In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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October 24, 2007

Sasanqua camellias

The Sasanqua camellias are already beginning to bloom, and will continue through the Christmas holidays. Native to China and Japan, they differ from the more commonly planted Camellia japonica in several ways: their growth habit is more open and graceful; their flowers are often single and fragrant; their leaves are smaller; and they are very adaptable to different types of soil.

My sasanquas are already starting to bloom. First come the white ones, then the pink ones take center stage.

But my favorite of them all for holiday bloom is called ‘Yuletide,’ illustrated here. Just in time for Christmas it bursts into bloom. Its fiery, bright red petals circle bright yellow stamens.

Best of all, it’s a tough camellia, and performs as well in shade as it does in the sun. It demands regular, though not copious amounts of water. Amazingly, as the sasanquas mature, they seem to need less and less water. I have a white-flowered Sasanqua that is about 20 years old and is planted beneath the shade of a live oak, and it hardly ever gets watered. It’s underplanted with Ribes viburnifolium, also called evergreen currant, and a great plant for dry shade under oaks.

The sasanquas are also easy to prune. I snip any branches that reach out over the paths, but that’s about all. Yuletide is more upright than many Sasanqua camellias, and grows eight to ten feet tall and as wide at maturity. Prune them in the spring. Sasanqua camellias need rich soil with plenty of organic matter. In fact, if azaleas love your soil, camellias will, too. Sasanqua camellias also make nice hedges and are easy to grow in containers.

Camellia ‘Yuletide’ looks great with hellebores, hakone grass or hardy geraniums. It’s easy to find - most area nurseries carry it while it is in bloom.

Illustration by Barbara Stubbs, Sacramento Bee

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