At least Three gardens i have visited with mature camelias appear to be showing signs of stress or defficiency , drooping light green leaves flower buds stunted , previously vigerous with dark green glossy leaves .
The temperature here in Yorkshire has dropped considerably so i am wondering if the sudden cold snap has affected them , Has anyone else noticed similar . ?
Two areas where they are planted have had extensive landscaping , walls built so lime leaching into the soil could be the culprit .
The main issue is one garden needs to be planted out with new plants i am not convinced a soil testing kit from a garden centre will reveal its lime leaching into the soil ,
If its due to the cold snap problem solved
Any guidance on how to test the soil for lime leaching
much appreciated .
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The cold snap will turn any open flowers brown and can even freeze the buds cause them to fall off , buds are even more likely to get frost bite East facing it to do with the thawing in the morning . Its unlikely the leeching of lime if the surrounding soil is acidic , if the whole shrub is yellowing it is a possibility they are quite adaptable though they happy grow in neutrel soil . . They do naturally drop leaves in spring which will turn yellowish but only a hand full . In all I'd put it down to the weather.
Thanks Andrew i think you are probably right about the weather frosty mornings and a freezing wind blowing down off the moors all day long appears to have set a trend , magnolias have lost their flowers also and some acers have simply perished .
Its a new area for me to work in probably a good idea to research which plants tolerate the climate best , looking around heather and pittosporum seem to flourish in the area .
Customers do tell me their camelias normally produce lots of flowers but never seen them looking so sickly , cold has come at the wrong time .