(7 Reasons) Why Your Camellia Isn’t Flowering

I’ve personally had a camellia in my garden for more than 20 years, and when I planted it all those years ago, it stubbornly refused to flower.

This was early in my horticultural journey, and after lots of research and talking to some experts, I realised the mistake I was making!

The soil was too dry in the Summer… you see, my camellia was getting a lot of sun, and it was near a fence post, which meant 2 things: It was in the fence’s rain shadow, and there was a considerable amount of stone in the soil when the fence was fitted.

This was such a problem because camellias bloom in the early Spring, with their flower buds developing in the Summer for the following year.

Therefore, they need moist soil in Summer for flower bud development, which is exactly when my soil was at its driest, which was the problem. Camellias are hardy plants, but if your camellia is not displaying flowers in the Spring, then there are a few other reasons for this…

The short answer…

If your Camellias aren’t flowering, this could be due to unfavourable soil conditions, frost damage, pruning at the wrong time, too much fertilizer, too much shade, or drought stress. The most common reason for no blooms is frost damage while the flower buds are developing on the camellia.

Keep reading to learn why your camellia is not blooming and for the best practices to ensure your camellia displays flowers the following season…

1. The Soil Conditions are Not Favourable

The optimal soil conditions for camellia to flower are:

• Rich loam soil or soil amended with organic matter retains moisture yet has a porous structure that allows excess water to drain away.
• A slightly acidic soil pH of 5.8-6.5.
• Nutrient-rich soil that is frequently mulched to further conserve water, improve soil structure, and add nutrients to the soil.

What happened with my camellia is that the soil was somewhat sandy, dry, low, and nutrients due to the fact it was near a fence post, and there was some rubble in the compost around the base. My camellia did not have the resources (in terms of soil moisture and nutrients) it requires for flowering.

Similarly, boggy soil due to heavy clay or low-lying areas is not favourable for camellias to flower, as saturated soil promotes fungal diseases such as root rot. Have you noticed that the soil drains slowly after rainfall? This may be your problem!

So what do we do? Well, if you have taken a look at your soil and decided that it is too sandy or well-draining, like mine was, then my recommendation, if you have a small camellia that has only been planted in the last year, is to gently ease the camellia out of the ground, remove any sandy or gritty soil, and replace it with lots of organic matter such as compost, leaf mold, or well-rotted manure.

In my case, I couldn’t move my camellia out of the ground very easily, so I opted for another solution. I soaked the soil and then put down a 2-inch layer of a mix of leaf mould and compost.

Why this combination? Compost is very easy to obtain and adds nutrients to the soil, while leaf mould is exceptional at retaining moisture in the ground to help alleviate any drought stress.

Because I was concerned about the quality of the underlying soil, I mulched my camellias at the beginning and end of every spring and Fall.

This is more than I would typically add mulch to a plant, but the results were spectacular after three years of doing this.

Such persistent heavy mulch applications integrated all the organic matter into the soil and improved the quality tremendously, even as I dug down into the soil!

When you are mulching, make sure the material does not make direct contact with the trunk of the camellia, as the wood does not like being in constant contact with moisture. Apply the mulch to the surface of the soil around the base of the camellia, and I promise this is going to make a huge difference.

These soil amendments recreate the perfect growing conditions for camellias, which are similar to those in their native habitat under tree canopies.

After this intervention, my camellia flowered far more reliably, and the blooms last a lot longer!

The greater the area surrounding the root ball of the camellia you can amend, the better it can grow and the more favourable the conditions are for flowering.

2. Soil pH is Too Alkaline for Your Camellia to Flower

So, this one can catch a few gardeners out, and it very much depends on your local environment. So, when I think of camellias, I also think azaleas and rhododendrons as they all thrive in the same soil pH and do not do well in alkaline or even neutral pH gardens.

The optimal soil pH for camellia to grow and flower is pH 5.5- pH 6.5 (7 is pH neutral).

If your soil is too acidic (lower than pH 5.5, which is unlikely) or too alkaline (pH higher than 7, which is much more probable), the camellia’s roots cannot access the nutrients it requires. This can stress the plant and cause it to not flower, and the leaves will turn yellow.

But how do we work out our soil’s pH? That’s a good question! A neighbour or someone in the local area who is a keen gardener can likely tell you whether your garden soil is alkaline or pH neutral. Alternatively, you can buy a soil testing kit from Amazon. I’ve used these myself and find them surprisingly accurate!

Knowing your soil’s pH is one thing, but what is the best solution?

I’ve tried to grow acid-loving plants such as camellias in alkaline soils by amending the soil with sulphur, which lowers the pH of the soil so that it is more acidic, but to be perfectly honest with you, I wouldn’t recommend this approach.

