Talkback: Growing camellias

Feed camelllias & make sure they do not dry out in Autumn or the buds will drop. Use canes to hold the fleece above the leaves & flowers &secure with clothespegs

I have a camellia (which is fighting for space with a viburnum shrub which is slightly out of control and which i really should attack and cut back!) and last autumn i did try to wrap it in fleece but to no avail as i either knocked off buds or the fleece came loose and voided the purpose of covering it in the first place.

My main problem last year was the rust that spoiled all my amazing flowers. I read somewhere that it is an infection that drops to the soil and re-infects next years buds if you dont pick up all the rusted flowers straight away.

I have put down weed matting and blue slate layer now so hopefully that will reduce my rust issues this coming spring.

Somerset steve, the rust you speak of on your flowers is not rust. It is damage caused to the petals by either wind/frost or both. What situation is your camellia sited in - facing east? windy site? frost pocket - what part of the country are you in? 

Daintiness wrote (see)

Somerset steve, the rust you speak of on your flowers is not rust. It is damage caused to the petals by either wind/frost or both. What situation is your camellia sited in - facing east? windy site? frost pocket - what part of the country are you in? 

 

Oh thats disappointing if it is frost damage... i live on the side of the mendip hills in somerset. Camellia is 6 feet from the house in a north facing garden.

I tried my best to wrap it in fleece last winter but as it is intermingled with a similar sized viburnum that task wasn't entirely successful. The frost pocket could be the answer, the garden is fairly sheltered but in the winter even indirect strong sunlight doesn't reach the camellia between november and march i would say so the frost lingers.

My camellia is in full bloom and is a tall generally healthy plant. Is it normal for the flowers to fall off even when in full bloom or when the branches are knocked or shaken even by the birds. It faces west and is in a small London garden

I inherited a pink one in the front garden with the house. I lightly prune it straight after it has flowered, to keep a nice shape, and to stop it taking over. I throw some compost under it around autumn time, or when doing that section of garden, and I do water it if again watering the front garden. It is cushioned between the house and a fence, so must be protected. This year it seemed to flower twice! Having had a GOOD show of flowers as per normal, when pruning, I found buds about to open! In Tiverton it is attacked by wind, gales and even snow, and survives. Early sun, going over to shade in the mid day. Doesn't get pampered, just loved!

I have both white and red Camelia's in my garden in the W Midlands and they do not seam to affected by the frost,they both survived last years cold winter,the only difference being that 2 years ago it flowered in January and this year it flowered in March.