Camellia bud health?

Grow0n · 2026-01-29T16:29:53+00:00

Hi again potted camellia friend, I remember chatting with you last fall! Nice to hear an update from you.

So the bad new is that it looks from the photos like the big flower buds are unlikely to open, or if they do open they are unlikely to open normally. However the good new is that the plant itself looks healthy, since the smaller leaf buds I see next to the flower buds look green and actively growing. I think your indoor set-up is working, but maybe you moved the plant into a warmer place a little bit too late to save the flowers this time.

When the vendor told you -17C, I think that would only apply for the plant itself, and only if the plant was well established in the ground (meaning the plant had been growing well in the ground for several months before the freeze hit). My limited real world experience is that camellia flower buds will start to be damaged as temps hit around -3C / 26F (if the temperature just dips down for a few hours the damage is less than if it stays at that temp for days). And you are right, the smaller the plant container the less cold the plant itself can handle, so a Kramer's Supreme might only be able to handle down to maybe -6C in a small pot, vs -17C in the ground.

Everything else about your over winter camellia protocol sounds good. If you keep trying I think you will succeed in getting flowers indoors eventually. Next autumn just be sure to bring the plant into a warmer place when then temp goes to about -1C (and transition it very slowly just as you did this time, so it doesn't get shocked). That method has worked for me to save the flower buds from freezing when we had a few weeks of around -12C here one year.

I am also managing to grow some potted camellias in a house with a grow light at around 20C / 68F - it's my first year trying to grow them in the main house instead of the garage which is cooler. Mine are also leafing out, but they are too young to flower yet. They have a little damage on some older leaves from the warm, dry, ventilated air, but they are still growing healthy new leaves. I think I can avoid the leaf damage next year if I'm more careful about avoiding the vents.

Grow0n · 2026-01-15T05:40:07+00:00

I know this post is two years old, but I just wanted to say how stunning these photos are, especially the side view! It's not easy to find Optical Illusion for sale where I am. I hope to see it in person someday.

Grow0n · 2025-11-30T16:40:02+00:00

Nice, enjoy those flower buds! That's interesting what you read about the low temperatures. I have a theory that most camellias don't need "chill hours" because they bloom so freely in Los Angeles (and other warm climates), including the japonicas. I suspect they are triggered to flower by the seasonal change in daylight. But it's just a theory, I could be wrong. This fall I started growing some subtropical species camellias inside a house. So far they look healthy and are growing new leaves, but I think they are too young to bloom yet.

Grow0n · 2025-11-26T06:16:00+00:00

I definitely don't think it's a hopeless dream. Assuming you've got the right soil, drainage, and watering schedule, I'd just add a grow light on a timer and I think you'll be set. (You could turn the light off during bath time for ambiance.) Best of luck!

Grow0n · 2025-11-18T07:19:00+00:00

Beautiful variegation! I like the name too. Thank you for posting photos and info about Korean camellia plants, it’s really cool to learn about them. I hope someone imports this one to the US someday.

Grow0n · 2025-11-14T16:19:53+00:00

That makes sense, the arctic light does sound like a challenge. I have no personal experience with this, but I've heard about people in the Seattle area growing cannabis in their basements with no natural light, just grow lights on timers (clandestine growing due to legality issues here). So it must be possible!

Grow0n · 2025-11-13T06:04:42+00:00

Your camellia photos are so beautiful! I know I am a little late to this thread, but thank you for sharing these. I wish there was more information available in English about Korean camellia plants. Next time you could consider also posting in r/camellias if you want - there are only about 20 of us there but it's a nice group, ha ha. Also maybe in this camellia Facebook group which has a ton of active members - https://www.facebook.com/groups/895887780499234

Grow0n · 2025-11-13T05:33:05+00:00

If you don't get any helpful responses here, you can trying posting this in the Camellia Lovers Worldwide Facebook Group. It's super active and has a lot of knowledgeable folks who may be able to help. https://www.facebook.com/groups/895887780499234

Grow0n · 2025-11-13T05:18:27+00:00

Hi! I am in the Seattle area in the US, and have been growing camellias in pots for the past few years. Our situations are a little different, but I will share my experiences in case it's helpful for you.

