I had a similar problem several years ago when I turned off the sprinkler system due to freezing weather and then forgot to turn it back on. As the weather was dry that winter, the plant started drying out. Watering corrected the problem although the partly dried leaves stayed attached until the shrub normally began to replace the leaves around May-June. I left the leaves on the shrub although it did not "look" nice but it was fine in about a year. I pruned any areas that completely dried out. Make sure that the soil is evenly moist and use mulch to help you keep it so. If the soil has not frozen, you can water either manually or with a sprinkler provided the temperatures are above freezing.

To determine if the shrub needs water, insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry. Do not water too much as that could cause root rot. The symptoms of root rot are similar to those of lack of moisture because the roots are unable to send enough moisture to the part of the plant above the ground.

Buds can react to temperature ups and downs by doing as you describe. But if the leaves are turning brown too, then I would concentrate on moisture issues as opposed to weather issues. I have had times when some shrubs have lost buds but that does not affect the leaves.

Thanks so much for the info. I guess it could be a moisture issue. I watered regularly spring and summer, but didn't keep it up in the fall/winter. But I did the same thing last year and it thrived. And this winter (like most here) has not been particularly dry, so I don't know. It's really wet at the moment, with melting snow. And sadly, almost the entire bush is brown now. Should I try to cut back to the little that remains green? I'm so sad! Thanks again for tips, I appreciate all the help I can get!

Maintain 3-4 of mulch to help conserve moisture and wait until May-June when some shrubs drop leaves.

The rootball sometimes dries out and refuses to absorb water. If the soil under the main trunk feels dry, consider extracting the shrub from its hole and dumping it in a container full of water for 30-45 minutes. This technique is recommended in those cases. Another technique is to use drip irrigation-like watering with a hose. Something slow like one drip every 5-10 seconds maybe? Another thing to check for, at this time, is if the roots are rootbound and growing in circles.

Scan the maintrunk for damage/cankers while you are it. My pooches jumped on one camellia once and killed it when they broke the main trunk in two. Cankers can indicate a disease called camellia dieback.

I just checked the soil. Very moist from rain today and snow melt. The trunk looks perfectly normal. But almost every branch is dying. The outer most leaves are dark brown, and the rest are light brown turning to the dark brown. The brown leaves are completely dead and dry. We did have an ice storm a few weeks ago where everything was covered with ice, including trees and bushes. Could that have done this kind of damage? There are one or two branches at the bottom that look normal for now. Should I cut it back? It's a small bush, maybe 2 1/2 feet tall and if I cut all the dead, it will literally leave like 6 inches. Thanks!

Hard to tell. If this variety is hardy to your zone, it "should" have been able to handle the ice storm. We too had icy weather for a week at the start of February and cold temperatures in the teens and 20s but these did not harm the sasanquas and japonicas. Do you know the name of this variety and your USDA Zone? Most camellias are hardy to Zones 7-8 and a few early/late bloomers can grow in Zone 6.

If you want to prune, prune the damaged parts in 1" or 2" increments starting at the end and moving towards the center of the plant. Stop when you see green. Use a digital camera to determine if the plant damage is unchanged or if it keeps increasing (compare photos taken of the same area on different days).

I have the same problem with my camellia,it is on the balcony in the big pot all the leaves are dead, flowers buds look dead too... but I noticed that next to the each dead leaf is a new leaf bud, I won't do anything to my camellia, just wait another month, I think it will be ok.
PS I live in NYC , we had pretty harsh winter too....

This may be too late as you sounded pretty anxious to cut your camellia back. This pretty much applies to any plant that suffers some winter dieback for any reason: NEVER remove any dead-looking stuff on your plant until it starts growing again in the spring. Pretty simple. The reason is because it may look dead but it may still be alive inside and start growing again when the weather starts to warm up. In the meantime, all that dead-looking stuff provides some protection for what's left and can prevent further dieback. Removing all that dead stuff in the middle of winter just exposes the rest to the same conditions that killed the first bit. Once growth starts again in spring, whatever is really dead becomes pretty obvious.

I haven't cut back yet so I think I'll wait. I have been watching and watering and keeping my fingers crossed. There are a few green leaves left on a bottom branch, but no new growth that I can see. Maybe there is still hope but I'm so mad at myself because it does seem that it was a lack of moisture and I can't blame anyone but myself! At what point is the camellia "established" and I can leave the watering to nature? (except of course really dry periods). I babied it for a year but thought once this second summer was over, I was off the hook for watering. Could kick myself.

I' m having the same problem except ours is completely brown now which is in April. I was completely fine about two months ago and through out the winter. it turned brown so fast. I checked the soil from all of the great information and it's moist. I have a feeling that we are having the opposite problem of Root rot,, too much moisture. What can we do about that? Our tree is about 2 to3 years old.

