Camellia sasanqua Ashtar

Camellia sasanqua ‘Ashtar’ is an early-flowering autumn camellia. At the end of the season, it offers single soft pink, delicately streaked corollas, with a light fragrance, on glossy foliage that is evergreen in winter. This beautiful bush can be used in an informal hedge, to create a flowering screen, or in a large container near an entrance. Its flowering can be enjoyed from the first cold weather.

The Camellia genus belongs to the Theaceae family. The botanical species is Camellia sasanqua, formerly Thea sasanqua (accepted synonym). In the wild, this bush is found in southern Japan (Shikoku, Kyūshū, Ryūkyū Islands), on the edge or in the undergrowth of evergreen forests, at low altitude and near the coast.
‘Ashtar’ is a spontaneous sowing from C. sasanqua ‘Ishtar’, selected and introduced in France by the Pépinières Côte Sud des Landes in 2013. It is presented as an improvement on its parent, particularly for the stability of its colouring. Its habit is upright, its growth is quite vigorous once well established. At maturity in open ground, ‘Ashtar’ can reach approximately 4 m in height and spread. Grown in a container, expect 1.30 m in height by 1 m in width at 10 years old under good conditions.
The single flowers measure 5 to 7 cm in diameter; they have 5 to 7 petals in light pink streaked with a deeper pink, revealing a cluster of golden yellow stamens. They are lightly fragrant and appear from September to November, depending on the climate. Each flower only lives for a few days, but they are continuously renewed. The dark green foliage is evergreen in winter. It is formed of ovate to elliptical, leathery leaves, with a finely serrated edge. 
'Ashtar’ is hardy down to –14 °C in suitable soil and a sheltered position. 

Plant Camellia sasanqua 'Ashtar' in a bed of acid soil. To grow in a pot, choose a large 40-litre container and place it on a semi-shaded terrace. You can bring the pot indoors as soon as the cold sets in to enjoy the flowering for longer. In the garden, use it as a standalone specimen or in a flowering hedge. Pair it with Japanese maples and Pieris, Chinese azaleas and Viv hellebores, which will flower beneath its cover in winter. Or combine it with 3–4 complementary camelia cultivars in terms of size and flowering period: C. sasanqua ‘Setsugekka’ (white, single, very early), ‘Kanjiro’ (deep pink in autumn) or ‘Yuletide’ (red, single, winter-flowering).