Camellia question and cherry blossom question

[seeyouinanotherlifewhenwearebothcats]

This is the second year I’ve noticed the camellia has lots of buds but they don’t all flower and it looks droopy and a bit sad. Neighbours have the same camellia and it looks stunning, lots of flowers. Is there anything I should be doing to encourage a better display next year?

Re the cherry blossom it’s inherited. Unfortunately before we got here it was hidden by brambles and briars. We got all that cut away in 2022 but it’s all gnarled in shape. I appreciated last year would be a recovery year and we got one very sad blossom. It doesn’t seem to have anything promising happening this year. Is it just done? I’d so love to keep it 🌸 Thank you in advance for advice

I'd be tempted to reshape the cherry by a bit of pruning (do it in summer though, and feed it afterwards).

The camellia looks healthy enough, do you feed it with ericraceous feed? Mulch it with either leaf mould or composted pine needles or ericraceous compost, and water it in summer - I think thats the time of year when flower buds are forming. Or ask next door what they do with theirs!

Is it cold where you are? That camellia looks quite exposed so maybe your neighbours one is more protected? If the flower buds get frost on they go brown and don't open.

@Saz12 thanks for this. No I’ve never fed the camellia, I will do this. Thanks I’ll try and prune the cherry this summer and hope for better next year. It is a very sorry shape 🙈

@UniversalTruth yeah we do get quite cold, we’re in a bit of a wind tunnel and are higher up than next door so definitely more exposed, that’s a good point.

The cherry will recover now it has been uncovered.

When it comes to the camellia, it looks like it needs feeding - maybe give it some liquid seaweed as a pick-up, which will replace the minerals it is lacking. I find that mine can behave like that some years, usually when it has got dry in August or September, when it is developing the next year's buds. So I water mine if we have had a long dry spell. Agree with the pp who says it could also be frost damage.

@citrinetrilogy thank you! Ok I will definitely make it a priority to water and feed. Re frost, what should I do in that event? Cover with fleece?

It's tricky to say really, but protecting it from freezing winds could only help.