(Zone 7b, Birmingham, AL)

On either side of our front door, we have large pots in which we planted October Magic Bride camellias last Autumn. They seemed to both do well over the winter, but in the Spring, one of them started looking very sick while the other was thriving. Nurseryman we purchased them from thought perhaps there wasn't enough drainage in the one pot. After it just wouldn't stop dropping leaves, we purchased a new one--couldn't remember the name Magic Bride and ended up with a Magic Snow. He also suggested some pentas as filler, but they grew bigger and higher than the camellias and I have removed them and planted them in the ground.

At any rate, this new Magic Snow looked BEAUTIFUL when we planted it in the Spring--bigger and fuller than the already-healthy Magic Bride. But in the past month or so (when the pentas were still in there), I realized how brown the leaves were becoming on the Snow. That's when I removed the pentas and started watering like crazy. But we now have the same thing all over again: one healthy camellia and one sick-looking camellia. The leaves on the healthy one are glossy and deep green; the sick one has lost most of its leaves and what's left are dull and more pale.

When I potted the new camellia, I made sure there was plenty of drainage this time. Now I'm wondering if I created too much drainage. But when I use those terra cotta plant watering spikes, the water in the bottles doesn't move at all (I put two in the one pot). Don't know what's up with that.

This is depressing me. I'm not a green thumb, but why would one be so healthy and the other not? The unhealthy one probably gets a little more sun--should I switch them? Repot with less drainage?

Healthy Magic Bride

Struggling Magic Snow

Since I took the pentas out, both containers looks a little sparse. What could I add as filler that isn't going to take any nutrients from the unhealthy one? (And yes, I have been fertilizing with Osmocote.)

Thinking of selling our house, and want so badly to have two beautiful pots on either side of the front door. :-(