Camellia sasanqua Frosted Star

Camellia sasanqua 'Frosted Star', an Autumn Camellia, is an extraordinary recent variety that produces unique semi-double star-shaped flowers. They are translucent white shaded with soft pink, and highly fragrant. Pale and waxy, their blooms evoke those of star magnolias when they come out in November on a darkly elegant, perfectly glossy evergreen foliage. This amazing bush is also captivating for its naturally compact and very modern appearance. It should be planted in partial shade, in limestone-free soil that remains moist in summer.

The 'Frosted Star' camellia is a recent hybrid derived from the Camellia sasanqua species, which belongs to the Theaceae family. This plant forms a compact, upright and bushy shrub, with relatively slow growth, reaching a height of 1m (3 ft) and a width of 0.80m (2.7 ft) in 10 years. Its adult size can reach 1.5m to 2m (4ft to 7 ft). It blooms relatively late for an autumn camellia, in November and December. The flowers are composed of several rows of somewhat irregular, narrow, spatula-shaped petals, arranged in a star around a centre that mixes unusual small petals with a few golden stamens. Although they are not long-lasting, these strange flowers constantly renew themselves on the plant, leaving a carpet of petals on the ground when they fade, just like cherry trees in Japan. The dense and evergreen foliage is composed of small, narrow, dark green, shiny, leathery leaves, paler on the underside.

Camellia sasanqua 'Frosted Star' performs better in mild climates than in cold regions, where its hardiness is sometimes insufficient and its flowering can be destroyed. Wherever winter is not too harsh it can be planted in the garden as a standalone specimen or combined with other acid-loving plants (Rhododendron, azaleas, Hydrangea, Hamamelis) in a small flowering hedge. The 'Frosted Star' Camellia, with its naturally compact silhouette and exceptional flowering, deserves a prime location on the terrace, near the entrance of the house, or along a pathway. You can dress its base with autumn bulbs such as colchicum or cyclamen. In colder regions it is best planted on a balcony or terrace, to be sheltered in a veranda or cold greenhouse during the flowering period. It can be protected from the cold inside the house, provided its foliage is regularly misted and it is watered with non-calcereous water.