Dryness at the roots when new flower bud are forming can be a problem. These are formed in the previous season.

I suspect though that it may not necessarily be this but lack of potassium in the soil. Tell her to give it a granular rose food fertiliser a couple of times a year and also mulch around the base with composted bark.

Water well once a week during dry weather (especially at this time of year) as the flower buds if forming will fail to develop and become growth buds instead.

thanx fractal, no buds at all but will give her info on fertiliser and mulching, and hope it helps ;o)

Back in London I had a camellia, it took more than 5 years to flower, but then... the soil was heavy clay, I started mixing ericaceuos compost into the soil.... then it flowered, but all along it looked very healthy, just no flowers. Once it had started flowering, there was no stopping it.

thankyou michaella will pass that on to ;o))

I have a red camellia which is about two years old (I have had it one year) and it flowered earlier in the year. A friend of mind advised me to give it ericacious(? not sure of spelling) compost which I did. I don't know whether this made it flower or not but apparently camellias like it. I bought it in liquid form which you add to the watering can and water in around the roots. It's available in most gardening places. The label on the bottle states it is suitable for camellias, hydrangeas, rhodedendrums, azaleas and magnolias.

This is the time of the year ,as mentioned by Fractal that, a nice lot of rain and some ericaceous fertiliser helps to bud them up for next flowering. I was hoping todays rain would fill a couple of butts for me to be able to give them a boost, alas no. I shall have to get the hose out soon if it goes on like this.

thanx sheilar and Dorjac, im passing on the info ;o)