[chrissie B]

i just found out i have a cammilia tree , i thought it was a rodadendron,its got large pink fowers , the lady next door was saying it didnt look very happy which i agree with but its alot happier than last year , we have had an enourmos ammount of rain , so ive lost alot of buds due to the wind and some leaf discolouration but it seems to have sellted down and is flowerng away now , ive had a look on the royal horticultural site and they hav mentioned a few things that cause this mainly the soil , but its covered in gravel so im thinking i will put a circle around it and take the gravel away so it can be fed better  its so nice got i trunk that splits into 3 , whens the best time to prune it back as its getting a bit wild .
chrissie b

[Yorkie]

Prune just after flowering, before the soft new growth emerges.

[Growster...]

It's been a good year for camelias Chrissie.

Ours has been a flood of blooms, and they make great compost when they go brown and drop off too!

I think they may like a bit more shelter than other shrubs, as ours is up next to a west-facing wall, and well tied back.

[Agatha]

They hate cold drying winds & the frost can damage the flowers, so it would be worth getting a bit of fleece (or one of those fleece bags) to pop over it when bad weather is forecast.

If you don't want to moved the gravel, you could use a liquid or water soluble ericaceous feed instead of a granular one as that would be easier to apply with the gravel in place.

[chrissie B]

this isnt a a bush but a tree with one trunk that splits into 3 so is nice to look at , i pop he flowers into the compost shame to waste them .
mine is a lovly pink colour . i wish the leaves would improve though .
chrissie b

[Agatha]

Do you know your soil ph?  May not be acid enough for a camellia - amazing how many people plant without checking - and that might be causing the leaves to look a bit 'poorly'.  I have a friend who has a magnolia planted in alkaline soil but they manage to keep it looking ok by regular ericaceous feeds.

[chrissie B]

i dont know the soil , it has masses of flowers on it they seem to fall off real easy , how much can it be cut back , abit worried as hubby cuts back a bit hard for my liking , i know some things need  it .
i just dont want my tree to bite the dust .
chrissie b

[chrissie B]

this is a pic of my camellia hope you can see the leaves .
chrissie b

[Yorkie]

Have you fed it?

[chrissie B]

yes , but not watered it as we have had loads of rain and i dont think they like too much .
chrissie b