Granular Merit (a granular form of imidacloprid) gives me pretty good control of scale on camellias. We get the Merit in 30-pound bags. The label seems mainly oriented to lawn applications. Naturally, if you decide to use this product, you should read the label. Personally, I sprinkle about a half-cup around a 4 to 6' bush. I'm not sure about the official recommendation. We apply it in late March and a second application in late July. It also helps to remove twiggy growth from the inside of the bush. Lots of leaves and twigs in the middle of the bush is an invitation to scale. Another thing I do when I find scale on just a few leaves is to clip off the leaves, or if the branch is small, I'll trim it off. Horticultural oil sprays are good, however it's important to get good coverage on the undersides of the leaves. This is not always easy to do, especially if the camellias are large. In emergency cases, I have used a different systemic, Safari. I have a love-hate relationship with all of these pesticides. There are definite environmental concerns, especially with Safari. I tend a large estate garden mainly by myself, so I look for efficient solutions. I justify my use of Merit by telling myself that I'm using it on a relatively small area an fewer than 500 plants.

here is a good site. it may take a few seconds to load - there are many images here. Here is a link that might be useful: wintergarden camellias

It is hard to tell until you actually check and no longer see "green" (then it is too late of course). Since leaf out could take a while and may not occur until Spring, I would make sure that they remain well mulched and that the soil is as evenly moist as you can (with no periods of dry followed by wet followed by dry and so forth). About 3-4" of mulch up to the drip line should suffice and should lengthen the days between waterings. Test the soil with a finger to make sure you are not overdoing it (insert a finger to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry). Pick up any plant debris under the trees & dispose in the trash or compost pile while you are watering. Before watering, amend the soil if your soil is alkaline so you do not have to water a second time after amending the soil.

I have just made some cuttings of my great grandmothers camellia bushes. They have been at her house for over fifty years,(they were cuttings from her mothers camellia bushes.) They are pink,red,and white flowers from different bushes. I do not know the "type" but as I said they are very old. I am not sure how to get them to root or where to plant them in my yard....Any advice?