Every February, I walk through my Zone 8a garden with my morning coffee, and the camellias are usually putting on their best show. Last winter, though, I stopped dead in front of my ‘Debutante’ — a pale blush japonica I’ve grown for fifteen years. Her blooms had turned a muddy, sickly brown seemingly overnight. Not … Read more
A few years back, I nearly lost one of my most treasured plants — a gorgeous Camellia japonica ‘Adolphe Audusson’ that had been growing in my Zone 8a garden for over a decade. The leaves had turned a sickly, yellowish-grey on top, and the undersides looked like someone had dusted them with dirty white chalk. … Read more
Every spring, I do a slow walk through my garden with my morning coffee. One April morning, I stopped dead in front of my ‘Debutante’ Japonica. The new growth looked wrong — curled, puckered, and coated in a sticky sheen. I leaned in close and saw them: hundreds of pale green aphids on camellias I’d … Read more
The first time I noticed camellia leaf gall on my ‘Debutante’ japonica, I genuinely thought she was dying. The leaves had ballooned into thick, pale, fleshy lumps — almost waxy-looking, completely alien. I stood there staring, convinced I’d done something catastrophically wrong. Turns out, I hadn’t. Camellia leaf gall is one of those plant problems … Read more
I almost lost my ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ to camellia root rot — and I didn’t even know it was happening until the damage was done. That’s the cruel thing about this disease. By the time you notice something is wrong above ground, the roots have often been struggling for weeks, sometimes months. I’ve been growing camellias … Read more
Last summer, I walked out to check on my ‘Survivor’ sasanqua and stopped dead in my tracks. The leaves looked like someone had dusted them with chimney soot. Dark, powdery, and frankly alarming. If you’ve ever spotted sooty mold on camellias, you know exactly that sinking feeling. The good news? It’s treatable, and understanding what’s … Read more
Last February, I walked out to my garden and felt my stomach drop. My Kramer’s Supreme’ japonicas — plants I had been nursing for over a decade in my Zone 8 garden — were covered in the telltale brown blotches…
Last spring, I walked out to my back garden and felt my stomach drop. A dozen of my most treasured camellias — plants I had nurtured for over two decades in my Zone 8b garden — were coated in what…
Last November, I walked out to check on my camellias and noticed something that made my stomach drop. A white, waxy crust had built up along the stems of my oldest Japonica — Kramer’s Supreme,’ a plant I’ve been nurturing…
Camellias offer stunning blooms, often when other plants are dormant. Their glossy, evergreen leaves provide year-round beauty. However, pests can sometimes threaten their health and appearance. Instead of reaching for harsh chemicals, you can use organic methods. A natural approach protects your plants, the soil, and beneficial wildlife. Consequently, you create a healthier, more resilient … Read more
