nothing dies in shade ... it just MIGHT lack vigor ... grow less .. or flower less.. etc ...

how that all works in your shade is left to trying .. as describing 'shade' in words.. really ets us no where ... so just try ... i see the shade is dappled.. so that is in your favor ....

one thing for sure.. for most of us.. july/august is not the best time to plant ... it might be better to hold them until the cooler nights of fall so they have a cool recovery period to get over whatever the day heat did to them ... see good primer below ...

as to the current weather.. it would help to know where you are.. big city name ...

sooo.. bottom line.. just try it..but do it in the right planting season ...which is section one at the link ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

I'm in the LA area - Rancho Cucamonga 91737

first.. no fair putting location in the title.. i saw.. it.. then reread the post 3 times to verify CA... and couldnt find it.. lol ...

second .....i used to have sunglasses that got dark in sun ...

in touring hundreds of gardens ... shade can be anything from my glasses being dark as possible ... due to high trimmed huge trees.. though still full shade ...

to a grotto under tall low trees where when you walk out from it.. you have to squint for 10 mins with a blinding headache ...

so simply saying shade.. really means little ...

and as i noted.. the pic answered most of it.. when i noted its dappled with sunlight... so its not a grotto ...

third.. good luck

ken

Got a couple more pix...

Is there a better camellia that WOULD work in this space?

One of the problems trying to grow Asian plants in CA is that our summer air is bone-dry. Unless you are in a fog belt, I find that almost everything (roses included) does better with a little shade. Local sources would serve you best here - nurseries, botanical gardens or master gardeners/county extension. The Huntington and the LA Arboretum would both be good places to visit.

Not really. Most camellias will enjoy similar growing conditions and many will thrive quite happily in full sun. But none will bloom very well if too shaded. And your most recent photos show the area to be even more heavily shaded than the first batch. It may be a stretch to consider that 'dappled' shade. I'd want to know for how many hours daily is the area that dark.

Down there you'll need your camellias to be shaded - as camellias are at Descanso, the Hunt and Nuccio's. If it were my planting I wouldn't worry about the aspect of it.

Hi, sorry to jump in like this. I need some camellia advice and was trying to post here but it’s not working. Can anyone explain how I can get my post to show up in this forum?

You have to start a new post in the camellia forum, lara.