Camellia sasanqua Choji Guruma

Camellia sasanqua Choji Guruma, also known as autumn camellia, is a vigorous evergreen bush with an upright habit and early autumn flowering. It produces small double anemone-like flowers, light pink with darker pink edges, and is fragrant. It is one of the earliest varieties. It is hardy and capable of adapting to windy or sunny sites, however it requires moist soil in summer that is free from limestone. Grow it as a solitary plant in the garden, in a container, or even as a flowering hedge.

Very popular in Japan since the 18th century, the 'Choji Guruma' camellia is one of the many hybrids of the Camellia sasanqua species, which belongs to the family of Theaceae. This plant forms a compact, upright bush with a slow growth rate, reaching 1.50 m (5 ft) in height and 0.80 m (3 ft) in width in 10 years. Its adult size can ultimately reach 2.50 m (8 ft). Its blooms, early for an autumn camellia, last from late September to December. At the beginning round buds appear, bright pink. Then come the flowers, 5 to 6 cm (2 to 2.4 in) in diameter, double, resembling anemones: a corolla of pale pink petals bordered by dark pink surrounds a heart of tightly clustered petals, slightly crumpled, in the same shades of pink. A golden yellow stamen heart reveals itself late. They are not very long-lasting, but continuously renew on the plant, leaving a carpet of petals on the ground, like cherry trees in Japan. The dense and evergreen foliage is composed of small, fairly dark green, shiny, ovate and leathery leaves, paler on the underside.

Camellia x sasanqua 'Choji Guruma', like its Japanese parent, tolerates sun and windy conditions better than other camellias. It performs better in mild climates than in cold regions, where its hardiness is sometimes lacking and its flowering can be compromised. Wherever winters are not too harsh, it can be planted in the garden as a solitary plant, or combined with other acid-loving plants (Rhododendron, azaleas, Hydrangea, Hamamelis) in a flowering hedge. The 'Choji Guruma' camellia deserves a prime location, at the entrance of the garden or alongside a path. You can also plant autumn bulbs around its base, such as colchicums or cyclamen. In colder regions, it can be planted on a balcony or terrace, and brought indoors to a conservatory or cold greenhouse during the flowering period. It can also be protected from the cold inside the house, as long as its foliage is regularly misted and it is watered with non-calcereous water.