Characteristics of Camellia Sasanqua

Habit

• Sasanqua camellias are evergreen shrubs or small trees with stiff, glossy, dark green leaves. They grow quickly to reach 6 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide, with an oval or pyramidal shape. Dwarf cultivars reach only 4 or 5 feet tall and wide. Sasanquas have smaller leaves than japonicas, bloom more profusely and tend to grow with a more open, less formal habit.

Flowers

• The flowers of sasanqua camellias are smaller than those of japonicas. They may be single, semi-double or double and come in white, pink, bicolors and pinkish-reds. As a rule, camellia flowers have no fragrance, but a few newer cultivars and hybrids do. “Stephanie Golden” (Camellia sasanqua “Stephanie Golden”), hardy in USDA zones 7 and 8, has a light rose fragrance. It puts out pink semi-double blooms in October and November.

Culture

• Camellias grow best in part shade, with red-flowered types more sun-tolerant than those with pink or white blooms. It’s a good idea to plant sasanquas in a sheltered spot near a building or fence, to protect them from cold winds and frost. They prefer well-drained, acidic soil with plenty of organic matter mixed in. Mulching yearly with an acidic mulch such as compost, pine bark or wood chips helps keep soil moisture even and discourages weeds. No fertilizer is necessary. Overfeeding tends to promote loose, open growth.

Cultivars

• One of the most popular sasanqua cultivars is “Yuletide” (Camellia sasanqua “Yuletide”), which, as its name suggests, is often in bloom in December. It has a narrow growth habit and produces deep pinkish-red single blooms with yellow stamens. “Setsugekka” (Camellia sasanqua “Setsugekka”) bears fragrant, semi-double white blooms in fall. Dwarf cultivars include the 5-foot-tall “Bonanza” (Camellia sasanqua “Bonanza”), which produces deep reddish-pink, semi-double flowers in late fall and “Shishigashira” (Camellia sasanqua “Shishigashira”), which has rose-pink flowers. It reaches 5 feet tall and wide.