Total Bedlam II

This property, as far as I and the current property owners know, was well maintained by the previous owners. The bed you see here is just one of a few beds of Camellias which actually served as part of a nursery they began.

The home was later vacant for a while and then was rented for several years thereafter. I believe not much other than the lawn was cared for and this is what occurred - a muddled mess of unwanted ground growth - weeds, vines and other trees and shrubs which did nothing to aid in the healthy growth of the Camellias. In fact, several were dead or had dead or severely diverted or awkward branches.

A combination of being overshadowed by other trees, the aggressiveness of the vines and the battle for natural resources took its toll.

This transformation is not as pronounced as that in our article Total Bedlam, yet the same benefits are there - less crowding, better exposure to sunlight and the battle for soil resources have been mitigated.

I have worked with and maintained many Camellias, so I recommended the property owners give these girls a month or so to adjust to their new surroundings (or lack thereof), so I can see what they want to do. As I didn't see any disease, rather, simply a neighborhood-gone-bad, waiting to prune them for health and aesthetics should do no harm. We may not experience the most magnificent blooms over the next year, but we will have some healthy and more attractive ones for years to come.

Actually, with some thoughtful pruning techniques, the gang will get to show off sooner than expected.

It will wonderful to see ten to twelve Camellias in this bed healthy and doing their thing.

I was just given the okay to work on another Camellia bed located just behind this one. Although you can now see through this bed, it is very difficult to recognize the other as it is another mess, which will soon receive the attention it deserves.

The new owners have known of this property for decades and are wasting no time restoring, renovating and putting their touch on it, inside and out.