Camellias suffer from bud drop as a result of moisture problems (13 months of no rain???), wild temperature swings or the camellia mite insect (use miticides if you notice this pest).

I notice in the picture that the upper leaves are not as dark green as they should be. Could be moisture problems, too much sun or stress.

I would check the soil pH and, since the shrub has been there so long, I would get a formal soil test done to detect & correct any mineral defficiencies that there may be. It would be wise to check how much of the secondary minerals like calcium, magnesium, etc) the soil has. These can be replenished using liquid seaweed, liquid fish and a 1/2" to 1" layer of compost (if the soil is low).

Camellias don't usually bloom all at once- they tend to bloom over a period of several months. I really don't know what it is about this year's weather that is encouraging all the buds to open at once like that, and I wouldn't expect your plant to do it again any time soon.

As for why half the flowers usually rot instead of blooming, that could be a mineral deficiency, as Luis suggested, but if you're in NoCal, don't you tend to have cool moist air in winters? That probably depends on how close you are to the coast, but unless your climate is especially dry, an established camellia really doesn't need regular waterings unless there's a prolonged drought, so I wonder if the rotting buds/blooms could result from too much moisture? Those 8 weeks without rain may be what kept your buds from rotting, then the rain triggered everything to bloom?

I probably shouldn't speculate without enough facts, but I do encourage you to contact a county extension agent in your area for help- that's what they're there for. Someone in your area is far more likely to know what's going on with your local climate, and they can also help with soil testing if you want to do that- please see the link below.

Those flowers look beautiful- I'd love to see a close-up of one to see if it's an oldie any of us could ID for you. I wondered about 'Sacco' or 'Incarnata', but can't really tell from that photo. Since you're in California, it's just as likely to be a Japanese import as an older European variety or an early 20th C. American type.

Here is a link that might be useful: County extension agents in CA

that appears to be typical symptoms of camellia petal blight. to my knowledge, there are no approved fungicides for control but can be suppressed by removing affected flowers and applying a thick layer (at least 4") of mulch.

Here is a link that might be useful: camellia petal blight

Thanks so much for the advice, everyone! vmr423, here is a picture of a close up of one of the blooms - if you or anyone can identify it, that would be great. In the next post on this thread I am going to put a picture of a bloom of the (completely different) camellia bush next to this one - I'm betting that they were planted at the same time.

Jackie

Here is a bloom from the bush next to the pale pink one - these blooms are larger, and a darker pink with white splotches (the white on the left side of the bloom in the pic is just sunlight). Any thoughts?

Jackie

Both of the flowers are beautiful, but I'm afraid I can't give you a definitive answer as to the name(s). One problem is that with older camellias, there was no standardized nomenclature, so you might call a camellia 'X' in Italy, 'Y' in the Southern U.S., and 'Z' in Japan... Even in a confined geographic area, the same camellia might have more than one name.

If you do a Google image search for 'Sacco' or 'Sacco Vera', you will see that there are camellias called 'Sacco' that don't look like each other. Some of that is natural variations because camellias get bored with blooming the exact same way each season. But a lot of it is that people mixed names up, mixed tags up or lost the names/tags completely, then guessed about what the plant was.

I do think your blush pink camellia could be 'Sacco' or 'Incarnata' (AKA 'Lady Hume's Blush'), but it could also be a beautiful seedling volunteer, or a variety that was popular 80+ years ago, but is now out of commerce. And there's a good chance that it is a Japanese import- there were several Japanese nurserymen who had nurseries in California before WWII, and they were responsible for importing some beautiful Japanese classics.

Your variegated red looks familiar, but we have the same situation with guessing at names. It looks a lot like photos I've seen of 'Professore Giovanni Santarelli', but not like others. 'Angela Cocchi Rouge' and 'Margherita Coleoni Variegated' are 20th Century U.S. sports of 19th Century European varieties. Even if they weren't registered until the 20th C., they could have been around for a while before. 'Coquettina' is another possibility- I'm sure there are other possibilities!

It doesn't really matter- they are just as lovely with a name as without, and perhaps a little mystery enhances their appeal.

If you have an opportunity to get to SoCal on occasion, you might like to visit Descanso Gardens and/or Huntington Gardens and/or Nuccio's Nursery during camellia season to see if you 'recognize' your camellias' varieties blooming there. I believe there is a nice collection of camellias at the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco- I think it's part of Golden Gate Park?

Good luck!

Thanks so much for the info! I do see camellias around my neighborhood (mostly in old gardens) which look like mine - I assume they are types which were popular in the early 20th century. I will check out GG park - good idea.

We also have a very old white one, but it has been pouring rain for 3 days (NOT complaining!), so I can't take any pictures of it. It is actually the most beautiful of the three.

Jackie