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Is my camellia doing alright?
n0tna
Posts: 6
Hi all,
Most of the flowers on my camellia planted in the backyard recently turned brownish. The leaves also seem to be curling down a little bit. It is especially the top part of the tree that seems affected (see photos attached)
This past week, the UK weather hasn't been great, with strong wind, heavy rain and a drop in temperatures to around 10°C during the day and 5-7°C during the nights. Right before that, only a couple of weeks ago, we had prolonged periods of 20+ degrees and very sunny weather. Could the sudden drop in temperature and worsening of weather conditions have caused this? Or is it something else?
Is anyone familiar with Camellias and could advise? That would be very helpful! Many thanks
Also, about 1.5 meter away from the tree, there was a small bush/plant (I don't know what type exactly) that I cut down without removing the roots (see photo below). I don't think that this can affect the Camellia, but worth mentioning I guess?
Most of the flowers on my camellia planted in the backyard recently turned brownish. The leaves also seem to be curling down a little bit. It is especially the top part of the tree that seems affected (see photos attached)
This past week, the UK weather hasn't been great, with strong wind, heavy rain and a drop in temperatures to around 10°C during the day and 5-7°C during the nights. Right before that, only a couple of weeks ago, we had prolonged periods of 20+ degrees and very sunny weather. Could the sudden drop in temperature and worsening of weather conditions have caused this? Or is it something else?
Is anyone familiar with Camellias and could advise? That would be very helpful! Many thanks
Also, about 1.5 meter away from the tree, there was a small bush/plant (I don't know what type exactly) that I cut down without removing the roots (see photo below). I don't think that this can affect the Camellia, but worth mentioning I guess?
0
Posts
Another reason for flowers failing is if the shrubs are short of water in late summer, as that's when the new buds form, but I doubt that's the problem with yours. It's more likely the rough weather at just the wrong moment.
Temperatures won't affect it.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you for the response.
I also recently (about 3 weeks ago) covered the stripe of soil around the tree with gravel – is that fine? That shouldn't affect the tree's health?
I do also think that it's most likely the harsh weather causing this, but double checking to make sure
Mulches can sometimes cause a bit of bother if they're right up against the main trunk of some planting, and they get wet, but I doubt you'll have any issue there.
Sometimes a sharp frost followed by the sun coming through can damage flowers too, but your temps aren't low enough. That's why the siting of camellias is quite important too, but yours looks extremely healthy, so it's probably just an unfortunate bit of timing.
People often worry about frost damage, but it rarely affects anything long term. Recently, we've had frosts after rain, and then high temps through the day, and then another frost, but it does very little damage, even to new growth. I have several clematis with new soft growth and buds, and damage is negligible - we had a frost the other night. A couple of weeks ago, we had about ten nights in a row where only one night didn't bring frost, but it was light. It's different if it's sub zero for days on end, and even then it's rarely problematic long term.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...