I haven’t visited these forums in some time and actually rediscovered this thread doing a google search on some rare plants (go figure). Since we have a lot of trees and not a lot of resources and time to protect them, most of my losses are due to deer/rodent herbivory. Instead of dwelling on all of the plants I haven’t been able to keep alive, I’ll mention the highlights and surprises here. I went go in depth on too many so ask if you want more details and I’ll try to keep an eye on this thread and respond back when I can. I have been in Arizona since May and I’m basing the updates from this past growing season on my mother’s observations. -Strongest growing maple is Acer lobelii by far; arrived as a stick broken in half during shipping en route from Colvos Creek Nursery in Washington state and has grown at least 3 feet a year. It towers over all of the other sticks in my maple collection at about 15 feet. -Acer davidii grosseri hersii (what a taxonomic mess!) is the strongest growing snakebark and a new addition since the original post I believe. I don’t give it any “help” nutrition-wise and it has grown 2 feet each year; excellent striped bark turns crimson with the onset of cold weather and the leaves are a mix of red, orange, and purple in the autumn. From Forestfarm and while they are awesome, I have not yet keyed this plant to confirm its identity; either way, doing awesome for a snakebark in a clay-dominated alkaline soil in an exposed area. -Acer rufinerve gets no fertilization either and has some years where it sits back and grows little, and other where it takes off. Apparently this year it grew over 2’, so it now stands about 8’. Bark is excellent, although it doesn’t change to crimson like some of the other snakebarks. Can occasionally develop minor signs of nutrient deficiency but not a big deal. Leaves are amazing both texturally (coarse) and by color in the autumn, a mix of red, orange and violet. -Acer henryi looks like a Boxelder and grows like one in upstate NY. After a rough time establishing and a nasty bout of sunscald, it now grows about 2’ a year and has excellent red and violet autumn colors, with violet usually dominating. -Acer longipes is notable because I was able to get one through a winter (low -13F) with the only damage due to herbivory. Supposedly sprouted up big time this past summer. Not many experts seem to place much faith in its hardiness and it may have been below the snowline at the time of the low temp. Time will tell. -Acer mandshuricum, Acer triflorum, and Acer maximowiczianum all suffer through chlorosis. A. triflorum does the worst, A. maximowiczianum the best. A hybrid from Forestfarm between A. pseudoplatanus and A. griseum has done very well, with violet-backed leaves and red fall color. Hybrid vigor and no cold or soil issues. -Acer oliverianum is starting to pick up steam and has yet to be damaged by temps as low as -16F. Might be benefiting from the protection of a nearby hedge. Fall color is usually reddish-orange; it is deeply shaded. -Calycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’ is a huge success. Massive flowering in the second year and completely hardy. Grows very fast and gets leggy unless trimmed. Flowers are gorgeous and large, with virtually no scent. Numerous visitors that have seen the plants have subsequently scoured google for a dealer. The intense color has even drawn some hummingbirds. Seedless. Highly recommend. -Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ gets defoliated by about January when the truly consistent cold temperatures begin. This about the time that the soil freezes for good as well, limiting the plant’s ability to care for the leaves no doubt. At times, it looks like a fancy houseplant with shiny green leaves growing amongst the snow. No cold-dieback although it is not yet established and grows only about 6 inches a year max so far (haven’t got an update for this past season yet). It is late to leaf out in the spring. -Have a Stewartia malacodendron that apparently did very well in a shaded and very rich sand lens in a protected area that gets partial shade. It is big enough to be above the (likely) snow line and I will be very, VERY interested in seeing if it overwinters. Perhaps more updates later (and as I receive them!)

I would start with a soil test to determine in what condition the soil is. If the Ph is too alkaline (above 7.0 or 7.5) then apply soil ammendments that will acidify the soil. There are many liquid soil acidifiers that you could apply once or twice a year, in addition the obvious use of sulphur. Then pay attention to other notes that might indicate that your soil is deficient on other minerals. Your state's Agricultural Extension Service or local Nurseries can help you get started with a soil test. Try to maintain the soil moist but not wet as much as possible. Check by inserting a finger to a depth of four inches. If it feels almost dry or dry then water. Otherwise do not water. Reduce the amount of water this time of the year but do not stop completely. The plant is only dormant so it still needs some moisture. If your soil does not freeze then water once a week or once every two weeks. Water the soil and not the plant. Pick up plant debris from under the plant too, specially during blooming season. Add acidic mulch -about 4 inches thick- up to the drip line or slightly further. This will reduce the amount and frequency of waterings as well as aid keeping the soil moist. The mulch will decompose as time passes so check it once or twice in year and then add more where needed. I usually do this in Spring and Fall. In Spring (after the danger of late frosts has passed), begin fertilizing with cottonseed meal monthly. I usually water before & after applying it. You do not have to remove the mulch to do this. You can also add coffee grounds at any time but stop all fertilizing around July and August so the plant will switch from growth mode to dormant mode. Pruning may be needed if the plants have been ignored for some time. Stems that cross or those that grow towards the inside should be cut. But most of the time, you do not have to prune camellias any/much. Winter is the best time to prune if you have to prune a lot (1/3 of the plant, for example). If you have to prune less, consider doing it after the plant has bloomed or before Spring starts. Below is a link to the American Camellia Society's website with lots much more information. For local chapters of the ACS or for a list of camellia clubs, go to http://www.camellias-acs.org/qanda/usclubs.asp Does this help you, laylaa? Luis Here is a link that might be useful: Planting and Care of Camellias by the A.C.S.

