How much pruning are you talking about? Does it have any leaves now? Some of my early blooming japonicas decided to bloom, sleep and start finishing their bloomage now. I have not noticed new leaves opening here yet so you may just want to wait and continue watering to keep the soil as evenly moist as possible. I fertilize later this month; if you think there may be a problem, do not fertilize now as stressed plants should not be fertilized.

Jeff, thank you very much for this link. I think you may be right about my camellia being under attack of petal blight. I will change mulch. I am a bit reluctant to use chemicals.My garden is an organic garden and I try to keep it free from strong chemicals. But if it is the ONLY way to save my sick camellia- then be it. You asked about the weather in NSW. We do not get a lot of rain. It is true that it rained few weeks ago for about few days but frankly, it was not enought to cause a damage to any of my plants. The soil is very dry. Humidity? No, I am afraid I am not exposed to it. We are in the middle of Australian winter. Hence few frosts but not very significant. I wonder- could the same problem be caused by insufficient amount of water in the ground? With current water restrictions in NSW I can water it only twice a week. Is this enough? My other beautiful camellias are doing great and drink only a teaspoon of water (compering to the sick one). They are very healthy and happy. I invite you to have a look at thumbnail photos- to enlarge them just click on them. Thanks for helping !

It is hard to tell until you actually check and no longer see "green" (then it is too late of course). Since leaf out could take a while and may not occur until Spring, I would make sure that they remain well mulched and that the soil is as evenly moist as you can (with no periods of dry followed by wet followed by dry and so forth). About 3-4" of mulch up to the drip line should suffice and should lengthen the days between waterings. Test the soil with a finger to make sure you are not overdoing it (insert a finger to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry). Pick up any plant debris under the trees & dispose in the trash or compost pile while you are watering. Before watering, amend the soil if your soil is alkaline so you do not have to water a second time after amending the soil.

Well, I did a little research and the news is NOT good. I'm wondering if I can save this plant at all now....(sigh...). http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic2053.htm Diseases Camellia Dieback and Canker: This is one of the most serious of all camellia diseases and is caused by the fungus Glomerella cingulata. Leaves on affected branches suddenly turn yellow and wilt. Branch tips usually die. Gray blotches appear on the bark and stem, and then sunken areas (cankers) develop, eventually girdling the stem. Parts of the plant above the stem canker lose vigor, wilt and die. Damaged plants show more symptoms during hot, dry weather.