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The mystery of the white camellia

debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
in Plants
Hi all. Many years ago I was gifted a camellia, Debbie was the name, so an obvious choice. Hot pink flowers apparently. I never did well with it but the few flowers it bore were pink. Last year following advice from forum members I lavished it with extra water and tlc and this Spring it has lots more flowers than ever before…. White flowers! 
I loathe white camellias as I hate how they look when they are past their best and would never buy that plant so what is going on? 
It’s in a pot and looks very healthy but can anyone solve the mystery? 
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Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Did you feed it as well as water it? Maybe it is short of a mineral.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    Could you show a photo of it please?  both the flowers and foliage.  Thanks..
    East Anglia, England
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    This is my neighbour's camellia.
    The flowers start out white then change to pink.
    You can just see both colours on the same shrub.

    I don't have any, so have no experience of them



    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811
    A neighbour who had a daughter named Deborah grew the named camellia and it had deep pink flowers, they weren’t white first.. haven’t a clue at what is happening with yours @debs64
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @debs64 I think I am correct in saying some Camellias shead there flowers when they go brown and some don't? The ones that do look much better than a mix of buds and brown flowers.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It can't go from that strong pink to white, unless it was a grafted plant and the Debbie bit has failed and the part below the graft has taken over. 
    Many camellia flowers are manky on this side of the country, when they go over, simply because of the weather at flowering time. Pale flowers always look worse, but that's not what's being described as far as I can tell.
    Whites generally don't grow very reliably up here - temps don't suit them well enough to create the buds properly, and the season is shorter, which also makes it harder. It's also why some growers in the north east often have them undercover in winter. There'll be a few areas where they might be ok - sheltered parts of the south west for example. Dark colours do best. 

    I think we'd need to see pix though  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Camelia city around here. They all seem to die reasonably pretty apart from the white ones which look like wet brown paper bags.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    This bud has just opened it’s pure white. Will take a photo tomorrow when it’s light but it’s the unattractive look of the spent flowers on white camellias that I so dislike so I know I would not have bought it. 
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    I am familiar with Debbie (not my favourite colour!) but have never seen it white, not even a fleck.  THe flowers often fall off whilst perfect. 

    I await your pic.  Until then it remains a mystery.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    How very strange.
     Agree with     Fairygirl re growth from below graft.

    Camellia  williamsii Debbie.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
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