Sasanqua camellia

Sun

Partial shade, ideally with morning sun and afternoon shade. Tolerates more sun than many other camellias if the roots stay moist; avoid exposed, hot afternoon sites.

Water

Keep evenly moist but never waterlogged. Water deeply during dry spells, especially while establishing and while flower buds develop in summer.

Soil

Acidic, humus-rich, well-drained soil, ideally pH 5.5-6.5. Use ericaceous potting mix in containers where garden soil is alkaline.

Height

6-15 ft (1.8-4.6 m), depending on cultivar and pruning

Spread

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Flowers

Autumn into early winter; white, pink or red flowers, sometimes bicoloured, in single, semi-double or double forms. Timing varies with cultivar and climate.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, glossy, dark green leaves with finely toothed edges; new growth may be bronze-tinted.

Growth

Moderate; slower in cool climates or poor growing conditions.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   3 ft (0.92 m)

3. After 2 years

   4 ft (1.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   6 ft (1.7 m)

5. After 5 years

   8 ft (2.6 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant with the top of the root ball level with, or slightly above, the surrounding soil; do not bury the stem base.
• Water deeply during dry weather, keeping the shallow root zone moist without leaving it saturated.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of leaf mould or composted bark, keeping mulch clear of the trunk.
• Feed lightly with a camellia or ericaceous fertiliser in spring, following the label; avoid late-season nitrogen.
• Check container plants frequently for drying out, and use rainwater where tap water is very hard.

Pruning. Prune just after flowering, before the main spring flush, removing dead or crossing stems and shortening shoots to shape. Avoid summer and autumn pruning, which removes developing flower buds.

Spring

Feed established plants lightly as growth begins and renew the mulch.

Spring

Finish any shaping after the last flowers fade; remove dead or damaged growth.

Summer

Water during dry spells so developing flower buds do not dry out.

Late summer

Inspect leaf undersides for scale insects and treat infestations before they build up.

Autumn

Enjoy flowering and keep newly planted shrubs watered if rainfall is low.

Winter

Shelter container plants from freezing winds and protect pots from prolonged freezing; check moisture during frost-free spells.

• Plant as an evergreen hedge or screen, allowing enough width for flowers and natural branching.
• Train against a sheltered wall or fence for a leafy backdrop with autumn flowers.
• Use beside a path or entrance where the flowers can be seen at close range.
• Combine with azaleas, ferns and Japanese maples in an acidic-soil woodland border.
• Grow a compact cultivar in a large container to bring autumn colour to a sheltered courtyard.

Garden styles it suits: Japanese, Woodland, Traditional, Southern, Modern courtyard and Autumn colour.

Plant it with: Japanese maple, Azalea, Pieris, Hellebore, Japanese forest grass and Autumn fern.

Wildlife: Single and semi-double flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other insects active in mild autumn weather. Densely double flowers offer less accessible food, while the evergreen branches provide shelter for small birds.

• Scale insects: look for bumps or white crusts beneath leaves, sometimes with sooty mould. Prune heavily infested shoots and apply a labelled horticultural oil thoroughly, following temperature restrictions.
• Root rot: poor drainage can cause wilting, yellow leaves and dieback despite wet soil. Correct drainage and watering; replace badly affected plants rather than replanting into the same waterlogged conditions.
• Yellow leaves with green veins: alkaline soil or water can make iron unavailable. Check soil pH, use an ericaceous growing medium where needed, and apply chelated iron as a short-term correction.
• Bud drop or browned flowers: summer drought, waterlogging and frost can all contribute. Keep moisture steady, improve drainage and choose a sheltered site; frost-damaged flowers will not recover.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. No part is recognised as seriously poisonous, but leaves and flowers are not intended as food, and eating large amounts may cause digestive upset.

• Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica)

  Usually has larger, thicker leaves and flowers in late winter or spring rather than autumn. Its spent flowers often fall whole, whereas sasanqua flowers commonly shed individual petals;

• Reticulata camellia (Camellia reticulata)

  Generally has larger leaves with conspicuous net-like veins and much larger flowers in late winter or spring. Sasanqua usually has smaller leaves, finer branching and earlier flowers.

Camellia honours the Jesuit naturalist Georg Joseph Kamel, while sasanqua comes from a Japanese name for this camellia.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer and root them in a free-draining acidic medium with humidity and gentle bottom heat. Layering is another option; seed-grown plants are variable and do not reliably reproduce named cultivars.

Accepted botanical name

Camellia sasanqua

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Japan and Nansei-shoto.

Measured

Average height 64 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.