It's perhaps a slow growing camellia.... has he enough flowers ? How are his leaves ? If they are sparkling, if they don't fall, your camellia is at the good place...

You could feed it next spring just after flowering. Give it some time to "keep his place" in your garden... two years, it's a short time.

Laurie.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lovcam.org

Unfortunately, it hasn't flowered yet. Do you think camellias don't flower because they don't get ENOUGH sun? Thanks for any replies - Carrie

You bought it two years ago ? It had flowers the first year, but not the second ? I think it has enough sun (that's his color ?), but it was too much feeded the first year (to have butifull flowers and be sold). Frequently, the year after, there's no flowers.... the camellia is "resting"... and the third year, it will give you again some flowers and more and more flowers...

How tall is it ? The young camellia give a few flowers... then they become old, they give more and more flowers...

Sorry for my english... in french, it would be easier...

Laurie.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lovcam.org

Thanks - I adore your language and only wish I could hear your reply, rather than reading it. Merci Beaucoup - Carrie

Do you know if it is a Japonica or a Sasanqua? Did it flower in spring (Jap) or fall (Sas)? Does it have large leaves (Jap) or small leaves (Sas)? If it is a Sasanqua it can take alot of sun. If it is a Japonica, the early morning sun can cause frost damage on the buds, they do best in all day high shade, with adequite moisture. If the plant seems happy in all other regards, I would sprinkle super phosphate into the root zone and work into the soil with a spading fork. If you can't afford to go out and buy some super phosphate try mixing a tablespoon of shampoo (most all soaps are made of phosphates, shampoo is typically the most gentle) into a bucket of water and pour it slowly over the root zone.

Thanks for the info, Dieter - The camellia has never flowered, but it has buds now. The leaves are healthy, small, shiny green. It gets morning sun and afternoon shade. I will follow your advice about the phosphate, but I am wondering if this is a good time to transplant it. Where it is right now is not a good location since if it ever does flower, you can't really view it from anywhere (it's behind a garden house). Carrie

I'd wait til after it blooms to transplant (sounds like you have a sasanqua) that way you can prune it down to a more managable size if needed. Dec/Jan would be fine, they are mostly dormant at that time. What I would do now is give it a good root pruning (take your spade and cut down as far as it will go all the way around the rootball you intend to transplant, then sprinkle about a 1/4lb of epsum salts in the cut line, then pour this root stimulating formula over that: 1 can beer, 1oz of shampoo, 1 oz ammonia, 1 oz hydrogen peroxide, 1 oz of whiskey and 4 tblsp of instant tea in 2 gallons of very warm water) so it can start growing some feeder roots.