The A-Z Pruning Handbook for New Zealand. by Jon Muller.

Camellia (Camellia)

Family: Theaceae

Camellias are members of the tea family found growing in Asia. There is a huge range of size, flower colour and form. Camellia japonica and its many cultivars are the most popular. C. sasanqua is used as a hedge. Camellias prefer partial shade, good drainage and an acid soil. Ideally, they need an organic soil, eg peat . As they are surface rooting, add mulch to the surface each year, as well as an acid fertiliser.

Pruning

Camellias are similar to rhododendrons; they produce a mass of blooms and do not require major pruning.

If you want to train a hedge of C. sasanqua, plant 1m apart and regularly trim back the new growth each year in spring to encourage bushiness.
Like rhododendrons, you can remove spent blooms to promote further flowering and prevent energy going into seed production. Use secateurs to cut back past the flowers or use your thumb and forefinger to break off the flower.

For larger flowering varieties, remove all the flower buds except the outward-facing buds, to encourage larger blooms. Remember that flower buds are more swollen than leaf buds.

Camellia flower and leaf buds. Note that the flower buds are fatter than the leaf buds.

The old adage to prune a Camellia so that a bird can fly through it is useful advice.While you want a reasonably dense foliage, it is a good ideal to remove some of the longer leaders to open up the plant and let in more light and air. This will encourage growth from lower down, improving the health and flowering of the plant. If left, plants tend to flower only at the top of the plant. Prune anytime after flowering.

While camellias can be cut almost to ground level, this is not necessarily good practice. Hard pruning will create a mass of epicormic shoots or can cause dieback. This dense growth may be suitable for a hedge, but not if you want to improve flowering. To do this, thin out a lot of the growth as described above. This will encourage new growth and flowering. While it can take longer to achieve better flowering, you will get better results in the long term.

Propagation
From semi-ripe stem cuttings taken in autumn.

Excerpts

How to prune Camellias & Roses

Key to Pruning

Pruning Tips:
Pruning to the bud
Branch removal
Trees and the law
Arborists
Deciduous shrubs
Hedges
Plant care
Tools

Introduction
Table of Contents

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Acknowledgements