A lazy gardener's dream: The camellia variety that 'never ceases to thrill', and never needs pruning

Camellias are astonishing shrubs that never cease to thrill us all through the months of winter and spring, when their shapely flowers and glittering leaves appear in so many stately woodlands and suburban front gardens that it is easy to take them for granted — rather like roses in summer.

There are more than 200 wild species of Camellia from eastern Asia through to Indonesia. Best known is C. japonica, of which there are many thousands, and is closely connected to two further camellia tribes, the Williamsiis and the Reticulatas. Then there is C. sasanqua, a species from southern Japan — from Kyushu and down the string of subtropical islands to Okinawa.

Sasanquas may not have been grown so widely or for such a long time in Europe as the Japonicas, but their selected forms and hybrids make exceptional ornamental shrubs and are immensely valued for their beauty and colour in autumn and early winter. That first encounter of a Sasanqua smothered in flowers is unforgettable.

In the wild, Camellia sasanqua has fairly small white flowers, followed by large crops of seeds in summer, for which it is cultivated on a large scale in warm parts of China, such as Hunan. Together with the closely related C. oleifera, it is the principal source of Eastern olive oil. Camellia oil is rich in oleic acid and linoleic acid, as is olive oil, and in south China it is everyone’s first choice for cooking.

The best way to appreciate the variation among Sasanquas is by visiting one of the two National Collections of Camellia sasanqua and its hybrids. Tregothnan in Cornwall has an avenue of some 80 varieties (and is also famous for the tea it makes from the leaves of C. sinensis).

Caroline Bell’s collection, near Tiverton in Devon, where these photographs were taken, is larger, with perhaps 180 cultivars. Director of the International Camellia Society, she is recognised as the world’s greatest expert, even by Chinese and Japanese camellia lovers.

Bell grows her camellias alongside a wide selection of thickly planted shrubs and perennials. She singles out hydrangeas with interesting leaf colour, but also has maples, eucryphias, magnolias and the marvellous purple-leaved Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum. Out of season, the camellias create the evergreen background that is so important for good gardening.

Some Sasanquas are selected forms of the wild species, with double flowers or larger petals. A diameter of 1½in may not sound much, but the profusion with which the flowers cover the bush is extraordinary — and the largest are up to 3in across. The individual flowers may not have the size or geometric complexity of the Japonicas, but they are graceful and elegant and nowadays may be double or semi-double, with frilled or curiously shaped petals.

The plants have several other excellent qualities. Particularly pleasing is that the flowers drop off when they have finished blooming, creating an overall impression of tidiness unlike the Japonicas, which hang on to their frost-bitten brown petals for far too long. Unlike most camellias, they are scented, variously described as musky, sweet, honeyed or spicy. ‘Narumigata’, an old Japanese cultivar, is noted for its scent. The flowers are often pollinated, rather like ivy, by the last of the season’s wasps.

Many Sasanquas are hybrids with other species and, in particular, with the cultivars of Camellia japonica. This means that the flowers range from cream to crimson, as well as every conceivable shade of pink. Many are striped or flushed with a darker shade, and each combination is unique. ‘Ashtar’ is one of the best. Most of these hybrids are classed as Sasanquas, although some are slotted into the official class for hybrids as C. x vernalis. (It is worth looking for them under both names.)

The pure Sasanquas flower in autumn, but the influence of C. japonica delays the flowering of those of hybrid origin. It is fair to assume that a late-flowering Sasanqua such as Camellia hiemalis ‘Showa No Sakae’ has a good influx of Japonica blood, which, incidentally, makes it more resilient in winter than the pure species and happy to grow in shade.

The hybrids also have larger leaves compared with true C. sasanqua, which has neat, tiny leaves, often very shiny and always evergreen.

Short-growing cultivars such as bright-red ‘Yuletide’ are good for growing in containers, as are compact-growers, including pink ‘Tanya’ and deep pink, double-flowered ‘Dwarf Shishi’.

Watering is important: unlike Britain, Japan has wet summers and dry winters, so you have to avoid planting them in ground that become soggy in winter and then stand by with a watering can in a summer of drought — otherwise, the flower buds drop off. That said, they love being in a sunny spot — hot summers produce more flowers — so they flourish superbly in the Italian lakes, New Zealand, parts of Australia and in South Carolina, US, places where wonderful new cultivars are bred.

Sasanqua camellias are rapid growers, more open in habit than the typical C. japonica. They can be trained as a small tree, particularly attractive when its crown is lifted to display several trunks. Mature plants vary in ultimate size — in hotter climates than ours they will reach 20ft in height and 15ft in width, although some are wider than they are high.

There is no need to prune or clip them, but some can be employed as hedging (‘Paradise Blush’ is an excellent choice) and some have been used for topiary (‘Cleopatra’ caught many admiring glances at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021, because its young leaves are bronzy-pink).

You will read that Sasanquas remain in flower for about a month, but that is a little misleading. They are certainly at the peak of their flowering for about a month, but, as with all camellias, individual flowers start to open several weeks earlier and continue for long afterwards, making a total length of flowering of 12 or 13 weeks.

Six of the best Sasanquas

• ‘Narumigata’ AGM One of the first to flower from late September onwards, with single flowers, white with pink tinges and blotches, 4in in diameter and deliciously scented. Makes an upright shrub up to 15ft 
• ‘Jean May’ AGM A shapely, medium-sized shrub (8ft by 8ft) with great quantities of pretty shell-pink, semi-double flowers, 3in–4in in diameter and lightly scented, over a long period, reaching its peak in November 
• ‘Hugh Evans’ AGM Large single flowers with slightly wonky, narrow petals. These are rose pink, scented and borne in great quantities on a vigorous 8ft–10ft shrub, slightly wider than it is tall 
• ‘Plantation Pink’ AGM Semi-single flowers, pale pink, darker at the centre, with a handsome boss of pale-yellow stamens and a fine sweet scent. Up to 12ft high and 10ft wide. Flowering peaks in November 
• ‘Rainbow’ Large quantities of semi-single, fruit-scented flowers, white with crimson petal-tips, starting in October. Eventually 15ft high and 12ft wide
• ‘Yuletide’ A relatively compact shrub with shapely flowers that reach their peak in December. These are startling red, single, 2in–3in in diameter, opening flat, with bold yellow stamens

Where to get sasanquas:

- Loder Plants, near Horsham, West Sussex

- Trehane Nursery, Wimborne, Dorset

- Strete Gate Camellias near Dartmouth in Devon — plants@stretegatecamellias.co.uk.

- The RHS garden centre at Wisley, Surrey, sometimes sells new and unusual varieties

For details of the National Collections, see the Plant Heritage website.

This feature originally appeared in the November 4, 2026, print edition of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.

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