Plant of the Week: Camellia sasanqua Varieties

Plant of the Week: Camellia sasanqua Varieties

 

Ahhh, the relaxing tranquility of sitting in the surroundings of a Camellia… There is such a pure and innocent aura it shares with the rest of any landscape. There is an ambience of high tea, ballet, and classical music playing in the background. An afternoon in heaven… “How,” you ask? Simply because the Camelia is a master at peaking the senses. For instance, its’ close relation to the tea tree itself gives root to the sweet scent in which the Camellia permeates the air. It has been used as a substitute for tea leaves in Asian recipes and cosmetic and homeopathic concoctions, as well. And, visually, the Camellia’s large blossoms resemble a ballerina’s beautifully-braided bun perched atop a delicate head. Each blossom is short-lived, showering the ground below with awing petals, somehow triggering the melody of “Here comes the bride” to begin humming along in your head, as a smile spreads across your face. New blossoms do quickly replace the ones’ thats remnance is now ornamenting the ground below.

Alright, time to snap out of it. Back to reality… All varieties of the Camelia love the swelter of the South and basque comfortably in full sun. They will settle for light shade, if necessary for your landscaping design. They enjoy moist, yet well-drained soil, so as long as normal Floridian water regimes are maintained, they are good to go. If you have ever wanted to have an easy-to-maintain rosebush, the Camellia is the next best thing because they are much easier to maintain.

 

 

And easy to train, too. One of the varieties we are featuring, ‘Mine-No-Yuki’, more commonly the “White Dove”, have had much success with trellises and embellishing living walls. The beautiful white flowers dance marvelously up any landscape prop. They also fit very well into cottage-style gardens or zen gardens.

 

Our other featured variety of Camellia, the ‘Yuletide’, is especially known for its’ deep-red color and heavier blooming mid-December and January, hence the name. It has lots of curbside appeal as a foundation planting for this reason. This heavy bloom is hard to miss.

 

 

 

And lastly, our featured ‘ShiShi Gashira’ is very popular in Louisiana landscapes. Its’ dark pink blooms give winter lulls a “colorsplash”, while blooming late into January. Still compact, they are often referred to as dwarf camellias, coming in at 4-5’ tall and wide. They add grace to any layering technique that calls for small shrubs. Call Construction Landscape today at (772) 492-8382 to reserve your consultation with Jenn for assistance in placing these graceful species into your outdoor living space!