Camellias

Hi Anne- My camellias are losing all their leaves. They were planted 1.5 years ago and they had few blooms the 1st year. This year they are losing all their green leaves and the stems have buds at their ends. The stems are a darker brown then the rest of the plant. Any ideas?

Thanks, Kathleen

Anne's response:

Stems of old wood are always darker than the new wood on a camellia. Loss of leaves similar to what you describe is usually from plants that have been watered too much or plants that have dried out from lack of moisture. Is it possible that your plants were put in soil that does not retain moisture or were they planted so deeply in the ground that they retain too much moisture?