Plantation Pink Camellia

Plantation Pink Camellia (Camellia sasanqua 'Plantation Pink') is the sasanqua most often chosen for a formal evergreen hedge that flowers when the rest of the garden has finished. It grows to about 3m tall and 2m wide, holds glossy dark foliage all year, and covers itself in large single soft pink flowers through autumn. Unlike the japonica camellias it takes real sun, which is what makes it usable as a hedge.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers in autumn. Large single soft pink blooms open when little else is flowering, and they drop cleanly as fresh petals.
• It clips beautifully. Fine dense growth takes shaping better than almost any other flowering evergreen, so it suits hedges, espalier and standards.
• Sun tolerant for a camellia. It takes more direct sun than the japonica types, and it is also frost hardy, wind tolerant and salt tolerant.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it can line a boundary where animals spend their day.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart for a dense hedge or screen. At that spacing they knit into a solid wall while each keeps light on its lower branches.

Topiary and shaping. The fine growth suits clipped balls, cones, espalier and matched pairs at an entry. Espalier works particularly well, since a trained plant needs only 300mm of bed depth.

Pots and feature planting. A pot 500mm or wider holds it at around 1.5m to 2m. As a feature, place it where the autumn flowering is seen from a window.

Growing Plantation Pink camellia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade. In subtropical and warm inland gardens give it protection from hot afternoon sun; in cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens it takes full sun without complaint. It is frost hardy once established.

Soil. Slightly acidic, well drained and rich in organic matter. Work compost through the bed before planting and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk. Alkaline soil causes yellowing between the leaf veins.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers, then weekly in dry weather. Camellias are not drought tolerant, and dry soil at bud formation in late summer is the usual reason for poor flowering.

Pruning. Trim straight after flowering, so the plant has the whole season to set next year's buds. It reshoots from old wood, so a neglected plant can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in seven sizes, from tube through 200mm, 250mm, 300mm and 400mm pots up to 45L and 100L specimens. Tubes and 200mm plants are the value choice for a long hedge, allowing three to four years to close up. The 45L and 100L plants arrive branched, with real height on day one.

Some leaf drop after transit is normal, not a fault. Be realistic about the pace: this is a slow growing plant, adding roughly 20cm to 30cm a year, which is why it holds a clipped shape so well. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A complete guide to growing camellias
• Compare the full camellia range
• Browse hedging and screening plants
• See 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. Closer planting does not close the hedge faster, and it starves the lower branches of light, which leaves a bare strip along the bottom.

How fast does it grow?

Around 20cm to 30cm a year once established, which is slow. Buying a larger pot size is the practical way to shorten the wait, since the plant will not be rushed with feeding.

Why are the leaves turning yellow?

Usually soil that is too alkaline. Apply an acidic camellia and azalea fertiliser, mulch with organic material, and check the plant is not sitting in soggy ground.