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Advice on moving a camelia?

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2005
by sushigirl on August 19, 2005 04:40 AM
Due to renovations, I need to move my camelia. It's about 15', 5-6' diameter, and 20 years old - so very well established. I'd HATE to lose it, so must at least try relocating.

Any tips? What kind of root systems do camelias have? If I dig around the foliage line, will I get enough root for it to survive? Is it particularly sensitive to time of year it's moved?

I'd appreciate any advice!
by alankhart on August 19, 2005 05:21 AM
I've never tried moving a camelia that large...I did move two that were about 4'x 3' with no real trouble. I dug out to the drip line and got as much of the root as possible. It took some real digging to do it, so I could only imagine what it would take to move yours. If your camelia blooms in late winter/early spring I would move it in the fall or when the weather is cool. If it blooms in the fall, I'd wait to move it next spring if possible. If not, I'd once again wait until it cools off... you may lose some or all of this years blooms due to the stress of moving it.
Make sure you water it well and keep watering it until it is established in its new home. Good luck!

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by loz on August 20, 2005 10:48 AM
Wow, moving one that big would have to be a heck of an ordeal...I tried moving my small one last year and I couldn't even get it dug up....so I gave up and left it in it's spot.

I hope when the time comes for you to move it that it comes up easy.....and that it does well once transplanted to a different spot.

Keep us updated if you can.
by sushigirl on September 09, 2005 05:13 AM
Well, for better or worse, it's done. THere was a much smaller rootball than I expected, still HEAVY, but looked disproportionately tiny. I hope it will take hold in its new home!

The side of the camellia now facing the yard is the shady side, so I hope we'll see some flowers. Anybody got a camellia visible from all sides, and noticed if flowers are evenly distributed? Maybe it's our neighbors who'll benefit from this move!

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