They normally do not mind the 20s for extended periods but I prepare them by watering deeply on the night before the cold (cold = 32F or less) fronts arrive and by making sure the y are well mulched with 2-4" of organic mulch to or past the drip line. One set is on the north of the house and the other on the south side (protected by the house from northern winds and protected from the sun). We got down to low-mid teens this winter twice and had no issues other than some flower buds that browned out in the japonicas. No bud drop as a result of the cold so I am happy. They basically stop blooming (if they are blooming) or delay blooming for later. The first time that we dropped to the teens last year, the sasanquas were finishing their blooming so they stopped blooming and restarted blooming with a handful of flower buds two weeks ago. The second time that we dropped to the teens in January, the mid-season blooming japonicas were not blooming yet so the japonicas delayed blooming & started blooming about two weeks ago. Then a late blooming japonica began to bloom last week; not sure if it cared about the cold as it normally blooms late. Flower buds for me can hold on to the mid teens if I water deeply the night before the cold arrives. The plants should be able to carry on even much colder temps. I am in the DFW Metroplex. Hurst is almost touching the western side of the Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport in north-central Texas. Sasanquas and japonicas in the Hill Country and here require amending the soil to acidify it. I amend with garden Sulfur, greensand, iron-chelated liquid compounds, etc in Spring and sometimes again in the Fall if I notice signs of iron chlorosis. The Piney Woods Region is the only location where the soil is typically acidic enough so as not to require amending this way. Areas where you have caliche soil would present the biggest problem to either camellia as the fibrous roots in the top few inches would have difficulty penetrating the soil. Sasanqua leaves suffer less from summer sun than japonicas do here. There is a shopping center that has them growing in full sun at all times of the year and they do fine even thru our daily 100s in the summer. But they will require that their soil be moist as evenly possible (not periods of dry soil, followed by wet and dry soil again). I keep them well mulched and I water deeply so as not to have to worry much about it. If unsure about whether they need water, I insert a finger to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry. Start with 1 gallon of water per watering for a new shrub of the size typically sold locally (2' tall or something like that?) and tweak that as needed. More or more often in the summer & early Fall; less often in winter. But plan to water thru winter as well since dry years may cause the semi-dormant camellias to need water. I almost lost one camellia when I shut off the sprinkler system at the start of a big cold spell and then forgot to restart it after the cold left us a week later. As for planting location, I give them summer sun until about 10am-11am. Dappled sun is also ok. So is bright full-time shade. I have a single japonica that gets sun from 11am-1pm and some (very few) of the leaves get sunburn but usually just a handful... 5 or less say. It is getting big so I cut the leaves off if they look ugly. I am considering putting shade cloth in that area though because of other shrubbery that is more sun sensitive than the camellia. Regarding wind in a planting location, I would choose a location with less winds (or something that blocks wind somehow): light summer winds help dry out the soils and require more watering $$$. ;o) I had a japonica in a location that was subject to wind and it required hand watering in the summer, something that is not fun when it is hot outside. Does that help, jaceymae? Luis

I will respectfully disagree with Luis on the Hollytone- it's a slow-release organic plant food, not an all-at-once blast of chemical fertilizer, so I don't think it would be inappropriate for a stressed plant. Besides, I didn't see much to worry about on your plant aside from the dead wod that's probably- as Luis says- cold damaged wood. Testing soil is a good idea eventually, but if you have sandy clay, the question is which is predominant, and how quickly water drains away from the plant- if it's sandier, you must water more frequently; if it's clay-ier, then less frequently. You can do a test to see what you've got using a straight-sided jar- see the link below. But you can also feel the dirt around your plants after you water them, to tell how long it takes to dry. Something I didn't see mentioned is mulch. A pine straw or pine bark or other acidic mulch will add organic matter as it breaks down and it will keep the soil from drying out too quickly. Also, it provides some insulation for the plants, keeping them warmer in winter & cooler in summer. Just don't get the mulch compacted around the base of the plant- camellias have shallow roots that need accesss to air. And I will just mention since you are probably planting (or have recently planted) a number of other plants, that many gardeners like to use a mycorrhizal product to help new plants establish their root systems more quickly... Good luck, Virginia Here is a link that might be useful: Soil texture testing