The camellias are a'blooming in my front garden, and they're delightfully pink and vibrant against the winter (and drought) backdrop of blah, colorless grass.

I found a great site online, Camelia Culture for Home Gardeners. Through the years, my husband and I have put in and maintained gardens at five different homes, and we've always included camellias in the landscaping. We find them to be easy to grow—low maintenaince, high yield. Exactly the kind of plant I like to work with.

Here are some tips from Camelia Culture:

• Select full, well-branched camellias
• Look for uniformly shaped plants with vigorous foliage
• void plants with heavy infestations of scale insects on stems or on the leaf undersurfaces
• Avoid plants with cankers (sunken, discolored areas) on the stems.

Plant your camellias in areas that get semi-shade all year round. "Those planted in full sun are less dormant during winter warm periods. Sudden temperature drops can cause severe flower bud and leaf injury. A planting site under tall pines or on the north side of a building provides more moderate growing conditions. An open southern exposure is the least desirable planting site. Camellias do not tolerate poorly drained soils. Therefore, do not plant under drain spouts or in depressed areas where water collects."

Do you have camellias in your landscape?