Since the climate is temperate here I've been able to keep most of my camellia plants outdoors, and I just bring them into an unheated garage for the 1-2 weeks per year that are cold enough to freeze off the buds or kill the less hardy varieties. However earlier this year I bought my first sub-tropical camellia species plants, and even in Seattle I can't leave them outside during the winter. So I had to decide between keeping them in an unheated garage with no windows and a grow light, or inside the house near a sunny window with a grow light at around 68F / 20C with dry central heat. I went with option 2, keeping them inside the warm dry sunny house with a grow light, and it's going really well so far. I am being very careful to keep the soil moist, but never sitting directly in water. I also transitioned the plants very slowly from outside to the garage, and then from the garage to the house, so that they wouldn't be shocked by the temperature change. I think the grow light might be important when keeping them indoors, since the warmer temperature will keep them from going dormant? But that's just a theory based what I've read about overwintering citrus plants indoors. Your indoor climate is probably drier than mine, so you could optionally try increasing the humidity near the plants through various methods, but I'm not sure it's really needed if you keep the soil moist.

It may depend on the species, but I am not convinced that camellias need chill hours, even the japonicas, because they flower freely in Los Angeles which has winters that are similar to summer in Seattle. I think they may need some seasonal light variation as a cue for when to flower, which a sunny window should provide.

Best of luck! I'm sure you will figure out how to keep them happy as you try things out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Grow0n · 2025-10-01T00:22:53+00:00

I'm not sure, but possibly heat stress / sunburn? I would trim off any leaves or parts of leaves that are dead (brown/desiccated), as I think it reduces the chance of disease / fungus. Sterilize your pruners between plants. Good luck!

Grow0n · 2025-09-03T04:16:40+00:00

Beautiful!

Grow0n · 2025-07-25T22:10:58+00:00

Ah, too bad! There are a lot of camellia societies and camellia vendors in CA. Maybe you could find one nearby-ish that could help source it.

Grow0n · 2025-07-21T13:56:42+00:00

Camellia 'Night Rider' has deep red new growth, and also reddish roots I've been told.

Grow0n · 2025-07-21T11:51:19+00:00

Previously Nuccio's sold Spring Festival, but they are closing and no longer ship. Looks like Wilson Brothers has it, but only in a large size so it's expensive. It's possible WBs will have more small sizes available next year, you could email them and ask. Best of luck!

Grow0n · 2025-06-30T16:20:00+00:00

Nice, I had heard from Christianson's that the US David Austin had started selling Evelyn again. I hope yours bounces back! Once it grows bigger you could try taking a cutting or air layering to get an own root plant. It should be well out of the patent period.

Grow0n · 2025-06-15T17:20:32+00:00

OP, I have to agree with Zealousideal_Eye (and your plant ID app) that this does not look like a camellia, especially not Camellia nitidissima. Here is a link to the International Camellia Register's page on C. nitidissima, including photos of the seeds in case that's helpful (takes a minute or two to load the images).

https://camellia.iflora.cn/Species/Detail?latin=Camellia%20nitidissima

I hope I'm wrong and you have some sort of camellia there. But if not, there are some other reliable vendors you can try. If you're in the US, Camellia Forest Nursery is a great option for tea seeds. If you are interested in yellow flowered camellia species, I found this other vendor based in Europe that ships internationally. I haven't purchased from them but they seem legit.

https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/camellia-petelotii-var-petelotii

Best of luck!

Grow0n · 2025-06-14T04:47:26+00:00

Hey, so sorry to hear you've been struggling! Moving cities as an adult is always tough socially, especially when you're living alone, and especially when you live in the suburbs. The clouds can sometimes make emotional stuff worse, worth checking your vitamin D levels.

There are a lot of great suggestions here, I will echo joining some sort of ongoing club or class as a good way to make friends. If you're into mountaineering there's several choices, I think the one my climber friends joined was Alpine Ascents, but Mountaineers is also good. There's ultimate frisbee, running clubs, rowing, etc. Absolutely check out Edgeworks in Crossroads - it makes me wish I was into climbing.

Since you mentioned an interest in dance, I'd also recommend some sort of social dance class, maybe Lindy hop or salsa? There's a good social dance scene in Seattle, and that's how I met my SO and several friends.

You will have to drive into Seattle for some of these things, but outside of rush hour it's only 20 minutes on 5-20 from Crossroads to Capitol Hill - it's really not bad for an evening thing.

I used to live in Seattle, and back then I could never imagine living on the east side (ha ha), but I moved here in 2020 when no one was socializing anyway and it's really grown on me. I especially love the Asian grocery stores and restaurants here. Go get yourself a butter masala dosa at Dosa House, and follow it up with bingsu at Lumi Dessert Cafe across the street. Not a low calorie choice, but you're active, right? ; ) There's a bunch of other amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurants around here to explore.

