Planting these hardy shrubs now ensures stability and growth before winter.

Sasanquas prefer an acid soil which can be achieved by applying cow manure and peat moss well before planting.

Plants intended for pots should be potted in a designated camellia mix or Debco Pot Power.

Sasanquas can be planted either in sun or shade.

They are wonderful to espalier along narrow driveway beds where screening is needed.

Pure Silk – a pretty white and pink sasanqua – is superb to plant in narrow beds for hedging.

Simply clip the front growth to encourage side shoots and height, creating a dense screen in a relatively short time.

One of the newer varieties, Sweet Jane, is claimed to be the longest flowering.

It has pretty rose pink buds that open to small white anemone blooms, blushed with a soft pastel pink, which bloom for five to six months.

As many sasanquas are tall growing, newer release Slim ‘N’ Trim is sought after for low hedges because its tight upright growth is only to about one-metre.

This pretty rose pink camellia can be grown in full sun or semi-shade and is ideal for pots.

In recent years, I believe the most interesting introduction to the plant world has been grafted ground cover sasanqua camellias.

The first white ground cover camellias available is camellia sasanqua Snow.

This pretty white camellia is an evergreen ground cover which will grow in full sun or part-shade to a width of 1.5-metres.

Camellia Snow is a direct sport of Marge Miller, which was the first ground cover sasanqua camellias introduced.