I would start monitoring the soil moisture to make it as evenly moist as possible. Then use those cheap soil test kits to see if the potting mix is somewhat acidic and not low in minerals. Plants in pots have to be watered often because they dry out easily (especially in windy locations). And all that watering leeches the nutrients "down the drain holes" so you have to fertilize more frequently than if planted on the ground. Adding mulch might be a good idea too.

Here is a link on container grown camellias:
https://www.americancamellias.com/care-culture-resources/general-culture-requirements/container-grown-camellias

Luis has given you excellent advice re caring for the plant.

The plant looks healthy to me- it just needs a bit of shape-pruning to improve its appearance. In terms of getting it to look less "scraggly", you'll want to cut the plant back to promote bushiness.

As a general rule, a camellia that has gotten tall and lanky ought to cut back pretty far to promote branching, but since this is a public plant that is expected to stay looking nice, you might need to do this in steps, rather than all at once?

Since the camellia has been getting good care for a few months, and has flowered, I think it would be fine to go ahead and cut it back a little. Once you see how the camellia puts out new leaves in reponse to that initial pruning, that will give you an idea about how to proceed for a fuller, leafier shrub.

Something to keep in mind is that camellias set their flower buds for the next season soon after they finish flowering. This means that if you prune after that window of opportunity closes you may be sacrificing the next season's blooms. It won't hurt the plant to do so; you just may not get as many flowers as you might have had otherwise.

There's a lot of good info online about how and when to prune; here's a link for starters:

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1724266.htm

It helps to know what look you're aiming for, and then shape according to that goal and how your individual shrub responds to pruning. Camellias all respond well to pruning, but they are slow-growing so it may take a few years before you start seeing the shape you like.

Good luck,

Virginia

Hello both, thank you for the advice. I've decided the best thing to do is to find someone to take the plant off my hands and give it a good home. I'll let them decide if and how they want to prune it rather than doing it myself but I'll pass on your advice.

Since I just transferred it to the new pot, how long should I wait before I move it again?

If it were me, I'd move it right away. Why let it start to recover and then stress it all over again? "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well. It were done quickly", to quote the Bard....

Others might disagree.

Good luck,

Virginia