Source: The Tree Center (MD)
Size shipped: #3 pot (measured 1'5")
Planted: In ground, September 2019
First flowering: Right after planting, or possibly at the nursery
Buy one at PlantingTree.com (affiliate link; supports this website)
(This plant stayed behind when I moved in 2021; therefore, the following text will receive no further updates.)
What we hoped when we planted this was that the sheltered location on the north side of the house would protect it from the harsh winter sun and winds that I've read is the biggest cause of marginally hardy camellia failure. One would not normally expect a camellia like this to survive in USDA zone 6b where we are, but the temperatures only get a few degrees below zero in any given winter (and sometimes not even), so I figured it was worth a shot. Also, the north side of the house is home to a pieris and an azalea, with a mountain laurel to join them at some point, all of which have similar needs (shade and acidic, fast-draining soil). Also also, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, recent weather records have us in zone 7 anyway.
I didn't expect visible flower buds right from the nursery (this camellia blooms in autumn, as the name implies), so that was a pleasant surprise.
Planting this camellia turned out to be quite easy, as there was already a hole cut through the two layers of landscape fabric (presumably for a previous deliberate planting long since removed), and the actual soil was ridiculously rich and earthy and soft -- like compost but better aged -- not like the clumpy soil in the rear foundation area with rocks all over the place. Also, the root ball itself, despite being in a #3 pot, came apart quite easily with very few problematic roots. It was way nicer in that regard than the two other plants from The Tree Center in the same order (the Castle Spire Blue Holly and the first Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae).
In 2020, the sasanqua put out one flush of growth and then sat there the entire rest of the season. Come early October, a few flower buds were evident, but nothing actually bloomed until the end of the month (and then it was only a single one). Wondering if having spent a whole year in our cooler climate (compared to the nursery) is responsible for the delay, and November will become the new normal bloom time?
Sadly, what looked like a promising start for the sasanqua in terms of deer resistance eventually broke down over the course of the winter 2021 deer invasion. By early March, it was about two-thirds (or more?) defoliated.