No matter how much TLC you give your garden, gardeners can still run the risk of accidentally damaging their plants. If you've noticed the rhododendron and camellias in your garden have failed to show their wonderful blooms, you may be making a mistake without realising it.

Gardening expert Michael Griffiths explained there could be a few reasons why these flowers haven't bloomed, but they are easily fixable, so you can rescue them for next year. You should turn your attention to the soil they're growing in. In a recent TikTok video, Michael said: "If your camellia or rhododendron didn't flower this year, it's probably due to one of three reasons."

A main concern for gardeners when growing rhododendron and camellias is the acidity level in the soil. Both of the plants thrive in an acidic soil.

By planting the flowers in alkaline soil, they'll grow loads of leaves instead of flowers. To fix this issue, Michael suggested using an ericaceous compost or another item that will increase the acidity level in the soil.

According to Gardeners' World, rhododendrons should be planted in a humus-rich acidic soil, where the soil should be neutral to acidic. For camellias, you want to make sure the soil has a pH level of six to 6.5.

If the blooming issue isn't down to the acidity level of the soil, there are two other possibilities that could be impacting your flowers. Michael pointed out that pruning the flowers at the wrong time of year could impact their bloom.

Camellias typically bloom between October and April, so they are coming to the end of their current blooming cycle. On the other hand, rhododendrons should flower between April and July, so you should already see some life on the plant.

These plants, according to Michael, "set" their flowers in the previous year, meaning that if you pruned in summer, autumn or winter, you may have pruned off the flowers by accident. He said: "So if you pruned in summer, autumn or winter, you might have cut them off before they even had a chance."

To remedy this, Michael advised to prune the plants just after they've flowered.

Lastly, Michael explained that the plants getting too much shade in the garden, or the plants coming under too much stress can cause them to not flower. He said: "They like dappled light, not deep shade, and if there's been a drought, frost or too much wind, they might abort their buds."

To make sure the plants are kept in the correct environment, check their light levels in the garden, water consistently, and protect them from any harsh weather conditions.