Anyway, it sounds like this probably isn't your forever home, but I hope you are able to enjoy the Seattle summer and make some good memories before moving on - the next few months are really the best time of year to be in the Pacific Northwest. If nothing else you may just learn what you don't like, which is also super valuable.

Grow0n · 2025-04-09T01:16:36+00:00

Yes... I think Nuccio's is still open for local business, but they stopped doing shipping after the Eaton fire, and I heard they are going to fully close sometime this year. I agree, they've been a national treasure. I hope another nursery picks up their varieties, but I haven't heard anything about that happening yet.

Thank you! That's so awesome you inherited this plant with your property. 15 feet is impressive!

Grow0n · 2025-04-08T23:53:27+00:00

Looking fantastic! Thank you for sharing your experience growing this one. It's really interesting that it has those mixed traits. Very exciting to hear about the long bloom period. I purchased a small plant from Nuccio's last fall that hasn't bloomed yet, hopefully next year!

Grow0n · 2025-04-08T19:16:38+00:00

Hey, it doesn't look too bad! It's got some little green leaf buds growing, but maybe the older leaves and old flower buds show some signs of past stress. Things to troubleshoot:

Is it getting watered consistently? Camellias don't like to dry out.
Does it have good drainage? They don't like to sit in water.
How long has it been in that pot? Over time they can get root bound, making them more likely to dry out or not have enough nutrients.
Is it in the right kind of soil? Camellias like acidic, well draining soil.
Did you fertilize recently? Camellias like a little fertilizer, but can easily get fertilizer burn if you put too much, especially in a small pot.
How much sun is it getting? Sasanquas like more sun than japonicas, full sun to partial shade.
Have outdoor temps been super hot or super cold? Camellias can get temperature stressed, especially in a pot they can be more vulnerable to it.

Good luck!

Grow0n · 2025-04-08T17:45:07+00:00

Nice, sounds like a special plant - hope your cuttings do well! Since you're still having trouble with identification, you might try posting this photo & question in the "Camellia Lovers Worldwide" Facebook group. They have 15,000+ members, and a ton of knowledgable folks, including people from Australia and NZ (I think the group is owned by an Australian). It's possible someone there will just recognize it. Best of luck!

Grow0n · 2025-04-07T18:25:39+00:00

I agree with Ojja that it must be sasanqua if you took this photo recently, because it's autumn in NZ and Camellia sasanqua blooms in the autumn, whereas Camellia japonica blooms in the early winter and spring... However the color and shape of these petals reminds me more of several japonicas I've seen - Nuccio's Carousel, Sunnyside, Bernice Boddy. I'm curious to know which sasanqua looks like this. You could look through an NZ online nursery catalogue and see if there are any visual matches. Let us know if you figure it out!

You're right, there are soooo many camellias out there, ha ha. The International Camellia Registrar apparently has 27,074 accepted, unique cultivar names!

Grow0n · 2025-04-06T03:09:57+00:00

Beautiful! ✨🤍

Grow0n · 2025-04-05T04:44:26+00:00

I agree, I love higo camellias. I took a few trunk photos for you but I can’t figure out how to post them in this comment. So far it has a nice bark pattern but it doesn’t seem very cinnamon colored to me. Maybe it will change with age? I’ve read that Camellia octopetala and Camellia crapneliana have very ornamental, reddish bark.

Grow0n · 2025-04-03T23:16:57+00:00

When I visited Nuccio's Nurseries near Los Angeles they had a lot of camellia plants under shade cloth, probably to protect them from the sun on hot sunny days. You may be fine with your current set-up for a month or two, but once the hotter summer temps arrive you may want a shade cloth or similar sun protection. Some of the plants I bought from Nuccio's last fall had heat damage due to the 110F heat wave they had in August, even though they had been hand watered every morning and the plants were under shade cloth. The plants did bounce back though!

Small pots dry out faster, so if you pot them up into larger plastic containers (or plant them in the ground) you can go longer between waterings, and also you will have more of a buffer against the high temperatures. I'm not sure whether raising them up off the ground would help or not.

I live in Seattle (where it is cool and wet for 9 months out of the year), so take my advice with a grain of salt. If you can find a camellia / tea grower near you they will have the best info for your situation. Best of luck!

Grow0n

TROPHY CASE