Camelias

Hi. I'm new and I hope you can give me some advice. Last August I moved into a cottage in Cornwall. In the middle of the north facing front garden is a camelia, which is more like a small tree than a bush. It flowered early - in January - but it only had one or two flowers. Now some of the leaves have curled and gone yellow and it's looking a bit sad. I've just looked at the photo on the Agent's details from this time last year and it looked quite healthy then. I haven't done anything to it at all. Can anyone make any suggestions, please?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi patti. I was waiting for someone with a bit more knowledge to chip in. If the leaves have gone yellow it's usually asign that it needs feeding. Try giving it some of the special ercaceous fertiliser. Also maybe a good watering, the ground has been a bit dry, good luck

 

Thank you cajary, for that. I did wonder if it was because it's been so dry - it looked similar in the winter. Also the sun has been very powerful epecially here in Cornwall. It's raining now! One of my neighbours said she throws her tea bags round the bottom of her camelia. So maybe I could give that a try too.

I'm also looking for any suggestions for my front garden - the soil's been a bit negelected so it needs a bit of work and it's not only north facing but it's also windy corner so a bit exposed. I would like to have a bit of colour for the summer........

 

Sorry, pattiw, my long reponse went astray.

I said that Camelias are in the same category as Rhodeodendruns / Azaleas / Magnolias / Hibiscus etc.

I lived in the Southern United States for 14 years and these are the shrubs / trees you grow there.

They like hot, humid conditions and, although the heat is quite intense there, the conditions compensate. They all like peat-type soil although grow well in red clay! Don't ask why!

My suggestion was to add peat and to also add iron which these plants thrive on and stop the yellowing of the leaves.

Can't remember what else I said ... sorry, my reply obviously got lost.

 

Thanks Lady of Leisure. I did get your reply and I replied to it in the beginners' discussion. I've noted what you said. Camelias seem to do very well in Cornwall generally and in most places they've been flowering since January and are still going on. Rhodeodendruns and azaleas are brilliant here at the moment. I think my camelia has just been neglected.

 

Oh, that's what it is ... you are talking in two different threads! :eek: I hope I've said the same thing in both ... I was sure I responded!

 

It would be normal for some of the leaves to go yellow and fall off. Now is the time when some of the older leaves fall. New shoots full of younger healthy leaves should be there if the plant is Ok. They do like acid conditions but i find they will tolerate much less acid conditions than rhododendrons will. Personally i doubt whether a lack of food would have a dramatic effect. Also if it were not acid enough I think the veins would stand out on the leaves.
They grow their flower buds the previous summer and that is when they need to be kept damp. If they dry out they drop the buds in the winter. Last summer was very hot and dry.
If the leaves and young shoots look generally OK I would make sure you always keep it damp, especially July/August.

 

Hi patti. If your front garden is windy then you probably need low-lying plants. You could try hanging basket plants (Surfinia etc.). If you grow them on the ground they just sort of wander about but they still flower O.K. Maybe as well Livingstone Daises( Mesambreanthmum), They're ground- hugging, all the best.

 

That's really useful. Of course, we had a dry hot summer last year. This cottage was put on the market in May and we moved in in August. It was empty most of the time - so no watering done and when we moved in we were too busy sorting out the internal damp and the hole in the chimnet etc etc. There are young healthy shoots coming towards the bottom of the 'trunk'. This 'tree' is set in the middle of a small circular bed - any suggestions as to what I could plant under it that might survive - I hope - and add some colour if possible - or at least some lush green. Would hostas be any good?

 

Thanks cajary. Good suggestions.

 

Glad I could help

 

You should be getting young healthy shoots on all the branches, not just the bottom.

 

I've just braved the wild weather to have a look and yes there are some new shoots on the other branches - not many though and they are surrounded by clusters of curled leaves. is it possible that it has a disease of some sort, do you think? The other thing is, should it have been pruned in the autumn or early spring - when??? I didn't prune it but need to know for the future if it survives.
Thanks.

 

I don't generally prune camellias unless a branch is sticking out or if cutting flowers for the house counts. At Bodnant Gardens they cut back some old and big camellias down to stumps and they have shooted again, so they will take some severe treatment.
I am wondering whether the shrivelled leaves might be delayed action due to the stress of last summers heat and drought. I think its due some TLC, so keep it well watered particularly in the hottest time of summer. Keep those shoots nice and glossy. Watch out for aphids, they can produce honeydew which turns the leaf surfaces black, made a mess of one of mine.