Camellia problem

I've had a camellia in a large pot (of ericaceous compost) for 3 years. This year it flowered for the first time, and produced lots of big showy flowers. It has just finished flowering, and now all of the leaves have turned brown and dried up, it's not looking at all healthy, but I can see no sign of any pests.

Any ideas about what might have caused this, and whether the plant can be rescued ?

 

Was it pot bound? It's just the way it flowered for the first time then withered. I read somewhere that plants flower as a dying gasp basically to produce seed. Ever put weed killer on a dandelion? It does that. Even in wet weather plants in containers get very dry very quickly at this time of the year. I lost a few shrubs in containers after the cold winter and then a very dry March and April.

 

Sorry no pic - but it's looking brown & the leaves are crispy ! :(

The pot it's in is quite a big one, but if that is the problem, would moving it to a bigger container/the garden save it perhaps ?

I'm wondering whether the local cats were "spraying" it .............

 

I don't think there is much hope for it if the leaves are brown and crispy. I have been digging up a few brown and crisopy things from myy garden after this winter. My potted bay being one of them. Cut one of the branches and see if it is still green inside. If it is you could prune it and water and see if it pops back. Nothing to lose.

 

What a shame hedgehog.
If all the leaves are brown and crispy then the plant is dead - there's no way back from there.

 

Thank you everybody for your input. I will try the last ditch rescue attempt, but I fear that it is probably an ex-plant !

 

You haven`t by any chance moved it have you, camellias hate morning sun.
My neighbour has one next door and it was poking its head over my fence, which catches the morning sun and those leaves have died off.

 

Could be the dreaded Vine Weevil. Have a rummage in the compost to see if there are any small white grubs.:thumb:

 

I too have a camelia in a pot with brown crispy leave. I was fortunate enough to have a pro gardener look around our garden yesterday and the first thing she did was scratch at the bark on the trunk with her thumbnail...seeing that it was still green underneath she advised me to repot it in Eric compost...and it should survive!

Might be worth have a scratch at your bark too.

Steve...