518007}} (pink; peony-like). The Winter and April Series are some of the most cold hardy ones. Choose other camellias based on your USDA Zone, flower blossom form (single, semi-double, double, peony or anemone), flowering time, color and height.

Mail Order / Internet Camellia Nurseries: Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, NC ; Gene's Nursery in Savanah, GA ; or Greer Gardens in Eugene, OR

Good luck with your plant,
Luis

Thank you all for all your sound advice, I'm so relieved. I was excited and then got kinda panicked considering my very inconsistent zone.

One quick question, I've read that you should plant camellias rather shallow or that their crown is above ground, being that they're rather shallow rooted like azaleas, right? Would you say how many inches should the crown be above ground?

Actually, all plants should be treated this way....planted with their crowns a bit higher than the surrounding soil. How high depends upon your soil type, the drainage of the site, and if you've prepared the hole properly. Ideally, you want to dig the hole NO deeper than needed for your plant to sit right on top of native ground, and for camellias, not even that deep. That results in less settling, and much better capillarity of the soil system. Thus, your plant's crown will remain high and dry, with no possibility of sinking into a hole that has been dug several inches too deeply.

You see, filling the bottom of a hole in with back-fill results in settling. Try to be careful about that.

As with all woody plants, you'll want to dig your hole only as deep as the root ball (or a couple of inches shallower), but as wide as you can! The optimum shape of the hole will be a wide, shallow basin. Emphasis on the wide.

Does your soil drain well? Then the plant will be fine at a couple of inches above grade.

The soil drains pretty well, moderately clay based and has perfect acidity.

I live in southern Frederick county so our zones are the same. Consider yourself fortunate to have found such a nice specimen at Home Depot where plants are quite affordable. I've got 10 camellias (both sasanquas and japonicas)in my garden around the house. Pay no attention to the naysayers, camellias are fine here and generally bloom very well. The advice of the Rhizo and Luis are excellent. Follow what they've outlined and I believe you'll enjoy your camellia for years to come.

That's great latami, I appreciate the reassurance, could you possibly list the cultivars that you have?

Currently my only concern is that the cultivar was incorrectly labeled Winter's Interlude. Mine's currently blooming, it's pink, but not exactly as "lilac" as I've seen in the pictures of Winter's Interlude and it lacks the clusters of small petaloids. Does bloom form change according to age? I just don't want to panic.

I'm ashamed to say I don't know the names of most of my camellias. I have three pink sasanquas all in slightly different shades and one still blooming today. I have one white sasanqua. I have a red japonica, a waterlily shell pink japonica, two Kumasaka japonicas which are now over 6' tall, one double pink japonica, and two formal double red japonicas. With our winter being so mild so far they all look great. I hope you enjoy yours. Incidentally I've only seen pink, red and white sasanquas with variations of these main colors but nothing truly in the lavender color range which is what I consider "lilac".

I'm glad to have found this informative thread. I just happened upon a couple of hardy camellias at a local nursery, and couldn't pass them up. I was in a real quandary about whether to try planting them out, since they were in the greenhouse (cold, though) at the nursery, waiting to be sold. Anything that winters over indoors at my house is much the worse for wear by the time spring rolls around, so I'd love to get these babies into the ground. We're having a warm spell, and I have yards of compost ready to be used, so I guess I'll go for it.

Thanks for all the info; I'm a regular on the New England forum but now I'll have to start checking this one too.

-DtD

Welcome to the forum and Happy New Year's to y'all. :o)