Jim Jackson has some advice on pruning camellias.
"You should prune them so the birds can fly through them - but not a seagull," the Mosgiel man says.
Mr Jackson admits he treats his 25 camellias a little less harshly when it comes to cutting back, but he does keep his collection well fed, with a fertiliser he prepares himself.
Pruning is done after flowering, but any transplanting of the bushes should be when they are blooming, the time when camellias are dormant, he says.
Mr Jackson has been growing the glossy-leaved shrubs for about 40 years, and showing them since the 1990s, when he joined the Otago-Southland branch of the New Zealand Camellia Society.
He is now the branch chairman and manager of the group's Dunedin show.
He suggests growing heuchera, hosta or hellebores under camellias, as they grow well in similar conditions.
Camellias have been grown in China for at least 2000 years, as it is the tips of the leaves of Camellia sinensis that are used for tea.
Our garden camellias are the indirect result of the move to import tea plants into Europe.
By mistake or, some suggest, a Chinese attempt to confuse Europeans, decorative species - mainly Camellia japonica - were taken to Europe in the late 18th century.
The timing coincided with a European passion for everything Chinese, and extensive hybridisation saw many new varieties produced.
As chinoiserie fell from favour, so did camellia growing in England. In New Zealand and Australia, though, camellias never went out of fashion, and continued to be bred.
Spencer's Pink, Jury's Yellow, Brushfield's Yellow, Debbie and Anticipation are among the New Zealand and Australian varieties.
"The conditions here in Dunedin are very, very good, although sasanqua camellias grow better in Auckland's warmer climate," Mr Jackson says.
Camellias in New Zealand tend to grow bigger than in other parts of the world, and the system of using four rings to check the size of competition blooms means many named varieties shown here are larger than those in North America, where the rings were developed.
Mr Jackson is an associate judge, as well as manager of the branch's annual show in Dunedin tomorrow, and is very conscious of the differences.
"But the judge is supposed to take [size variations] into consideration," he says.
