Camelia's.

I find my Camelia keeps me on my toes KittyF. Mine is in the border, but was planted in a large hole, and back filled with ericaceous. The cold winters a couple of years ago almost did for it. I'd wrapped it in garden fleece during the frost and snow, but the last two years any flower buds have dropped off before opening. The leaves were also curling. Last year, I fed it lots, and dug in ericaceous compost in spring and autumn. The leaves are no longer curling, and it has many more buds than for some years. Yesterday, several had opened, without falling off. Sorry, that isn't much help, but it does commiserate.

I think they are a bit hit and miss. I have mine planted against a west facing wall so they get plenty of sun (dream on). The older one, a beautiful pink, is flowering profusely but sadly all the flowers are wind burnt; the younger smaller white one is in bud so I am hoping for the best. Hopefully someone more experienced in Camellias can give you more info. I don't think they like too much wet - which is difficult in this country!

I agree with Gally, Kitty - you've definitely done the right thing with the ericaceous compost, but perhaps it's got waterlogged.
Shrubs in pots need lots of stones at the bottom to allow drainage.
The other thing that Camellias are supposed to not like is sunshine in them first thing in the morning, but that may be a gardening myth.

I think it's camellias that don't like the early morning sun, which causes the flowers to drop.

I think you are right jane and Lona about the early morning sun. My Camellia was taken out of the ground in a previous house and placed into a pot when we moved. We live in a very exposed area right opposite the seaside and get everything that the North Sea weather throws at us but my Camellia (Wedding Anniversary) is the best it has ever been this year. It is laden with flowers and I have had to put some stakes into it to stop it toppling over. The flowers never last very long though which is a shame.

This is a very reassuring thread, thanks to Kitty for starting it, and everyone else for helping me feel I'm not on my own in finding Camelia's a bit hit and miss.

I have a camelia. I inherited it in the garden when we bought the house so not taking any glory for its success... it is against a SW fence and so does get some early sun. However it is tucked between a 'sleeper' wall and a large fatsia japonica so is quite sheltered. It is covered in lovely red blooms. Think it has been a generally (sorry kittyfisher) good year. The camelias at RHS Wisley which is near me are fab this year!
Hope the link helps.
apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=327

I have two camellias. One of them is a single white and it is now flowering but some of the flowers have already dropped off. The other one is a pink 'frilly' one with variegated foliage. It has received exactly the same treatment but has not a single on it this year. Could someone tell me what is the right time of year to apply ericaceous fertilizer?

anno see the link from RHS

I've just noticed one of the ones that dropped off is brown round the edges?

Thanks very much for the link and all the comments..

Camellias must be well watered in their non flowering phase. Apparently this is when they develop the flower buds. So next year they should do better after care this summer. X

Yes, it should be fine next year. Firstly, don't plant a camellia where it gets the early morning sun because they hate the sun hitting them when they are frosted.

Buds that are brown around the edges and then drop off may have been caught by frost. Or, the flowers drop because they are all facing one way when you buy it. Then you plant it facing a different way and the flowers want to follow the light. They fall off as they try to follow the sun. That happens with magnolias as well.

Some varieties of camellia turn brown as they age, and you are left with a splodge of brown on the plant. With others, the flowers fall off.

They need water at the end of the summer, so give them lots at the end of August and the beginning of September, when the buds are forming, and they will be fine.

thanks janerowena, i found your advice easy to understand, and (hopefully) remember.

I love camellias. Particularly ones with the yellow stamens. Camellias originate from the mountainsides of China. (Tea comes from the same family apparently) Think shady gullies. Some are frost hardy because their ancestors came from colder, or higher parts and others are very tender.
I think the thing about sun on wet flowers is right. But I will investigate folks because there are lots of camellias out in the NT garden where I volunteer and , putting my scientific hat on, if the sun thing is correct then you should get more browning off of blooms on the north side shouldn't you. And I don't think i noticed any difference the other week... It may be just rain that they don't like.
There is also the problem that they do not willingly drop their heads when they are beginning to fade - very inconsiderate but why should they care. (I noticed with my David Austin roses that some roses hang onto their petals and need dead heading. there is a kind called Anne Boleyn though which drops her petals very readily, particularly when it is sunny. Hence the name I guess )

Thanks this explains why mine has no flowers but my neighbour's over the wall is full of flowers . Mine came in a pot and was moved into the garden and has never flowered since. When is the best time to move it again?

Thank you so much for all your answers. I'm going to study them all carefully and follow the advice.

I'm planning to google how to prune a Camelia. I've never pruned ours, other than to snip off stems with brown leaves. Reading this has been so informative. Our garden is no longer entirely clay from 4inches down, as it was when we moved in. We're in the rainy north west, and I suspect the wet summers following on from two very cold winters were too much for our clematis. The year it's looking so much better.

I've been digging in good ericaceous compost, but I wonder if adding something some grit would help the wet soil. Any ideas you camellia lovers?

Just hack them back as soon as they have finished flowering - seriously. That will give them time to set more buds for next year's flowers. I have three evergreens and one deciduous, and it works for each of them.

Grit - well, better drainage should help. As Jess says, they come from well-drained hillsides in China, with shade provided by mountain slopes and trees, as do many clematises. They often have little water, but well-mulched/shaded roots. Mine are well-drained and grow extremely fast. Three of them are growing under trees, one between a small tree and a garden wall, so don't get much chance to be water-logged. All you can do is experiment or move the plant, after cutting it back by about a third.

Yes, do please have a look Jess, because I haven't had any rain for weeks until last night, but I live in a frostpocket in east Anglia, so often end up with browned edges. Rain doesn't seem to affect the varieties I have, but maybe it does others. A bit like roses.

It's the East side they hate most, not the north. North-west is their best position.

I always grow mine in pots because you can control their environment, that is the compost, fertiliser, watering, size of your plant, position in your garden, and you can take them with you when you move. I had three that grew really big, and looking at prices in the garden centre they would have cost around £60 each. I used to bubble wrap the pot when winter came. Then we had several 'warm' winter and I took my eye off the ball, didn't bother and we had two cold winters and lost the lot. But I've started again and they are doing well. Yes early sun scorched the petals especially if there has been over night frost. Fleece 'bush bags' are useful here, available from garden centres. Don't give up, they are so beautiful.

Gardener in NT said they don't like frosts. And they don't much like wet weather either.
My observations this afternoon is that some of the bushes hang onto their dead flowers (all around the bush) and other varieties seemed not to be covered in brown ones. So there might be some genetically less prone to this than others.
Prune early as the buds for next year are forming in late summer.
Feed in the summer with an ericacious feed.

How early Jess M. I'm so relieved and pleased that my camellia continues to look better than it has the last 3 years, and that the flowers all seem to be opening, slowly,rather than dropping off.
I plan to feed and prune, once all the flowers have finished. Or should I give the shrub a month to recover?

I'd be inclined to give it a prune at that time. It will then encourage busy growth of this year's shoots and more flowers in the future.

Sorry Jess, which time, once all the flowers have finished - OR, a month after that?
Thanks