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My Camelia looks nice and strong and is about 5ft tall,the problem I have is the flowers drop off vertually as soon as they have opened.
Any thoughts?




Answers

 

Is it a Camellia japonica, or a C. sasanqua or kin? The latter usually have very short-lived flowers, though normally also a lot of them. Japonica (or Reticulata) blooms normally last quite long, as long as the weather isn't too cold and wet when the buds open. Bad weather encourages a fungus disease that eats the flower stem where the petals join it, rapidly killing the whole bloom. The tip-off is the way the petals turn dark brown at their bases, right when they are starting to open. The fungus sometimes persists, and may need to be treated with fungicides to get rid of it, and return to normal blooming.

2 Apr, 2011

 

Thanks, I think it must be one with a short life flower as the dropped flower looks healthy enough and has a nice soft feel

2 Apr, 2011

 

Sasanquas and their kin usually have smaller leaves (2" long, 1"-1.5" wide), smaller flowers (2"-3" wide), and flower buds all up and down the stems, rather than just at the tips.

2 Apr, 2011

How do I say thanks?

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