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Did my camellia not survive the winter?

5 years ago

Mostly yellow now, with the exception of two small branches at the bottom.

Or is it partially dead? I recall hearing somewhere that if a shrub is mostly dead it may take years if ever for it to grow back to its original size hence not worth the efforts. Wondering if I should wait a year or replaced it this spring with a different shade shrub. Appreciate any suggestions!

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

5 years ago

Looks pretty bad. I'd say it was on its way out although maybe not completely gone.

If it were mine, I'd rip it out and replace.

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
plant pix in dappled sun.. are hard to see on the computer screen ...

i would look and see if there are any buds ... and if in the next week or two.. they start expanding ... if they do.. you are all set..

it is not all that uncommon for an evergreen plant to lose all the leaves due to whatever stress ..... and completely recover in that season .. IF ... there was no insult to the root mass ...

you dont give us any history ... was this new last year.. how did you plant it.. how did you water it.. etc ... it might behoove you to learn why this happened.. so it doesnt happen to the next ... how bad was winter.. etc.. etc ...

so i would give it a month or so ... to see ...

but the bottom line is.. if its going to drive you crazy waiting ... well.. just get rid of it.. life ... yours.. is to short.. to be irritated by your garden ... trust me on that .. lol ...

ken
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sbrklyn_7bny
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks! No live buds as I can tell. Buds from last year turned yellow.

i planted it early fall last year. It looked fine for most of the winter until Feb. We get some cold nights late winter every year.

This is a zone 7 camelia. I will look for a zone 6 and preferably zone 5 hardy shade shrub next time, so probably not a camellia.

spring starts late here so I think we can wait another month and not miss the planting season. Hope the poor thing recovers soon.
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
5 years ago
Can't tell. Is that Fall Bloomer? Fall bloomers 'tend' to be less hardy than most japonicas (spring bloomers). But newly planted camellias are most vulnerable to cold winters. Do you recall the name of it?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
In areas that are subjected to colder winters, fall planting of camellias is not advised. Plant as early in spring as you can manange to a) avoid excessive summer heat and b) provide as much time as possible for root establishment before cold weather.

And I would reconsider planting so close to a concrete foundation or masonry wall. Both will leach lime over their lifetime and alter soil pH to a point where it may be very unfriendly to acid loving plants like camellias.
sbrklyn_7bny
Original Author
5 years ago
Dave it’s a fall flowering October Magic sansaqua.

Thanks Gardengal48. It looks like I made a number of rookie mistakes, so will probably start over with something hardier next month.
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
5 years ago
If twigs are green when you scrape them it may still be alive.

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