Question
I planted a Mrs. K. Sawada camellia in my front yard (in Tallahassee, Florida) about a month ago. Unfortunately, I am a novice gardener, and I think I might have killed it by not digging a big enough hole to amend the clayey soil properly. Its many flower buds have turned brown and never opened, and most of the leaves are wilting. Is it too late for this poor plant, or is there something I can do to save it? Would it be possible to dig it up and replant it in the same spot under better conditions, or would that spell certain death for it? I believe that the light (dappled sun) is fine, and I did take care not to plant it too deep. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!  

Answer
Tracy,
It sounds like the plnt went into trnsplant shock. Did you keep it watered after you planted it? The lack of water is one of the quickest ways to send a plant into transplant shock. Conversely, since you mentioned clay soils, there is a possibility that you over watered it. The symptoms that you gave me can be caused by either of these problems.
I would not recommend moving the plant since this would almost definetely kill the camellia. There is very little that you can do except to watch the water and use a light rate of fertilizer to try to stimulate the plant to recover.

Ed Gulliksen