"Mike E" wrote in message
...

"Mike E" wrote in message
...
Okay this is a little sensitive so please bear with me. My wife and I
bought two Camellia's about 6 weeks back. One was to go straight in to
the ground and the other in a pot. The one in the pot was to be very
special to us as it was in memoriam of our child that we lost at an early
age.
However, I discovered last night to my horror that we have planted them
the wrong way round and that the one in the pot should be in the ground.
What is the best thing to do in regards to swapping them. If I swap them
now will it be too much of a shock to the plants and kill them both off?
As you can imagine losing the plants would devastate my wife right now.

Thank you all so much x

I'm sure you could lift them both easily after such a short time. Because
of the time of year, you will have to water them thoroughly until they
establish, but I don't see a problem otherwise. Because of their importance
to you, I'm sure you'll take really good care of them. I have a few 'in
memoriam' plants in my garden and I know how helpful they can be. I hope
they ease your loss.

Going back to cultivation, I should mention that Camellias start to build up
to flower bud production in late summer. Watering well from August thro'
autumn (and in winter if very dry), will help prevent bud drop and should
ensure flowering, especially if you give them a high potash feed (ie
Tomerite) once they've settled in. Do not, however, give them a general or
high nitrogen feed now, as they may produce soft, sappy growth which may be
damaged by early frosts.

Spider