My camellia is about 6-8 years old. It started out gorgeous this year, lots of new growth and flowering. But we lost a huge oak tree in the fall, so now the camellia is getting all afternoon sun (in Oklahoma!). The leaves are all brown and shriveled. Should I cut it all back? I'm afraid the plant is using all it's energy to revive the dead leaves. Thank you.

It may have died if all the leaves are brown. Newly planted shrubs require more rigorous watering schedules. If it had been solely getting too much sun, the leaves not in direct contact with the sun (ie, leaves under other leaves) would have remained green. If "the leaves are all brown" then that may be due to something else. The plant will not try to revive dead leaves but rather create new ones in lower branches and force maybe new branches to grow too.

You may want to scratch the branches looking for green to see if it is still alive. As for sun, you could put a temporary contraption on top to offer more sun protection as long as the contraption does not impede getting water. Then transplant it when temps are down in the Fall or winter. Not sure I would transplant anything with temps in the high 90s or 100 in this area. Make sure that you give it water as needed to keep the soil evenly moist... about 1 gallon to 1.5 gallons of water per watering (for a new shrub so more than those nbrs for your camellia) and that it has 2-3" of mulch approx.

Thank you so much. I really want to save it. The leaves are still somewhat green with large brown areas, but they are totally shriveled and very dry. I recently put rubber mulch down and was wondering if that did it, although none of my other plants have been effected. The branches don't snap as with a dead plant. They are still pretty bendable. I think I will baby it until fall and then move it, as it will be several years before it gets all day shade. Thanks again.

No rubber. That gets hot and may affect the small roots in the top 4" of the soil. They absorb water through those roots. Use organic mulch instead: pine needles, shredded hardwood mulch, etc

I need some advice. I planted two White at the Gate camellias back in the spring on the northeast side of the house. Fertilized properly and have watered consistently. Have mulched with lots of pine straw for the winter. I’m in Zone 8a in south Arkansas. They are full of buds but they have some leaves that have dry holes in them. Doesn’t look like fungus or mites. Leaves are dark green except for the dried up holes. What am I doing wrong? Help please!

Good choice. Great minds think alike. I have one of those too!

But it is hard to comment without a picture. Some pest or fungal issue may have ended producing the holes you see. Japonica leaves are also sensitive to the sun so this time of the year, I notice some sunburn effects.

If the nbr of holes are not increasing and you do not see pests underneath the leaves (ck several times at night too), I would not be concerned.

Thanks for your quick answer. I’ll try to get a picture posted tomorrow. The holes don’t seem to really be spreading, but I am concerned because they are new plants. Shouldn’t be sunburn because it is nicely shaded on that side of the house, dappled shading. Haven’t seen any bugs at all on them, however have not checked at night. Thanks again!

I need help too, camellia experts! I bought a lovely Camellia Japonica plant and kept it in a container along my fence line in a mostly shaded area for the summer. It looked great all summer, but I live in Colorado so I brought it in for the winter. I *thought* I read that it likes sun when indoors, so I put it near a south facing window. It's been inside for about 6-8 weeks and looks terrible now - most of the leaves have dried up and I just tested a couple of small branches... they easily snapped off. There are a few sections that look nice and green still. Anyone have suggestions on how I can bring this plant back to life to enjoy again outside next summer?

These are the dry holes I mentioned in my earlier post. No bugs that I can see. Is this a watering issue? It’s been very dry here.

Could be camellia leaf spot. I get some of that at the end of the season but the damage is aesthethic (not life threatening) and is usually small/limited so I have never taken action.

Try removing infected leaves (in the case of small infestations), watering the soil only (early in the mornings) and never water the leaves to minimize the damage.

http://www.fayettevillecamelliaclub.org/Diseases-Prevention-and-Treatment.html

Some people also discard fallen leaves to prevent spread of spores or use sulfur sprays/copper fungicides at the first sign to prevent the spores from germinating. In heavy infestations, you could try using sulfur sprays/copper fungicides and then replacing the mulch.

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/shrubs/hgic2060.html

Thanks for the advice! I don’t want to lose my new plants. I appreciate your quick answer!

