I'm not quite sure what you mean by your question...

the buds I see are definitely flower buds- I can see the red color. Thanks for letting me know it's not a sasanqua though! I first learned of Yuletide in my local paper in the garden section, and that's how it was labeled.

It is possible that it is a delay in the flowering, provoked by the cold climate.

In the Camellias "Yuletide", which live in zone 9 and zone 10, the flowering goes forward.

My "Yuletide" bloomed from October, until December. In Christmas, it opened his last flowers.

Pardon for my evil English.
Regards.

For example, you can see some of the flowers that they bloom in spring. They are flowers of the Exhibition XL International of the Camellia that is celebrated in Galicia (Spain). It is celebrated at the beginning of spring (February or March).

YULETIDE, blooms in November and December.

Regards.

Are you all fertilizing these camellias twice a year - right before the blooming season and approximately the 6 months period opposite the bloom period when it stores up energy for blooms? Also, are you keeping your camellias watered during the hot months - when they store up energy for blooms. And are you keeping them well mulched? You have to keep them watered and well mulched I am told for them to do well.

Lastly - the little hair like roots that come off the trunk should not be buried or covered up - that is how the plant gets oxygen and nutrients from the sun. When raking acorns from around my camellias, I noticed that the fine little hair like roots had grown out about 3 feet from the trunk base. I intend to let them air out and gather oxygen, sun and water until it starts to get a little colder - then I will mulch heavily for the winter.

Also - my Debutante camellia and 2 Jack's camelias are getting lots of big fat buds. The Jacks's especially - although they are only about 2 1/2 feet tall (planted in Spring) - have about 20+ buds each - seriously!!

I fertilized them with a bloom booster (high middle number - phosphate) about a week or 2 ago. Worried that might force them to bloom and get killed by frost, but looks like not. Next time plan to fertilize with a regular even number fertilizer.

Also a good time to be fertilizing azaleas and gardenias. What do you think?

Good luck.

t.

No flowers yet in the Dallas Area, just buds. Buds here. Buds there. Buds everywhere. No flowers. Oh well. My flowers usually start to open in Noc-Dec. In what zone are you located? When do you start to get flowers? I had a Yuletide that was destroyed about one year ago while my roof was being worked on. My japonicas, like Debutante, tend to be a little unreliable bloomers because my weather has lots of temperature swings. That makes them blooms as early as Nov-Dec or as later as March some years! Sasanquas flower more reliably here. Need to add more early flowering sasanquas to give the mums and asters some competition.