I have camellias flowering now which I purchased for their early flowering. There is a strain of early flowering camellias, soulangea varieties. Camellias will often flower out of season if the weather confuses them.Your plant looks wonderfully healthy so do not worry about it. Just enjoy, the flower buds have already been set so you may have another flowering later if the weather turns cold and slows your bush down.
20 odd years ago a friend gave me a very sick camellia plant as a leaving present. She had found it in the sick bay of a GC, asked a member of staff what was wrong with it and was told it probably had a virus. My friend was convinced I would nurse it back to health. No label etc. All it needed was a good long drink, repotting and away it went. It has flowered Oct/ Nov. for me ever since. Not spectacular, a single,, pale pink flower but I love it all the same. 5 yrs ago I bought 2 more soulangeas to keep it company, white semi doubles which were supposed to be scented. The perfume can only be descibed as elisive! There is a hint of smell in freshly opened flowers. (I think!) They are all in containers and I bring them into the conservatory when in flower. My daughter described the smell as like furniture polish, after a warm day when the conservatory had been closed down.
It's not unusual in warmer weather for plants to flower 'out of season'. Even here, it's far warmer than we would expect just now [double figures quite often] although I don't have anything flowering that wouldn't normally be, but I saw an Escallonia with flowers on it the other day. Just enjoy them
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
No, I am not confusing magnolias with camellias. It was a spelling mistake on my part. Soulangea with sasanqua. My apologies to SophieK. I hope I didn't mislead you. I definitely have camelias in flower in my garden.
Thankfully I read all your messages in one go so there was no confusion. To be fair, I understood which camellia Joyce meant (the elusive smell comment made me laugh), however mine are not the early flowering types. It's definitely the very mild weather we have been having. I just hope it won't mess up the plant too much and that we're not getting frosts soon.
If they've had suitable care, the buds are formed - they form during the previous summer, which is why it's important they don't go short of water at that time - July/August especially. How well they flower is then dependent on weather at that point. Frost/ice/wind/rain is what often does for them when they're opening, and shortens the life span
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
Sorry to butt in with my camellia question , I have a japonica ( or a hybrid of a japonica , not sure ) , not in flower yet but a couple of flower buds are covered with black 'bits' - i'm assuming this is aphids -- it does have some yellowing leaves but also plenty of bright dark green glossy healthy ones. my thoughts: I pulled up some errant bamboo around it a week or two ago ( so maybe the rain is now giving it too much water without the bamboo?) - have sprayed ' safe' soap insecticide for the aphids but do i need to consider other possibilities of pest/disease? - I did google rhs , doesn't obviously look like any of the diseases they mention.
Posts
20 odd years ago a friend gave me a very sick camellia plant as a leaving present. She had found it in the sick bay of a GC, asked a member of staff what was wrong with it and was told it probably had a virus. My friend was convinced I would nurse it back to health. No label etc. All it needed was a good long drink, repotting and away it went. It has flowered Oct/ Nov. for me ever since. Not spectacular, a single,, pale pink flower but I love it all the same. 5 yrs ago I bought 2 more soulangeas to keep it company, white semi doubles which were supposed to be scented. The perfume can only be descibed as elisive! There is a hint of smell in freshly opened flowers. (I think!) They are all in containers and I bring them into the conservatory when in flower. My daughter described the smell as like furniture polish, after a warm day when the conservatory had been closed down.
Even here, it's far warmer than we would expect just now [double figures quite often] although I don't have anything flowering that wouldn't normally be, but I saw an Escallonia with flowers on it the other day.
Just enjoy them
Soulangea with sasanqua.
My apologies to SophieK. I hope I didn't mislead you.
I definitely have camelias in flower in my garden.
I do get your concern. The buds take soooooo long to form that the idea of anything happening to make them drop is genuinely heart-stopping.
My red camellia looks like it might flower any day. I am checking it by torchlight every evening.:)
How well they flower is then dependent on weather at that point. Frost/ice/wind/rain is what often does for them when they're opening, and shortens the life span
I pulled up some errant bamboo around it a week or two ago ( so maybe the rain is now giving it too much water without the bamboo?)
- have sprayed ' safe' soap insecticide for the aphids but do i need to consider other possibilities of pest/disease?
- I did google rhs , doesn't obviously look like any of the diseases they mention.