Camelia as a hedge ??

[Lindnarden]

Lokking to use camelia for a, not particularly long, about four foor high (ultimately) hedgeIs this a good idea ? The foliage kind of reminds me of laurel but I'm worried about the effect of hedge trimmers....

[Danny]

I'm no expert but wouldn't have thought camelia would be a good choice for a hedge. I believe they are much slower-growing than laurel and although the leaves are similar, camelias that I have seen tend to be quite open, and not nearly dense enough for a hedge. It may of course be our soil here in 46 but I have two camelias here (one winter, one regular) and they are really struggling - not much bigger than when planted three years ago. Last autumn I planted some teeny laurel cuttings in a line along the edge of our garden and they are really taking off - they will make a lovely hedge in no time.

You could try regularly snipping the leaves on a camelia before planting out, to see how they react to regular trimming. I have a feeling they may suffer and go bownish, but as I say I am no expert.

Good luck!

Jane

(ps if other posters think it may work, you could alternate winter and summer varieties and get flowers throughout the year all along your hedge....?)

[Llwyncelyn]

Camelias like acid soil and hate frost/rain at flowering.  Depends of course upon the variety but Camelias tend to be early flowering although one can purchase late flowering varieties.

Therefore for best effect they need some shelter and I suppose the whole purpose of a hedge is to provide some shelter for other things?  Personally I believe that camelias are stand alone and specimen plants not hedging. They will not do well unleast you have a reasonably acid soil.  May I suggest a soil kit in any event to see what you are dealing with?

However one man's meat.................................