1. My plant's leaves are turning yellow and falling off. What's wrong?
Probably the first thing to look for is how deep the plant was planted. There should be no soil covering the top of the root ball. Pull back the mulch and see if the plant has sunk down in the planting hole. If it has, then soil can wash in over the rootball and smother the roots. Camellias, just like all plants, have to have air to their roots. If they are planted too deeply and the roots cannot get air, the roots die and the plant dies with them.

If the plant is not planted too deep, dig around the root ball and look for a lot of bright white feeder roots. If they are only a few, or maybe none, and the rest of the roots are brown and spongy, a root disease such as root rot could be the problem. Or it could be that the area has stayed too wet killing the roots.When the soil is saturated with water for long periods of time, the plant roots are starved of oxygen and they die.Usually when this point is reached, the plant is lost.

Next time plant the camellia with the rootball inch above the soil line and make sure the area is well drained.

2. My plant has grown well for two years but now the leaves are turning brown and dying one limb at a time.
This sounds like dieback. Dieback is a disease caused by the fungus Glomerella cingulata. The new growth of a limb begins to die back after suddenly wilting or a canker appears on a limb and that limb dies. Dieback is spread when water carrying the fungus splashes on a plant wound caused by pruning or leaf drop. The best method of treatment is to prune out the infected areas, dipping the pruners in alchol or clorox between each cut to sterilize them and to prevent the spread of the disease. Once completed, spray the plant with a systemic fungicide to stop the spread of the disease.

3. My plant was loaded with buds, but they fell off before they opened.
The first thing to check is the enviormental factors.Was the plant suddenly too wet or too dry?

Did you fertilize the plant with too much nitrogen late in the year? Did you recently spray with an insecticide? Some insecticides and fungicides will state on the label they can cause bud drop. If the temperature suddenly rises too high, bud drop can result. Last, but not least, Aceria camellia, the camellia bud mite, can cause damage that resembles a disease. The mite infests the buds and flowers and causes a browning of the bud scales. This stops the buds from opening and can cause the buds to drop off.

4. My camellia is covered with lichens and they are killing it.
Lichens do not harm camellia plants, they just use the plants for support. Their presence does mean that there is a problem with the plant. If the plant is healthy and actively growing, the plant is exfoliating or growing new cells and the lichens cannot attach to it. Only when the plant is not actively growing can we find lichens. Look for other reasons, such as root problems, for the decline of the plant.

5. My camellia blooms open but they have brown spots on the petals that look like cold damage, but it has not been that cold.
Camellia Flower Blight is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia camellia. There is no known cure for this disease. The sclerotia of the fungus lie dormant on the ground in the soil or mulch during the summer and early part of the winter. As tempatures become cooler spores are released and carried by the wind, landing on new blooms and infecting them. The only control is to collect the infected blooms as soon as they fall and before they are covered up.

Too often Camellias are overlooked in the designing of a home landscape. This is sad because these plants provide a beautiful show when used correctly in the southern garden.

Camellias make good foundation plantings. Camellias can be massed to provide screening and a spectacular winter show against broad walls or at the corners of buildings.

Too often we focus on the blooms of the plant and overlook the fact that the plant and its foliage is also very attractive. The growth habit of the camellia requires very little pruning in comparison to other plants, and insect and disease problems are no worse than other popular landscape plants.

Fall blooming Sasanquas are great when used in mass plantings to screen or hide a particular area. They provide a dense hedge that can be pruned to provide the shape and effect desired. One of the great thing about camellias is that they are shade-loving plants. A homeowner is often faced with planting a foundation planting in a wooded area and Camellias will thrive in these areas when other plants struggle just to survive.

Care must be taken, though, when using camellias in a foundation planting. With such a wide array of colors and blooming times available, one should do a little research both to blooming times as well as bloom color. The plants should be planned to bloom at the same time as well as making sure the colors do not clash with each other, or the building they are up against.

Perhaps more than any other plant used in the south, Camellias show off best when used as a specimen plant. Used on a corner, or at either side of a drive or door, they are excellent when used to draw attention. Japonicas should be planted far enough apart to permit them to develop their natural, rounded form of growth.

Camellias can be used to draw attention to a neglected area of the garden as one,s eyes are automatically drawn to their attractive display of color. Planted in a formal courtyard, several different varieties and colors can be displayed beautifully. In this type of setting one can utilize different bloom times most efficiently and provide a bouquet of blooms through-out the season.

Camellias in the formal garden can be pruned at different heights to add an extra dimension to the garden. Older, larger camellias can be pruned open and airy to add age and stature to the garden. Younger ones can be pruned to have a more compact showy appearance. Pruning to different sizes will also allow more camellias to be planted in a given area.

Nowhere can camellias be better utilized than on a woodland path in a romantic gardening theme. The plants should be placed to come into view suddenly around an abrupt turn, or spotted in clusters of 3 in an area that offers a beautiful photo opportunity. Camellias of the same variety can also be placed to alongside a path, forming a line of vision leading the garden visitor to a certain area or focal point. Spot them throughout the garden to appear as a natural part of the garden itself. I personally enjoy camellias when they are planted next to a water feature so that the water reflects the showiness of the plantings.

When camellias are under planted with an array of azaleas, hostas and other woodland plants, the display is beautiful.

In summary, too many times we get so excited about the blooms, we forget that the camellia is a beautiful and versatile plant in the landscape even when it is not in bloom. Perhaps future hybridizers will pay more attention to plant form and foliage when breeding new varieties. Correct information should be supplied to landscape architects and designers about varieties and bloom times so southern gardens can show more of this magnificent plant.

-Tom

Garden Report
by Tom Johnson, ACS Horticulturist
January 2001

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