By Dipadee
Berkshire,
United Kingdom 
The flowers on my Camelia (which is in a tub and had lots of buds and some flowers at one point) has now just got brown buds and some flowers are also brown. A lot of the buds have dropped off too. It has been protected from frost as its been on a covered patio and well sheltered. I had hoped it was going to look wonderful but now it just looks a mess. Any ideas why please? Thank you
27 Apr, 2015
Answers
Thank you, lots of things to think about now!
27 Apr, 2015
The most likely explanation is shortage of water while the buds were present. Flowers tend to brown within a few days of opening, and its particularly noticeable on the paler varieties, such as those with yellow flowers, so whether that's what's happening with yours I can't say, it depends on how long the flowers were open without turning brown.
Other causes of these problems include late feeding last year - if you fed it with fertiliser past the end of July last year, that can cause bud drop in spring. Other reasons for flowers to brown are Camellia Flower Blight or Grey Mould - symptoms are similar in both, and similar with frost damage.
27 Apr, 2015