Perfect for pots. Perfect in dappled shade. And, a perfect flower. I can’t say anything against this plant that could actually be an alternative to our home & small Christmas trees (the ones that always end-up in the bin). It is truly an elegant shrub. And a beautiful present!
It’s exceptional as it flowers during a time of the year where we all miss flowers, color and fragrances. It’s flowering show starts mid-autumn until the end of winter and maybe spring (depending on the cultivar). And there is no trick, it’s easy to maintain. And you can use it as cut flower!
They are are fragrant, with simple or double flowers, and multiple colors to chose. It’s evergreen and it has beautiful leathery leaves, brilliant and dark green. It’s a jewel.
It needs to be protected, so it’s perfect for patios & balconies (sheltered from wind). Deep shade will significantly reduce flowering and full sun will burn it’s leaves.
What should you pay special attention to, well mainly it’s soil, it needs to be acidic (pH5.5/6.5), moist but well drained (meaning it needs good organic matter mixed in), which should never dry out. For this the best is to maintain a mulch 5-7cm deep of leaf mould or shredded bark.
Growing Tips:
- Tap water tends to have quite a lot of calcium (hard water), which will reduce acidity around the roots, so is preferable to water it with rain water (although it wont hurt a few summer months to use the tap).
- Use acidic fertilizers to nurture the plant in mid-spring and again, if necessary in early summer, no later than July, and never overfeed or you’ll be loosing potential flowers.
- As an early flowering plant (end autumn, beginning of jJanuary it forms the flower buds at the end of the summer/ early autumn, especially in new shoots. So it is better to prune it immediately after blooming.
- It is hardy, up to -5ºC/-10ºC.
- Do not plant to deep, the top of the rootball should be level with the firmed soil.
- C. sasanqua will drive in full sun once established provided roots are kept cool.
- The difference between camellia sasanqua and camellia japonica, is that the latter one, is bigger in size and flowers later.
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