Camellia sasanqua Variegata

Camellia sasanqua 'Variegata', also known as autumn camellia, is a small evergreen bush with a very compact upright habit, distinguished by its foliage that emerges pink in spring and then turns a matte, oddly variegated and marginated green-grey with cream-white. It produces small, fragrant, single anemone-shaped flowers in October-November, with white petals edged and splashed with pink surrounding a large golden stamen centre. It is hardy and able to adapt to windy or sunny conditions, but requires moist soil in summer and is intolerant of limestone. Plant it in pots on a terrace, as a solitary plant in the garden, or in a small flowering hedge.

Hailing from southern Japan, the Camellia sasanqua Versicolor has given rise to numerous cultivars including 'Variegata', which also belongs to the family of tea plants. This camellia forms a compact, particularly upright bush, with a rather slow growth rate, reaching a height of 1 to 1.2 m (3 ft 4 in to 3 ft 11 in) and a width of 80 to 90 cm (2 ft 7 in to 2 ft 11 in) after 10 years. The foliage is remarkable: dense and evergreen, composed of small leaves whose colour evolves from pink in the springtime to variegated green with cream-white in summer. They are ovate and leathery, less coloured on the underside. Its flowering period extends from late September-early October to November, sometimes until February in mild climates. Initially pale pink buds appear, followed by bicoloured flowers measuring 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in) in diameter, with irregularly pink-edged white petals surrounding a late-revealing golden-yellow stamen centre. The flowers are fragrant and ephemeral, but continuously renew themselves on the plant, leaving a carpet of petals on the ground like cherry trees in Japan.

Camellia sasanqua 'Variegata', just 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 compromised and its flowering destroyed. Wherever winter is not too harsh, it can be planted in the garden as a standalone specimen or combined with other ericaceous plants (Rhododendron, Azaleas, Hydrangea, Hamamelis) in a flowering hedge. Camellia 'Variegata' deserves a prime position, at the entrance of the garden or along a path. You can also adorn its base with autumn bulbs, such as colchicums or Naples cyclamen. In colder regions, it can be grown on a balcony or terrace and brought indoors during the flowering period to a cool conservatory or unheated greenhouse. Provided its foliage is regularly misted and it is watered with non-chalky water, it can be protected from the cold in a lightly heated apartment.