Linda Leon, from what I understand Camellias don't like full sun - yes I have seen some but for the most part they really like being under a tree or in dappled sun, or part shade, maybe morning sun. And they really don't like too much moisture, I just talked to an arborist who told me he constantly saw Camellias in California with their flowers turning yellow or brown from not keeping them under the eave of a house. So that confirms again to keep them from too much sun, too much moisture, they seem to be delicate - as opposed to rhododendrons who usually once established don't need much. Same with old roses. Camellias seem to have their own thing going on; I don't know if the newer Camellia Japonica is the same or not. You could ask Paul Zimmerman on youtube, he does a lot of teaching videos on roses and in one video he shows a Camellia Japonica next to a Compassion rose and it looks like its in the sun but he didn't talk much about it. It's still a rose, and he is an expert. I ask him questions - and they get answered. Just a thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWLjvQ5510w Here's the link to a video by Paul Zimmerman who teaches for Jackson Perkins roses. He mentions around halfway in about a Camellia Japonica and it seems to be in full sun but its also just spring in the shot. He answers questions under the video comments. You can try him, he may know. Or your local extension office.

Sasanquas' leaves can handle more sun than camellia japonicas; maybe you should experiment with those. There is a shopping center with several of them potted in full sun and, as long as they are watered during our 100 dailies in July-September, the leaves perform very well.

Hi guys,
My Camellia is looking fairly poorly at the moment. Our Spring weather has been fairly unpredictable here in South Australia (equivalent to Zone 10 in USA). I’ve tried to follow general advice for Camellia care, but I wonder if it’s time to give up on this baby. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Photo attached for review.

It could use more foliage. Not sure if it lost foliage due to inconsistent watering, cold winters, etc. I could not tell if the camellia is a hybrid, sasanqua or japonica from the leaves. Do you know? Does your pot have drainage holes in enough spots to allow for excellent drainage? The pot should have acidic, very well draining soil (not garden soil). The soil should also be kept as evenly moist as you can -not wet but not dry either-. The foliage needs morning sun only if it is a hybrid or japonica, reticulata. Sasanqua leaves can take more sun though. Mulch will minimize soil evaporation, protect from hot/cold extremes and provide some nourishment as the mulch decomposes. Plastic pots may get too hot in the summer and stress roots in contact with the plastic. Avoid weeds and grass in the pot as camellia roots are only about 4" deep, tiny ad fibrous so they compete with grass/weeds roots. Not sure what fertilizing program you are using but a fertilizer for camellias, azaleas and hydrangeas applied per label directions may be fine. Pinching may be useful to make the plant fill up with more foliage once the cause of the original leaf drop has been addressed.

https://www.americancamellias.com/care-culture-resources/general-culture-requirements/container-grown-camellias

Apparently camellias have to be sheltered at least in zone 6 but I'm used to Florida. Sorely lacking on that subject

There are some places in z6 where they perform poorly if planted outside. Maybe they become deciduous but develop new foliage in spring. Camforest.com sells cold hardy varieties, including some of the April Series that will bloom late (March-April). Developed at the Scott Arboretum in PA by Dr. Clifford Parks of the University of North Carolina (he is or was the owner of Camellia Forest Nursery). Talk to Camforest to see what do they recommend for you.

I picked up this camelllia in the clearance section at Lowe’s. I am not sure where it came from, I am at Lowe’s at least once a week and never saw a plant looking this distessed. I am thinking it was stuck in a closet for a few months. I repotted it, the roots were circling the pot. i soaked it in water for about 30 minutes before repotting it, but didnt cut the roots, just massaged it some to loosen it up. It’s now sitting on my porch where it will get maybe an hour or two of morning sun. I took off some leaves that were broken, and the stems are green inside. Should I keep all the leaves on or take them off? Am I right in thinking it was somewhere neglected, and can it be revived? What are your thoughts?

Placed where it got lots of wind and no or not enough water. Yeah, a closet probably too! As long as the leaves remain a tad green, they can produce food for the roots. However, I suspect that the plant will eventually drop them and develop new ones, albeit not now in cool or cold locations. Maybe when overnight temperatures are typically at or above 50F. That is when active growth starts. Just maintain the soil as evenly moist -not wet/soggy but not dry either- and begin to fertilize only after all danger of frost has passed in your area/city. Water if the soil feels dry at a depth of 3-4". Test the potting soil now and then and acidify the soil with garden soil or iron cheated liquid compounds if the potting soil tests as alkaline. The flower buds may or may not be alive. They are not brown but they are a bit far from normal green. Leave them and see. You can pull them off if nothing has happened by May.

Thank you! I will be sure to do as suggested. do you think it needs more than 1 or 2 hours of morning sun? Also, will I need to cut back at all or will it produce from the existing branches? Its a japonica, and I am in NC zone 7b if that is helpful at all.

Camellias are my weak point. They grow in florida where it rains alot but have to be sheltered in other zones from water. What?

Japonicas are more sun sensitive and in areas with harsh summer sun, the foliage may burn so I try to give them dappled sun or morning only sun (until 10-11am). Use the scratch method to see if you need to cut (very carefully scratch the bark with a nail to see if you "see green"; for thin stems/branches, see if they feel pliable or not).