First of all, it is difficult work! I’ve found it very hard to sustain the right level of soil pH, as it tends to return to its original pH.

For my customers who want camellias In gardens with alkaline soil, I tell them the best option is to grow camellias in a pot, container, or raised bed so you can customize the soil characteristics to suit the camellia to promote flowering.

You can buy ericaceous soil at your garden centre, plant your camellias in pots, and enjoy the flowers!

3. Too Much Fertilizer Causes Fewer Flowers

Have you been heavy-handed with the miracle gro?! We’ve all been there! When fertilizing your flowering plants, the phrase “less is more” is spot on!

If you apply fertilizer too frequently to the camellia or in too high a concentration then the nitrogen in the fertilizer can stimulate lots of lush green foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Does this sound familiar?

From experience, I can tell you camellias do not require regular fertilizer for flowering in the same way that is necessary for roses, such as camellias or not heavy feeders.

My own camellias actually flowered better when I stopped using fertilizer, and I concentrated on improving the soil quality (by amending the soil with lots of compost and organic matter) and mulching regularly to feed the soil and add nutrients.

Good soil preparation provides camellia with all the nutrients required for flowering; however, I’ve observed there are some cases where camellias may benefit from added fertilizer:

• Camellias that are planted in a pot can exhaust all the nutrients in the soil and can benefit from an application of fertilizer in order to flower.
• Camellias in poor soil, such as sandy soils, are not nutrient-rich, or camellias that have been planted in soil and have not been mulched regularly.

If your camellia is not flowering and growth is sparse or spindly, then ideally, use a specific camellia fertilizer such as miracle-gro, which provides the right balance of nutrients for your camellia with the right level of concentration to flower.

Products specific to camellias are also a good way to maintain the soil’s acidity so that the camellia’s roots can access the nutrients required for flowering.

There isn’t much you can do if you’ve applied too much fertilizer in the short term. I would just stop using fertilizer for a year and add some mulch around the base of the camellia, and it should eventually recover and flower.

4. Too Much Shade for Blooming

Is your camellia hiding out in the shadiest part of your garden? This is probably what is preventing your camellia from flowering!

Camellias are similar to rhododendrons and azaleas in that they prefer to be under a canopy with dappled light throughout the day or a few hours of morning sun with shade in the afternoon.

Much like we discussed, with too much fertilizer, too much shade and camellias tend to grow lots of foliage but display fewer flowers.

In too much sun, our camellias can suffer from drought or sunburn, so some shade is often necessary, particularly in hot climates, whereas in cooler climates with more overcast days and less intense heat camellias can tolerate many more hours of sun so finding the right balance for you climate is key.

For example, when I lived in Southern California, my camellias grew and bloomed better in dappled light throughout the day. However, when I lived in Oregon (which has a more northern latitude, cooler climate, and more overcast days), I found that dappled light was not enough for the camellia to flower to its full potential.

It still flowered, but I always counted far fewer blooms on my camellias than when I lived in California.

I did some experimentation and found that when I located my camellia in morning sun followed by afternoon shade, the camellia flowered magnificently! My camellia got the best of the sun in the morning and didn’t have to stand in the afternoon sun, which can be much more harsh. It was the perfect balance for that climate!

If the camellia is in a very shaded area and not flowering, I would consider cutting some branches in the overhanging canopy to replicate the camellia’s ideal natural environment or moving it to an area of the garden with morning sun and shade in the afternoon to protect it from intense heat, as I did.

5. Camellia Flower Buds turned Brown due to Frost damage

So you’ve prepared the soil perfectly, and the camellia is in the perfect spot, yet there are no flowers? This very same scenario has happened to me!

Camellia flowering can depend on seasonal variation, as late frosts in the Spring can damage emerging flowers and prevent the camellia from blooming.

What I learned was that camellias bloom on last year’s growth, and the buds develop in the Summer and flower the following Spring. Therefore, the potential for a camellia to flower is at risk from an early frost in the Fall, as the flower buds have not had time to harden off before Winter.

Mine got damaged by frosts in the Fall! It was so annoying!

The phenomenon of cold weather damaging flower buds and preventing blooms is particularly common when there is a period of somewhat mild weather followed by an unseasonable cold snap, which often turns the flower buds brown.

I hadn’t noticed my buds had turned brown until I inspected them closely. The damage was quite subtle but nonetheless noticeable. The buds were kind of tinged brown and soft in parts. It was a sad state of affairs.

I spoke to some expert horticulturalists about this at the garden centre. They told me the secret is to plant camellias in a sheltered area, such as under a tree canopy or by a structure such as a shed, fence, or house. This can help mitigate against the risk of frost damage, as camellias are more vulnerable in open and windy areas.

