Lovely camellias, winter queens of the flower world, are almost due to bloom again. A few of the early-blooming varieties will first blossoming soon.

Just because the days are getting shorter and cooler, don't neglect your camellias this fall and winter. They do not need as much watering as in midsummer, but hot days can do great damage to the buds if the plants are allowed to go dry.

This, of course, is not the time to fertilize. August was the deadline for that operation. If you didn't fertilize through the summer, Just sit back and wait for the camellias to do the best they can. Sometimes the plants surprise everyone, even though they might not have had the proper kind of attention. Mulch with a light layer of pent moss, or peat moss and loaf mold mixed, just to keep a covering over the roots, some of which are almost on top of the soil bed. Keep that mulch just damp enough to provide the coolness that camellias want.

Insect trouble should be over for the season. All leaf foliage has been formed and has hardened off. The greatest pests, measuring worms of all kinds and colors, are going to find something easier to eat. Those worms do not like hardened camellia leaves.

It is not too late to disbud camellias. If you have a large plant with clusters of three, four, five or even six burls, remove all except the best one by twisting the others. If the plant is small, chances are that It will tint have that many clusters. If you don't remove trip buds, nature will do it for you, but the remaining blossom will not be as large and perfect.

Watering can be overdone this winter. Too much water is a serious cause of bud drop. Camellias want cool, moist soil, but dislike a soggy condition. There can be no set recipe for watering in many areas though.

If the days are unusually warm this month and in November, spray the foliage with a fine mist. It keeps the leaves green and shiny and allows the plant to breathe through its foliage. It is better to spray early in the day so that moisture will not stand through the night on the bud stems. This is exceedingly harmful to plants that bear formal double flowers.

The next three months are for your garden next season. Visit your favorite nursery while the flowers are in bloom and decide on color and type. But don't make the mistake of going to inland nurseries and picking out camellias at random.

Don't try to fill your yard with pink perfections. This plant, while one of the most famous and a beauty not easily surpassed, is a temperamental blonde of the camellia opera. She may blow her top, so to speak, over nothing and there will be no flowers. If you have the room in your yard, always try a pink perfection, but remember that there are others just as beautiful and as hardy as a geranium.

Don't worry too much about the shade situation. If you have a good location on the north or east side of the house, put the camellias there, Fanciers are learning more about camellias all the time and are getting away from the the theory that the plants must have broken shade all day long. Some growers are having success with the dark reds by placing them where they get constant sunshine. Most of us know that the lighter shades will not take the midday and afternoon sun.

Consult your local nurseryman. He will be glad to tell you the varieties that grow best in your area. He knows from time-tested experiments.