How to prune camellia 'donation'

As the last flowers fall, typically April to late May; hard deadline is late June before bud initiation. Trim lightly to maintain shape, cutting back to just above a healthy outward-facing bud. Remove dead, crossing, or congested branches. As a compact hybrid it rarely needs more than light tidying — remove no more than one-third of live growth in any one year.

Annually for light tidying; rejuvenation cuts rarely needed given the naturally neat, compact habit. Camellia 'Donation' (C. × williamsii) is naturally compact and self-cleaning — it drops spent flowers without deadheading. It needs less pruning than japonica. Shape lightly immediately after the last flowers fall (typically April–May). Bud set begins earlier than japonica, so all cuts must be done by late June.

Trim lightly to maintain shape, cutting back to just above a healthy outward-facing bud. Remove dead, crossing, or congested branches. As a compact hybrid it rarely needs more than light tidying — remove no more than one-third of live growth in any one year.