Once the flower buds are frost-damaged, there is not much you can do to revive them, so prevention is better than cure.

What I personally do now is check the forecast regularly for any sudden cold snaps in the early Fall (which are thankfully not that common) and wrap my camellia in fleece if necessary.

The use of a cloche or fleece (available from Amazon and garden centers) is an effective way to protect your camellia buds from frost damage overnight, which is useful if a sudden cold snap is forecast which can save your flower buds and ensure your camellia blooms in the Spring.

I had to wait another year for my camellia to bloom again, but when it did, it was beautiful!

6. Drought Stress

As we discussed, camellias prefer consistently moist (but not saturated) soil. They are reasonably shallow-rooted plants, so they can suffer in droughts or fast-draining, dry, sandy soil.

Despite implementing all of the best practices, I had one year of very poor flower display from my camellias. After some investigation, I diagnosed the problem as being the very dry summer I had the previous year.

I researched this and found that drought stress, particularly in the Summer, can hinder the development of flower buds from which flowers emerge the following season and limit the time this year’s flowers display.

Therefore, it is important to ensure that the soil around the camellia’s roots does not dry out completely.

Here are my best tips and tricks for preventing drought stress so that the camellia can flower are:

• Plant camellias in soil that have been amended significantly with compost, leaf mould, or well-rotted manure to help retain moisture.
• Applying a 1-inch layer of mulch around the camellia to further conserve moisture and avoid sunlight directly on the soil which can dry the soil out quickly.
• Provide camellias with some shade in the hot afternoons (morning sun followed by afternoon shade is best) or dappled light of a tree canopy so that the soil does not dry out in the sun.
• Camellias often do not require watering for most of the year (unless they are in the first year of planting), but they do appreciate a generous soak once a week during the hottest and driest weeks of Summer.

The key for me is to give the camellia a really good soak with a soaker hose in the dry Summer months while those buds are forming.

Since I have implemented these tips myself (well-prepared soil and watering when necessary), my camellia has sufficient moisture for healthy growth, developing flower buds, and flower longevity. This has made a massive difference to the number and quality of the flowers.

7. Are You Pruning at the Wrong Time Of Year? (Removing the Flower Buds)

Camellias are not necessarily prolific growers, and much like rhododendrons, they do not necessarily require annual pruning (I actually like them because of this! It is less maintenance for us gardeners!), particularly as this can be detrimental to flowering.

So we’ve talked about camellias flowering in the Spring, and after flowering, in the Summer, the flower buds for next year’s flowers develop.

The mistake I see people make is that they prune their camellia in late Summer, cutting back all the wood and branches that host the developing flower buds. Therefore, as you can imagine the camellia does not display flowers the following year.

To avoid cutting back the growth that develops the flower buds, prune your camellia (only if necessary) straight after flowering.

I personally have not pruned my camellia for many, many years due to its modest growth rate, and when I do, it’s only a very, very light trim; if it has gotten too tall or wide for the space, it’s planted.

If you prune immediately after flowering in early Spring, then the camellia has the rest of the growing season to grow more branches that support developing flower buds; however, if you leave it too late in the season for pruning, then it is likely the buds are already developing and cutting back now would prevent the camellia for blooming the following year.

Have You Recently Replanted your Camellia?

I got a question from one of my readers, Maragret who commented:

“I replanted my camelia plant last april after flowering . It is in a container with eicaceous compost and in partial shade .I protected if from frost by covering at night but although it has foliage and leaf buds there is no sign of flowering .can you help me please ?” –Margaret

Answer: I have experienced the same thing myself when I repotted my camellia. What happens is that camellias can stay healthy in terms of foliage but refuse to flower for a year in protest of being moved! It often takes a year from them to adjust to their new home before flowering well.

By the next year my camellia had adjusted annd flowered very well. In the first year the camellia directs its energy into establishing the roots in the soil rather then flowering (which is a very energy intensive process). I’ve found this typically takes a year, but I’ve seen examples of having t wait 2 years before the camellia displayed flowers.

Do you have any questions about camellias or tips that have worked for you? If so, please leave a comment below! I’ll reply to any questions you have!

Key Takeaways:

• Camellias do not flower most often because of frost damage or pruning at the wrong time. A late frost can damage the developing flower buds and cause the camellia not to bloom.
• Pruning in late summer can remove the camellia’s flower buds and prevent the camellia from blooming the following year.
• Drought stress and sandy, poor soil can cause fewer flowers. Camellias prefer rich, consistently moist soil to bloom.
• Too much shade can reduce blooms, as camellia flowers are best in dappled sunlight. Too much nitrogen can cause lots of foliage growth but few flowers.