Camellia japonica 'Silver Anniversary'

The final pure bud under the fresh growth

Love white camellia 😍😍 I bought a new one this year but at least 2 years till it flowers 😥 Need to be patient...

:) How big is it?

@ublaszko

Bought this camellia last October and went to look at its first bloom today and ended up spotting these little black insects! Feel like they weren't there on the weekend, and although they don't seem to be doing any harm to the plant (yet) I''d like to know what they are and how to get rid of them :) Any thoughts

Use a bug spray... That is non toxic.. That will kill them!

I think they might be blackfly and they leave sticky honeydew which can attract fungi. You can spray it with insecticide to get rid of them. I tried soapy water before but it didn't seem to work. Or they could be pollen beetles. Google them online to see which ones they are. Pollen beetles do not harm plant so if that's what it is just let them be 😊

@ublaszko Thanks! I had the same issue with soapy water, they just came back! I feel awful now,I really hope they weren't pollen beetles because I've sprayed them with inseciticide now :( Thanks for your help though (again 😉)

I think they were blackfly. Pollen beetles are more likely to be found in the centre of the flower rather than on flowerbuds. Soapy water seems to work on greenflies but doesn't even touch whiteflies or blackflies. I try to use insecticide early in spring to prevent aphids in the first place because my garden is in shade so no bees or butterflies yet.

@ublaszko Thanks!

Anyone know why this camellia isnt flowering? Does it take a few years to get going because I only planted it in Autumn. #advice

It looks healthy and I think the big round buds in the middle might be flowerbuds. The small pointy buds are leaf buds. Camellias take a couple of years to get going, depending on how mature they are when you buy them. I bought my first camellia 2 years ago and this is the first year it has a flowerbud (just one 😅). I bought another one last spring but no sign of flowerbuds on that one.

@ublaszko Ah thanks! So it'll probably flower soon then?

They start flowering around March so a few more weeks 😊👍

@ublaszko Ooh cant wait!

So excited for this plant! 28.10.2018