How to choose an autumn camellia?

Based on the colour of the flowers

Sasanqua camellias offer a variety of colours, ranging from delicate white to brighter shades of pink or red. And for a more original touch in the garden, also try the beautiful bicoloured varieties.

White Sasanqua Camellias

Certainly the easiest autumn camellias to pair: their white flowers will bring a lot of brightness and lightness. They complement all other colours, enhancing them perfectly, or allow for the creation of beautiful refined monochrome scenes.

Their immaculate colour is often highlighted by a nest of well-visible yellow stamens, giving them a wild and natural appearance.

Among the white camellias, we can mention:

• Camellia sasanqua ‘Fuji no Yuki’, with snow-white colour and a very discreet yellow centre
• ‘Survivor’, with white flowers slightly marked with pink and a bright yellow stamen nest
• ‘Early Pearly’, a variety with pearly white colour
• ‘Narumi Gaita’, whose white petals are shaded with pink
• ‘Setsugekka’, whose white is almost eclipsed by the prominent golden stamen centre
• ‘Waterfall White’, revealing cream-white petals

Camellia sasanqua ‘Fuji no Yuki’

Red Sasanqua Camellias

Red autumn camellias, less common, bring a true touch of vitality. They will pair perfectly with the natural autumn tones of the garden.

Opt for the Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’, with a vermilion red highlighted by a beautiful nest of yellow stamens. Also consider the magnificent variety Camellia x hiemalis ‘Bonanza’, producing true pom-poms of intense pink-red, with a centre that discreetly reveals golden stamens.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

Pink Sasanqua Camellias

Certainly the most well-known colour among autumn camellias: pink comes in many shades, from the softest to the brightest.

For light and pale pinks, we can mention ‘Waterfall Pink’, Camellia sasanqua ‘Pink Goddess’

Bicoloured Sasanqua Camellias

These lovely bicoloured varieties bring even more light and an original touch. They reveal white flowers mixed with pink, varying in intensity, and a heart of yellow stamens, which will brighten the garden in autumn. This is the case for the sasanqua camellias Camellia sasanqua ‘Gay Border’

Based on the shape of the flowers

Autumn camellias offer a variety of flower shapes. They can be single, semi-double, or double, resembling flowers of other plants or revealing original textures.

While the flowers are generally in the form of single blooms with only a few petals, others are denser and resemble true floral pom-poms.

Among the single flowers, we particularly like ‘Narumi Gaita’, whose flowers resemble Japanese anemones.

‘Showa no Sakae’ features semi-double flowers, charming with their crinkled petals, much like ‘Setsugekka’.

For well-formed double flowers, we mention the immaculate ‘Fuji no Yuki’ with large flowers (7 to 9 cm in diameter) that have a minimum of 9 petals and resemble gardenias. ‘Early Pearly’ produces rather unusual circular double flowers with well-defined petals. In Camellia x hiemalis ‘Bonanza’, the double flowers with irregular petals resemble peonies. The double flowers of ‘Choji Guruma’ evoke anemones: they offer a corolla of pink petals surrounding a heart of tightly packed crinkled petals. Finally, those of Camellia sasanqua ‘Interlude’ remind us of beautiful old roses.

And for a stunning star-like flowering, choose the variety ‘Frosted Star’, whose flowers resemble those of star magnolias.

Single flower of Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumi Gaita’, semi-double flower of Camellia sasanqua ‘Showa no Sakae’, and double flower of Camellia sasanqua ‘Bonanza’

According to the flowering period

To successfully grow autumn camellias, warmth is one of the essential elements for achieving abundant, long-lasting, and fragrant flowering.

Camellias sasanqua generally bloom in autumn, once the last summer heat has passed, and continue until early winter before the first frosts. This period typically spans from October to January depending on the regions, but most varieties flower between November and December.

Some varieties are earlier bloomers. This is the case for Camellia sasanqua ‘Showa no Sakae’, ‘Choji Guruma’, and ‘Sekiyo’, which flower as early as September. ‘Early Pearly’ is also among the early varieties, blooming from October.

The Camellia x hiemalis ‘Bonanza’ offers a particularly long-lasting flowering period, extending from October to January. ‘Yume’ can also bloom abundantly from October through December-January.

Depending on the fragrance

The fragrance of autumn camellias is generally more pronounced than that of classic camellias. The scents can be floral, fruity, or even spicy.

Among the varieties known for their fragrances, we find:

• ‘Yume’, exuding a typical fragrance of Camellia sasanqua, a subtle blend of jasmine and lily
• ‘Versicolor’, revealing an enchanting scent of jasmine tea, with sweet notes of plum
• ‘Gay Border’, offering very spicy notes
• ‘Narumi Gaita’, ‘Sekiyo’, ‘Setsugekka’ and ‘Frosted Star’, which possess a powerful floral and headed fragrance

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yume’ and Camellia sasanqua ‘Sekiyo’

Based on the foliage

Autumn camellias offer evergreen, leathery, and glossy foliage in dark green. The oblong leaves measure between 5 and 8 cm in length.

However, some varieties boast even more decorative foliage. ‘Versicolor’ features foliage with such a dark matte finish that it appears almost black. ‘Variegata’ is distinguished by its stunning leaves, initially pink in spring, then evolving into a grey-green variegated and marginate with cream-white.

Classic dark green foliage of the autumn camellia and variegated green of Camellia sasanqua ‘Variegata’

Depending on its size and use in the garden

Sasanqua camellias are slow-growing, compact bushes, rarely exceeding 1.5 metres in height. However, there are varieties ranging from 80 cm to 3 metres tall.

The smallest varieties, measuring barely 1 metre, will easily fit into pots, whether alone in small spaces or in groups with other ericaceous plants. Opt for ‘Versicolor’, ‘Frosted Star’, or ‘Variegata’, which have a spread of no more than 80 cm. As for Camellia sasanqua ‘Interlude’, it forms a lovely compact bush of 80 cm in all directions.

Wider-than-tall varieties can serve as groundcover, such as ‘Waterfall Pink’ and ‘Waterfall White’, with their 1 metre height and 1.7 metre spread.

For the larger varieties, we can mention ‘Cleopatra’ (2.5 metres tall with a 1.5 metre spread) and ‘Kanjiro’ (3 metres tall with a 1.5 metre spread). Grow them as standalone plants, in the background of a border, or in a flowering hedge.

For more original silhouettes, note ‘Yuletide’, with its very modern pyramidal shape. ‘Gay Border’ features a less twisted silhouette and flexible branches, ideal for a Japanese-inspired garden.

Sasanqua camellias are not very hardy (-10°C to -12°C maximum) and do not tolerate prolonged cold periods. They are therefore reserved for mild regions in open ground. Elsewhere, they can be grown in pots, sheltered during the cold season. ‘Survivor’ is an exception: it is said to be more cold-resistant than its peers, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°C.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Waterfall’ as groundcover and autumn camellia as a standalone plant

For further reading

• Discover also 7 classic white camellias