Re: What to plant beneath camellias

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Under my camellias, which are, as you suspect, very shallow rooted, I have gardenias, Daphne odora marginata, Carex aurea, lace cap hydrangea (variagated), Pieris japonica, Tuberose, and each year I plant the variously colored coleus as an annual for color.  I also have had Heuchera, which didn't pop out enough, so I pulled it.  There is also some Liriope.  As you can tell from my list, it is shady below my camellias, though it gets sun in the summer until about 1:00 pm. You are right in thinking it wise not to smother the roots too much.  This can lead to fungal problems.  I covered mine with a nice thick layer of mulch shortly after moving in 10 years ago, and within 2 years, the camellias were showing real Phytophthora problems.  I removed the mulch, trimmed out the infected parts, and it was gone within a year.  You also want to keep the dropped flowers and leaves picked up, as they make a perfect place for fungal spores to hide.&n! bsp;(Th e leaves don't decompose forever, and the flowers are just so moist and mushy for so long.)  I'm sure the options list on the coast is pretty inclusive.

 

Karrie Reid

Folsom Foothill Gardener

Zone 9 in Sunset and USDA