We have both of these sasanquas in our Zone 7b yard, and my observation of them is that 'Setsugekka' is much more upright and tall-growing than 'Mine-no-Yuki,' which, over time, will also grow tall but tends to spread much more widely with a tendency to develop weeping branches. Because it spreads and weeps, 'Mine-no-Yuki' needs a lot of space to be most appreciated--a center stage venue; whereas, the upright 'Setsugekka' requires less room to show itself off.

The Zone 7b climate is another point to consider. 'Mine-no-Yuki' tends to bloom in very late October through the months of November and December. It is, therefore, not uncommon for it to be caught by a killing frost. On the other hand, 'Setsugekka' tends to bloom a few weeks earlier and, thus, produces a good show of blooms before cold weather strikes. Both are beautiful sasanquas and well worth growing.

Thanks, Jay. Sounds as if Setsugekka is what I need. Will I be able to keep her at 5-7 feet without making her looked abused?

Dear Lily g,
Would 'Yuletide' be suitable for your garden? It tends to be a lot more compact than 'Setsugekka,' which grows tall and fast. As you probably are aware, 'Yuletide' is a bright, Christmas-red sasanqua with golden stamens. It blooms from late October through December. In Zone 7b, its lateness of bloom can be a disadvantage because of frost. However, if your location is sheltered, 'Yuletide' should be O. K. I planted two small 'Yuletide' sasanquas on opposite sides of our front doorsteps. They're beginning to reach blooming-size, but seem to be rather compact in growth. We have four 'Setsugekka' sasanquas in the yard. They are the size of small trees and are allowed to grow without pruning. I hate to do a lot of pruning and believe it would be difficult to keep 'Setsugekka' in bounds without extensive pruning. If you can limb 'Setsugekka' up so that it develops into a small, multi-stemmed tree, that would cut down on its maintenance. However, I would hate to shear it into a round ball like a boxwood.

if you are open to other suggestions beside the two you mention, i have 'shishi gashira' and 'chansonette' and they are both more wide than tall. the flower colors are a bright pink if that suits you and your color scheme. both are not fast growers but would not require much pruning considering that trait.
'shishi gashira' is over 23 years old and might be 6' tall now and a foot or more wider than that. the only pruning i have done is to collect flowers.
'chansonette' (x hiemalis) has been listed at some site i visited as a groundcover but i don't see that from my specimen. it is compact but still doesn't lay on the soil.
the individual flowers on this one are lovely, like a rosebud when first opening.

Jay and Jeff,
Thanks for your ideas and information. Yuletide is handsome and would be perfect, but I can't use red. I really want white but could possibly go with a pink. I share the dislike of tightly pruned shrubs, so I was hoping that Setsugekka could be held at the size I need without chopping it up. The information I found on the web had its size from 8 feet to 15 feet! Maybe I should think about some other evergreen--but I do love sasanqua blooms _and_ fragrance. Any other ideas? Thanks again--

Dear Lily_g,
I like 'Shishi-gashira' but from a distance. We have a couple of old specimens planted ca. 1975 and 1980. They are definitely slow growing and wide-spreading. However, after thirty-some-odd years, they are both tree-sized, having never been pruned except for the removal of dead interior twigs. The form of the flower is very nice, and the flower is beautiful. However, I would not want our 'Shishi-gashira' camellias in a foundation planting, mainly because I really don't particularly like the dark rose color of this variety, preferring, instead, a pale pink _Camellia sasanqua_ 'Jean May.' That's not to say I don't like 'Shishi-gashira.' I like it immensely, but prefer it farther away from the house so that the hot pink blooms are not too close for my comfort level.

Look at the Camellia Forest Nursery Website for many, many types of sasanquas with excellent descriptions and color illustrations of many cultivars. They may have something entirely the right size for that corner spot. I think a white sasanqua would be splendid. Or maybe a white sasanqua with a faint pink blush on the edges of its petals. And in Zone 7b, I would prefer an early bloomer to avoid frost. 'Shishi-gashira' can sometimes be ruined by frost in 7b. We usually get late October and early November bloom on our two plants; but ours don't like a late November cold snap.