My camellia plant is falling apart!

Credit: Steve H.

Q: I have a camellia plant in a container on my deck that is dropping all of its
leaves. I’ve had it for two years and it has always been really healthy with
big pink blooms. This year it started dropping leaves right after it
bloomed. I love this plant! What do I do?

Is it possible the camellia is too rootbound? Either repot the plant into a larger pot or root prune the camellia and repot into the same container with fresh potting soil. The best time to do this is early in the season around late February. Apply a liquid transplant solution (as directed on the label) when root pruning your camellia. Use a control-release fertilizer (14-14-14 or equivalent, as directed on the label) at the start of the season. One application is usually adequate for one season.