I'm not sure about the clusters but I expect the open bud has got frost burn - which is normal, unfortunately and nothing can be done about it.

Most japonicas, reticulatas, and their hybrids benefit from disbudding, but sasanquas and saluensis hybrids don't need it.

I'd have said those buds are new leaves not flowers...

Thank you both, still don't know whether to disbud or not.

I think the fat ones are flower buds and the pointy ones leaf buds, I tend to remove a few of the tiniest but its risky, you can snap the fat one by accident, or the big one flowers early and gets frosted.....
if you hadn't disbudded you would have a spare.....
why not just disbud the most cluttered and see what happens......sort of an experiment.

I wouldn't remove any of the buds, they are mostly, if not all leaf buds. Your camellia grows new leaves each year as it gets bigger.

Thanks for your views ladies....must admit I have taken some off!! so will leave it alone and see what happens.

Hmm...I'm seeing 6 flower buds and 2 leaf buds in the first picture, MG. In the lower picture, the proportions are a little more normal--1 leaf bud to 2-3 flower buds.

Sorry Tugb. from my experience with Camellia's in Scotland they are almost all leaf buds… I've never had to remove flower buds from a Camellia, perhaps it is different in the States.

I'm not far from Gralew Mg and I think the lovely summer we had last year after the rain of the year before has spurred them into flower production, I have not as many to a cluster but only two or three, I've been removing the smallest ones if they are accessible, dont want to damage the leaf buds or big flowerbuds

That could make sense Pamg

They usuall succumb to a late frost, even though its in a sheltered spot facing west.....