Camellia 'Anticipation' problems — and how to fix them

Less common than with japonicas due to the williamsii hybrid vigour, but drought stress at bud set in autumn can still cause losses; water consistently from August.

Unlike the species norm, spent blooms occasionally cling on in wet springs; manually remove them to prevent botrytis developing on the dead petals.

Interveinal yellowing in alkaline soils; apply sequestered iron chelate and switch to rainwater if mains water is limey.

Notched leaf margins and root damage; apply nematode treatment (Steinernema kraussei) to the root zone in late summer.

Shell-shaped brown scale on stems; treat with horticultural oil in spring when temperatures are mild and crawlers are active.