This would benefit from a hard pruning. And it can be done as late as the beginning of May without concern for next fall's flowers. Flower buds for the following season are set in mid to late summer.

Thanks, GardenGal48. Would it be OK to prune them now or best to wait for spring?

Those are pretty sparse and leggy camellias. I can't imagine it is a shade problem which makes me think it is a deer problem.

Christopher, Thanks for trying to blame deer, but I’m afraid their poor condition is the result of my multiple failures. I planted them too close together 5 years ago, was mainly satisfied that they survived pretty well on neglect but didn’t give them adequate attention after having them transplanted last year. The question now is whether I can salvage them with pruning and better care.

Sasanqua or fall/early winter flowering camellias actually prefer a lot of sun. Too much shade will result in the sparse, leggy look you see here as well as decreased flowering. In addition to a good pruning, siting where they will receive at least 4 hours of early day sun will result in a fuller, denser and a more floriferous shrub.

The leggy one is definitely in area that doesn’t get that much sun, I’m afraid.

tree time is counted in decades.. shrub time in about half that ...

if you want a mature plant that looks like it is 5 years old.. YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO WAIT 5 YEARS ... and STOP CUTTING ON IT ... and in less than perfect sun.. add years ...

fert will never solve the TIME issue ...

unless i misread.. you already pruned it once.. and now you want to prune it again ... WHY ... put down the pruners and STEP AWAY ....

have patience.. and it will come ..

always prune out damaged part ... otherwise plants.. shrubs do NOT need annual pruning ... sounds like an old wives tale to me ...

just stop pruning... and give it 3 years.. and lo and behold.. it will be larger and thicker ... more full ...

ken

btw.. this is not a landscape forum issue.. and there is a shrub forum ... no need to duplicate the post.. just fyi ...

ken

ps: a landscaper will always tell you something needs pruning.. its how them make money ... a shrub person might be more interested in what is best for the shrub.. not the winter home payment ....

Transplanting can certainly cause them to shed leaves. They are still alive a year later, so yes, they are salvageable. I would hold off on any pruning until spring. They can use the extra leaves over the winter to help them get established. Fertilize and do any pruning in spring shortly before growth resumes.

Unfortunately, you are going to receive comments from those that are not even able to grow these shrubs so their advice may be rather flawed due to lack of familiarity :-)) No one mentioned anything about annual pruning! Or fertilizing!

Like their other ericaceous cousins rhodies and azaleas, camellias have adventitious buds all along their stems that are triggered into growth when the shrub is pruned. It is a long established method for reducing a leggy appearance and creating a shorter, denser plant.