Thanks - I think it is a soil pH and lack of fertilizer issue, I have never fertilized it. The soil is poor and clay-based here, but I added soil amend and mulch when I planted the gardens in 2012. I have mostly salvias and some natives in the sunny areas but this shady corner was perfect for the camellia, it is supposed to be tolerant of some direct sun. I just bought a second plant of the same variety and now I see how much lighter color the older one's leaves are from the deep forest green they once were! I also found at the nursery a fertilizer mix for camellias and azelias that is supposed to also acidify the soil, so I followed the directions on the bag and added 2 cups worked into the soil under the mulch.

There may also be an insect problem I have bee battling whiteflies for the past 2 years. I tried the sticky traps which did nothing, I've had better success spraying plants with the dish soap mixture and then hosing off an hour later. But the camellia did not appear to be infested so I haven't "cleaned" it. I just inspected the leaves and there are some tiny raised rust colored spots underneath - not the white ones usually cause by whitefly. Is this a different insect or is this a fungal infection possibly associated with the whitefly sticky crud?

Japonicas are not too tolerant of sun. Sasanquas can handle full sun in some areas.

Yes, the specs of rust can be a fungal disease. I have seen it in hydrangeas but so far, not in my camellias. Can you post a picture? Whiteflies excrete a liquid that becomes honeydew and becomes infected with sooty mold growth but that tends to be a different color.

Yes, a photo of the leaves (over and under) can help someone- probably Luis!- figure out whether sunburn is really the issue, and what the bumps are.

Good luck,

Virginia

I'll try to take a picture close up tomorrow in daylight... I only have my phone to take pictures and I had a hard time getting a clear picture. Maybe I need to pick leaf and photograph it off the plant. It doesn't look like the mildew I have seen on the whitefly honeydew - it's more like pimples, little raised dots.

I've never seen any whiteflies flying off the camellia when I water, they seem to like my rosemary, catmint and lavenders - I thought the oils in those plants would keep them away but I see clouds of them when I water those plants. I just had to remove my large rosemary bush that was hopelessly damaged an infected, and the catmint. I'm hoping if I remove the worst infected plants that I can control the whitefly.

It is a Sasanqua, luis_pr, and has done very well in this spot until this year, it has shade from a fence on 2 sides and the house on another side so it doesn't get a lot of direct sun. This is the one: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59993/

Here are the photos - it does look like some of it is mildew maybe from honeydew but some of it looks different - the rusty colored spots. Looking back at photos of my garden from last year everything looks so healthy and this year just blah :(

Looks like Aphid damage to me with the honeydew as you noticed. The insects eat the top/bottom parts of the leaf and the remaining part sometimes turns brown making you think it is rust. The dark lesions could be a sunlight issue or a fungal infection that opportunistic fungi developed on a leaf that the aphids muched on.

What can I do to help the plant recover? I've removed some of the herbs that were really covered with the whitefly, I have tried spraying off the leaves as much as I can with water to keep them cleaner. Is there something nontoxic I can use? I had those yellow sticky traps, they didn't catch any of the pests and just looked ugly and eventually got covered with dust.

Just out of curiosity, what part of the world does this plant inhabit? If in the U.S., you might want to contact your local extension agent for advice about identifying and resolving any pest and disease issues for your plants... whether you've got whiteflies, aphids, scale, neighbors spraying Round-Up too near your plants or what-have-you. They can advise of problems local to you, and if you decide to use NEEM or summer oil or something else, they can help you figure out the best timing for your area. If you aren't in the U.S., your area may have some equivalent agency offering free gardening advice. Or a local camellia club can be a good source of local info.

If aphids are your problem, ladybugs and lacewings are some of your best friends...

Good luck,

Virginia

I am in the San Francisco bay area, California. I've never been able to get a hold of an extension agent, but maybe I can bring some leaves to a nursery for advice.

I know we have whitefly in this garden it's infested, I see them fly up when I water plants - I just hadn't seen them actually on this plant but now I wonder if the larger sturdier leaves just shelter the whiteflies from the water stream when I've sprayed.

I did have aphids on some sun parasol vines in my front garden 2 years ago they were the bright orange type. First I tried releasing ladybugs - they flew away and I never saw any again. Then I used neem soap on the plants and sprayed with water every few days to remove the honeydew and blast off some bugs, eventually I got rid of them and haven't seen them since. I examined this camallia for aphids and can't see any on it unless they are blending in better with the green plant. But the spraying hasn't helped I guess I need to use the neem soap again.

My neighbor doesn't use roundup she has small dogs and doesn't use chemicals in her garden.

That bronzing and spotting is typical of thrip damage to camellias, something very common but overlooked.

rhizo_1 , I had never heard of thrips so googled them when you posted - thank you! This is exactly what happened to my beautiful rosemary bushes - they turned pale, blotchy and the leaves curved down. It sounds like similar methods of control to whitefly - neem soap, blasting with water, and predator insects.. and blue sticky traps rather than yellow. I just released a tub of ladybugs back there 2 nights ago, I hope they will stick around and eat whatever is eating my plants.

Get some Bayer-Insect, mites, and diesease spray from a home improvement store and spray both the top and undersides of the leaves. This will help rid the insects.

tlbean thanks but I do not want to use pesticides in my garden.

Just an update - I released a container of ladybugs a few days ago but I haven't seen them around. I have noticed that already since adding the fertilizer the camellia is coming in with green darker green growth and shedding a lot of damaged leaves. I think whatever multiple things are going on the plant was stressed by lack of food and probably too-alkaline soil and seems to be on the mend.

I'm glad to hear that your shrub is responding well to nourishment and acidification. Hopefully, it will be less attractive to the creepy-crawlies as its health improves...

Ladybug releases are an iffy thing... they will go where the pests are most plentiful, and that might not always be in your yard. If they settle nearby, though, you may see them again if you have high populations of aphids or other pests they feed on.

And if you see something that looks like this, leave it be; it's a ladybug-in-the-works: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfraven/4899763438

Virginia

This has happened to all of the camellias I've tried growing. The first couple of years it grows and blooms great, then they start to fade more and more even though I stick to the same fertilizing regime and care. No flowers, leaves brown and fall off.. My prediction is that once the roots get to the extremely heavy clay, it just can't take it. I wonder if there are any camellias well suited for heavy clay soil.