Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide' Blooming for Valentine's Day
Camellia sasanqua is known as a fall or winter-blooming Camellia. But, mine seems to want to wait until closer to spring to strut its stuff.
Years ago, I was given a tiny but beautiful Yuletide camellia as a Christmas gift. When I received it, it had a few lingering blooms still on it.
That’s the thing, growers push these young’ns all to bloom in fall. This gets them looking their best just in time for those doing last autumn installations to snap them up and pop them into the garden before everything comes to a screeching halt for winter. And with a name like Yuletide, we’re all expecting these gorgeous evergreens to bloom in time for Christmas, right?
Wrong.
After that first year, my potted Camellia continued to bloom sometime in winter — usually right after Christmas. Never at Christmas. So much for being a entry decoration for the holidays.
Then, the time came to plant it in the ground. And guess what happened then?
Freeze blasted & ruined Camellia bud
Yes, it grew larger. But, it also began to bloom later and later each year.
That is, if it bloomed at all.
Those tough blossoms definitely don’t care for a hard winter freeze, and if they get hit hard enough. They turn black & fall off the bush. Last year that happened to mine, and I got only a measly handful of pretty blooms.
This year was mild. We did have one icy blast that hit just as the Camellia was getting ready to bloom. I assumed it would drop its buds, but despite getting frozen and a late start opening, it is putting on its showiest display ever.
I’m reminded that these shrubs are definitely worth growing in the Pacific Northwest. Evergreen. Colorful. And kinda consistently bloom during the “off season”.
But guess what? These beautiful 2012 blooms started opening right around Valentine’s day.
So who’s with me? I propose we rename this one: Camellia sasanqua ‘Valentine’.
It sure as hell isn’t opening any gifts for us during the Yuletide anymore.
Tags: bud blast, camellia, camellia sasanqua, Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide', christmas, ice, snow, valentine day, winter, winter bloomer
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