You might try the plants in large containers, such as half-barrels. In a pamphlet from the Santa Clara County Camellia Society, John J. Mendoza III recommends fertilizing monthly. Mendoza, who grows camellias in Santa Clara, warns against fertilizing a dry plant. Water the soil first, then pour on the fertilizer, followed by more water. Contagious blight Camellias occasionally suffer from aphids, thrips, scale or brachyrhinus beetles.
Petal blight is a spore-borne disease that spreads rapidly.
We've had tremendous winds that will transport those nasty things to other plants. If you have a neighbor who's not a neatnik about camellias . . . Other than battling petal blight, camellia experts are on a quest to create new varieties bearing yellow, purple or scented flowers. With the opening of relations with China, camellia societies in California, Australia and New Zealand have begun to share plants and information with botanic gardens and universities in China, Allman says. Some of the camellias growing in Southeast Asia are a whopping 300 to 400 years old and look like trees, with a main trunk and branches that reach 20 to 40 feet high.