Too much sun?

hmmm... well it's in semi-shade, so I don't think so. I have it planted near a tall wooden fence, and it gets some afternoon sun, but again, it's not full sun. ???

Merry Christmas, goldiemom! Although your picture is not clear enough to do a close-up scan, it looks like too much sun to me as well. Camellias planted in full sun or against a south orwest facing wall often get sunscald. The leaves on the side of the plant directly exposed to the sun will develop scorched or bronzed areas.

When that happens, leaf-spotting fungi sometimes also infect the scorched area of the leaves. Prevent sunscald by planting in a shadier location or by providing more shade than their present location currently does (use windbreaks made of burlap or canvas). The ideal location should provide either bright indirect light or morning sun.

Once the leaves have turned brown, they will not recover but they may take their time dropping down. For aesthethic reasons and to prevent fungal infection, some people remove them.

Did you recently (days?/couple of weeks?) plant this camellia or has it been in that location for some time? Some camellias suffer some sunscald now when their source of shade -say, a tree- loses its leaves in the winter.

Possibility #2: consider winter injury. Kramer's Supreme is borderline Zone 7. Most of the vendors that I checked classify it as Zone 8 and higher for outdoor use; the minority rated it Zone 7. A windbreak may help if this is the case.

I assume that you have no mineral defficiencies, insects/pests or high alkaline PH Levels in your soil.

Luis

oooh, well I think I need to move it. It is placed on a south faceing fence...argh! I live in Greenville, NC, zone 7B. I just bought and planted it this Fall. Should I wait until spring to move it? We've had some warm days and the soil should be workable... argh!

The best time to move them is when the plant is semi-dormant (during the winter) so take advantage of the break in the cold weather now. Also, remember to water during the winter if the ground has not frozen and the weather is dry. I almost lost two Kramer's myself last year due to the on-going drought... I turned off the sprinkler when the temps dropped below freezing and forgot to turn it back on & water for 3-4 weeks! Ouch!

p.s. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you, too!