Dear lsst, I don't know whether this is any consolation, but I also garden in Zone 7b (SC) and have about forty young seedling camellias in gallon-sized plastic pots that look similar to yours. The leaves are spotted and brown around the edges. I'm hoping that they're showing cold damage and will recover in the next few weeks. The seed parents of our seedlings are 'Berenice Boddy,' 'Christine Lee,' 'Imura,' 'Leucantha,' and 'Lady Vansittart.' A few are from unidentified seed parents. A few of our older camellias that have been in the ground for a number of years show a little cold injury, most noticeably a variegated 'Adolphe Audusson.' We've also had a poor blooming season due, I think, to the drought and a couple of periods of extreme cold during which we experienced a couple of nights with temperatures near ten degrees Fahrenheit. 'Governor Mouton,' which is, for us, normally a spectacularly beautiful and dependable variety, had, at best, a mediocre showing this year. Our forty-four-year-old 'Governor Mouton' was fairly pretty, but not up to par. However, its foliage looks fine. Our camellias that bloomed best this season were two 'Magnoliaeflora' japonicas, a 'Flame,' an 'Adeyaka,' and a 'Pink Perfection.' I've got to make a trip out to the northside of the yard to check on the 'Diddy Mealing' and the 'Turandot' japonicas. Our very late blooming 'Pink Champagne,' or 'Camellian,' japonica has a number of swollen pink buds that look as though they will be gorgeous. However, the nearby 'Eleanor Hagood' and 'Yuki Botan' have had poor quality blooms. 'Imura,' which normally blooms well for us, has had a poor season. And even 'Berenice Boddy' hasn't been up to par. One of my favorite seedling camellias that is about forty years old was on the verge of opening a huge number of blooms just as one of the cold fronts swept through. It was blackened by the cold. It came up underneath a 'Lady Clare' and a 'Governor Mouton' in my aunt's garden in the 1960's and produces a profusion of imbricated and rose-form dark pink tinged purple medium-sized flowers. But not this year. _Mais c'est la vie_. Another sad note is that our 'Lady Clare,' which in normal years blooms from November till March, also bloomed very poorly this year. In the past few days, however, I've noticed a number of fresh blooms on it; and its leaves look fine.

Decades ago, someone planted kudzu on our farm, and on thousands of other farms throughout the American South, to combat the erosion that had resulted from generations of improper farming practices. I'm not sure of the exact year kudzu was introduced, probably ca. 1900, or possibly earlier than that. I seem to recall reading that kudzu was a star attraction at the Great 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia. At any rate, we all know that vigorous Oriental vine has swept the South during the following century. The vigor of ivy and wisteria pale in comparison to the vigor of kudzu. We fight kudzu, Japanese honeysuckle, wisteria, and ivy on a yearly basis, but, simultaneously love, enjoy, and respect these exotic vines--akebia, or violet vine, too. Gardening is a never-ending struggle. There are successes; there are failures. _C'est la vie._ Over the years, I've made my peace with these and other vines. At present, I'm allowing kudzu to have its way with the plot of ground that includes our septic tank drainage field. It grows luxuriantly and forms undulating waves of lush, large-leaved greenery for months on end, with beautiful, fragrant wisteria-like racemes of purple blossoms in late summer. This sea of green provides an above-ground canopy for the groundhog, or woodchuck, colony that lives underground in a maze of tunnels. The groundhogs are kudzu connoisseurs (sp.?) who relish the leaves as a dietary staple. A bamboo grove provides a fine backdrop to the kudzu "lawn." No mowing required.

I also think it could be the lights. The research I have seen (think it was from the U. of Alaska) said that "cool white" fluorescents work better because they put off more UV than those advertised as "grow lights". The more light the better, the closer the better, up to an inch or two from the leaves. I use the 4' two x t-12 fixtures with 40 watt tubes, two fixtures running parallel. Usually you can get two potted plants side by side under this setup. Also setting them outside in warmer weather if you can, sounds like a good idea. Just my 2 cents - Rick

sparklegirl - the wet marks on the ceilings were not there during the viewing of the home or the HI and they have been painted over? Sounds to me that the seller is attempting to cover it up, especially since it's been painted. Was this in the disclosure? You definitely need a lawyer pronto. DO NOT CLOSE on this house until this situation is rectified and there is a significant money held in escrow. Do not rely upon your realtor to advise you on this. Listen to logic. Get the lawyer to write a letter asking for a disclosure about the water on the ceilings. I also agree that the tree is a non-issue. Unless it is dangerous or could fall onto the house, I wouldn't bother with it. You could ask that money be set aside for its removal if you feel that it could pose a danger to the house. Since it was winter when you viewed the home, it is impossible to tell if the tree was dead at the time, so I think you should have the right to at least mention it. But it's a pick your battle kind of thing.... the water marks are most important. Logic - get yer mind outta the gutter! ;) terrig - thanks for the offer. We just found out that we're going to the Twin Cities now. *sigh* The joys of the federal govt!! lol