can this camellia be saved?

This gorgeous old camellia came with the house, but unfortunately, is growing practically IN the house. It's got to come out, and I'd love to move it if possible. I expect a sizable portion of the root ball is under the foundation and won't be coming out. (I love the camellia, but I love the front porch & living room more.) Any rule of thumb about how much of the root system this plant can stand to lose?

When is the best time of year to do this?

If it's a fair certainty the plant will not survive being dug up, I'd like to salvage part of it. Can I just cut off a piece and root it somehow?

Not that big, but I have moved a few of mine and they transplanted pretty well. I did trim it back by about 1/4th due to cutting so many roots when I dug it. They looked ok the next season and great the year after that. Dont exactly remember when I did it, but probably after it bloomed which would be about now. Wait for more opinions.
good luck and Happy Easter,
chris

The best time to move the Camellia is November through February in Georgia. I would do a little reseach on it if I were you, but I think as large as it is I would start out as far as you can and dig a trench around the entire bush, trimming the roots as you work....you need to go out as far as the branches are if possible, then I would leave it trenched for several days, before moving it to a spot that has already been completely prepared....I have found that when moving larger shrubs it is best to do it in stages to avoid as much shock as possible...once it is loosened from the hole I would lie it onto a tarp or sheet and transport it and immediately plant it in its new home. They are truly wonderful shrubs and give so much beauty...good luck!

pmg, That is why I said wait for other opinions. I would have you moving it now. Thanks for the rescue Janet. I usually do successful things by accident, I just plant so much that some of it has to succeed.
chris

Can't you just prune it back severely and keep it under control.. It is just gorgeous. Is it growing in the foundation???
I will definitely plant my lemon drop far enough away from the corner of the house. Give it room for future growth. ..
Elaine

I've pruned it mercilessly a couple of times over seven years. It comes back more robust than ever each time. My mother moved one from the yard it grew in for nearly 40 years, to their new house. It didn't bloom for a couple of years, but recovered completely and now (17 years later) looks like it's been there all the time. The only thing that really worries me about this one is that I'll lose so much of the root ball.
If November is the best time to try moving it, then I've got time to try rooting some cuttings, right? Better read up on that.
JanetS -- taking things in stages makes a lot of sense. Question: when I trench around it, I'll be able to come out as far from the trunk as I need to on two sides. (That little fence section is coming out, that was just to screen the hose & gas meter. After moving the camellia, I'm going to extend that whole bed to wrap around the front of the porch.) But on the two sides next to the house and porch, I won't be able to go far out from the trunk at all. Should I go ahead and cut those roots when I dig the trench, and maybe wrap the ends in damp rags (I have this impulse to bandage the stumps!) until I move it a few days later? Or will it be less of a shock to cut those roots last thing before loosening it and removing it?
Also, should I prune it before moving it? If so, how far ahead of time, to lessen the shock? (I can't even remember offhand the right time to prune--after blooming is over?)