See below, don't know how it got duplicated.

This post was edited by bboy on Tue, Oct 28, 14 at 20:28

I think I am seeing an example of 'Setsugekka' - which unlike 'Yuletide' is an actual C. sasanqua cultivar - flowering now in an open position near me here.

When I see camellias blooming in garden centers here at this time I do not think they are markedly out of sequence with specimens of the same kinds already growing outdoors in this area.

Here is a link that might be useful: View Plant : Great Plant Picks

Thanks for a fast reply, bboy. I almost bought Setsugekka yesterday :-) I decided not to and ask here first. I will give it a try.
As for plants in nurseries blooming out of sequence. Also yesterday I saw numerous blooming C. japonicas of which I know they are late bloomers (like for example Kumasaka which blooms for me in April and May). I really don't think that there are many camellias blooming right now in PNW, especially in locations farther from water. I'm peaking into peoples yards and see camellias but none in bloom yet. I will however try Setsugekka as it's one of my favorites. Thanks again!

Sasanqua and other fall blooming camellias can tolerate a lot more sun than the spring blooming types and IME, more sun encourages better and earlier flowering. My Yuletide is reliably producing color beginning right about now (couple buds ready to pop) through to January or later. I grow it in a container on my front deck that receives a lot of afternoon sun. Doesn't even mind that position in summer.

I have a Camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka' that is in dry, part shade and it gets very little supplemental water. It's been there for about 7-8 years. As it has matured, it seems to bloom earlier and earlier. It didn't bloom at all, or only a little, for the first few years and I was afraid I had it in too much shade. Once it seemed to settle in a bit, it would bloom in Nov-Dec-Jan and started to produce a lot of flowers. Last year I know it was blooming by mid November. This year it surprised me by starting a few weeks ago, the earliest ever, and it is in full bloom now, with lots of of buds still to come. I am on the Eastside with no ocean effect. I think that maybe it liked the hot summer or maybe it just likes to surprise me. :) Some years I think early frosts have damaged the buds resulting in fewer flowers.

I like this plant a lot, but the growth habit is unattractively leggy and sprawling, probably due to the shady siting. I know that I can prune it to give it better shape, but I don't want to sacrifice next year's flowers, and I never seem to get around to pruning it in the middle of winter after it finishes blooming. The flowers have a nice, musky, tea-like scent. I have a bouquet in my bathroom right now and it's very pleasant.

Thank you, karchita for your answer. I got my first Setsugekka yesterday. I planned to place it in a shade (not heavy, but still) but after reading your post about its legginess due to shady sitting I will find a better, more open sitting. I do not like camellias with sprawling leggy habit. I prefer them more compact and as far as I know C. sasanquas are pretty tolerant of sun so I might even try that. Thanks for help!

The one that looks like 'Setsugekka' that has been blooming near here for some weeks is in a south-facing position immediately north of a paved driveway (= lots of sun each day plus reflected heat from the pavement) yet still has a sparse and wobbly looking habit. It looks to have been in place for years.

I have a sasanqua Camellia blooming now. It's white blooming buddy is blooming also. Both in quite a bit of shade. Maybe I should move them to a brighter spot if they can take more sun as Gardengal says. It might be easier to move them than open up an area to the south and west.
I have no idea as to their variety. I took cuttings from a friend's garden over twenty years ago.
Mike
{{gwi:437913}}

You can see larger, tree-like sasanquas growing in full sun in older plantings in this area. John and Carol Grant, in the Naturalistic Character chapter of their book Garden Design Illustrated (1954, University of Washington Press) put them in their average conditions group of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs:

The shrubs in the next group represent the middle range between the two extremes of dry and moist. Consequently they are shrubs which adapt themselves particularly readily to average conditions in a watered garden, though they prefer full sun. They have deep to medium green lustrous foliage and usually have bronze or coppery new leaves

Other examples of shrubs they placed in this group (listed in some instances using different names than the following, that were in use at the time) include Abelia x grandiflora, Arbutus unedo, Rhododendron mucronatum, Erica carnea, Mahonia aquifolium, Osmanthus heterophyllus, Gaultheria mucronata, evergreen Photinia, Pyracantha and Rhododendron augustinii.

I have (or thought I did) 2 sasanquas that are over 10 years old. Apple Blossom has been blooming for 3 years, and was blooming earlier this fall, and has more buds on it. I am disgusted with Yuletide, and was interested to read it is not really a sasanqua, as it has rarely even had buds and none opened. Perhaps it gets too much shade, I don't feel like moving it though. I've seen them covered with flowers in a pot in nurseries.

'Yuletide' is a seedling that arose at Nuccio's Nurseries in California and has characteristics (particularly red flowers) that indicate it belongs to Camellia x vernalis. It is often successful here and it is strange that any kind of camellia would grow for 10 years without blooming at all. (I suppose it's possible a seedling of a wild species camellia might sometimes do that when still in its first 10 years - but maybe even that is not actually usual).

The local nursery designed and planted our back patio before we moved in and planted two Yuletide's. That was about 5 years ago and never a bloom. Photo was taken in April of this year. The shrubs look much fuller now.

I learned a while ago that Camellias set out their buds for future blooms in mid to late Summer and require a lot of water during that time. And because in PNW Summer often has little to no rain if you do not irrigate your Camellias (and also Kalmias) you won't see any flowers next season. I experienced that with Camellia 'Kumasaka' which I planted close to a very thirsty maple tree. After no blooms for two years in the row, I did some research and then watered the heck out of it in August and finally got the thing blooming next Spring. I know that it's too late now but try to really keep the plants moist in the coming Summer (I watered mine every other day for a month) and feed with very diluted fertilizer for blooms (higher number in the middle) and wait.
My two very large potted Camellias 'Yuletide' placed next to the northern wall of my house are full of buds and some of them are finally opening. Unfortunately the frost we had for last week probably killed many of them. I hope some of them survived or I will be really upset.

It is true that plants of east Asian origin are often adapted to copious summer rains. Yet there are thousands of established camellias around here that must be blooming without any particular care being given to summer watering, as the fact is many owners or occupants (60% of residential lots in Seattle are rentals) do not even water their lawns. And others take pains to avoid watering beds when watering turf areas, as keeping the lawn green is all they are trying to accomplish.

If the 'Kumasaka' was small when the flowerless phase occurred that is a common syndrome - apparently growers are pushing young stock to bud and bloom with fertilization regimes, resulting in mystification of retail purchasers when the camellia that was in bloom when they bought it then takes several years off.

I planted 3 Apple Blossoms quite a few years ago. They are in fairly deep shade--drip line of big redwoods. Got several to many blooms on one and one bloom on another--first time in at least 10 years (I'm guessing, my memory is toast.) They are every bit as beautiful as I expected them to be and hope for better bloom next year.