Camellia sasanqua ‘Dazzler’

Dazzler Camellia (Camellia sasanqua 'Dazzler') is the hedging camellia for gardeners who want a formal evergreen wall that also flowers. Unclipped it settles at about 3m tall and 2.5m wide, dense to ground level, with rose pink blooms through autumn into early winter. It takes shears better than almost any flowering shrub, so one plant gives you a 1.2m border or a 2m screen.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers when the garden is quiet. Rose pink blooms open from autumn into early winter, the months when most shrubs have finished.
• It clips without sulking. Sasanqua camellias reshoot readily from cut wood, which is why this one suits hedges, balls, cones and espalier.
• Tougher than camellias get credit for. Frost hardy, wind tolerant and salt tolerant, so an exposed coastal boundary suits it as well as a cold southern garden.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, and the flowers bring in bees and honeyeaters through the cooler months.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Small glossy leaves and low branching mean no bare legs at fence height.

Topiary, espalier and pots. Single plants shape into balls and cones, and young wood ties flat against a fence for a screen barely 400mm deep. A 500mm container holds it at about 2m.

Growing Dazzler Camellia in Australia

Position and climate. Morning sun with afternoon shade gives the best flowers and the least leaf burn, though full sun suits cooler districts. This is a plant for subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, frost hardy once established. In the humid tropics it survives but flowers thinly.

Soil. Acidic, free draining and rich in organic matter. Work compost through the bed, plant high on a mound over clay, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the stem. Lime and runoff off fresh concrete cause most yellowing leaves.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers, then weekly in dry spells. Use a camellia and azalea fertiliser in early spring and again after flowering. Drying out in late summer while buds are setting makes the buds drop.

Pruning. Trim straight after flowering, in late winter or early spring, leaving new growth a season to set the next crop of buds. Hedges take a second light tidy in midsummer, and an overgrown plant can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in three sizes: tube stock, 200mm pots in packs of six and 250mm pots in packs of three. Tube stock is the value choice for a long hedge, a young single plant that needs two to three seasons before it reads as a hedge. The 200mm and 250mm plants are branched already, better for a short run, a pot or a shaped specimen.

Camellias travel well, and a few dropped leaves after transit is normal. Be realistic about pace: this is a slow to moderate grower, roughly 200mm to 300mm a year, and the first season goes mostly into roots. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Everything you need to know about growing camellias
• Browse the full camellia range
• Setsugekka Camellia for the same clipping habit in white
• Compare plants that suit topiary and shaping

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Planting tighter does not close the gap sooner, and it makes watering and feeding harder once the roots start competing.

Can I keep it lower than 3m?

Yes. Two trims a year hold it between 1.2m and 2m, and it stays furnished to the ground. Cut immediately after flowering, not in autumn, or you remove next season's buds.

Is it safe for cats and dogs?

Yes. Camellias are not toxic to cats or dogs, so this works as a boundary hedge or a courtyard pot in a home with pets.