I have Yuletide which is also a Sasanqua. It's been in a container for about 5 years and has filled out to about 3 1/2 feet tall and wide. The first couple of years it got pretty intense sun from about 9am to 2:30pm and bloomed like crazy, but by August it was showing pretty significant leaf burn, so even tho it bloomed like crazy around Thanksgiving the leaves didn't look so hot (up close). So I moved it to a shadier location with only dappled sun for about 3 hours, and it kept the leaves from burning but the blooms got sparse. This past spring I moved it back to the sunnier location and it is covered in buds. Leaf burn not so bad this year, but I've been trying to be more attentive about watering. So, I think it's the increased sun that is making mine look so much better. I fertilize it with Osmocote a couple of times during the year, and use Miracle grow when I feed my other potted plants every 4-6 weeks or so.

I heard from a guy here in east Texas that Sasanquas (small-leafed) can take more sun, and be trimmed like a hedge if desierd. The Japonicas, he told me, need shade and get LARGE.

But, my Yuletide is only about 14-18" tall, in the shade, and seems to have quite a few blooms. I use an organic fertilizer 2-3x a year, and mulch.

I just bought one at Houston Garden Center, wasn't supposed to be on sale but neither the clerk or I knew that and they sold it to me for 70% off! Covered in blooms. They had them in full sun so I put it in the same. Wish I had bought more.
Tally HO!

thanks y'all!
I am in fatuated with these plants. They like shade, they are tough, no whimpy azalea-like traits. In fact, a neighbor who went into assisted living for a couple of years before she passed, left hers untended. Out of 3, 1 is still alive but stressed. Yes, I did mean untended in the summer of 2011 and this year. Maybe watered on very rare occasions...probably not.

I think I needed to fertilize more. Supplement the organic bag stuff with some blue stuff occasionally.

Right now I am hoping Calloways will put theirs on sale. They are big and gorgeous but $49. is kinda big too.

It's that time: fall is about to shift into Christmas there so I am hoping for a sale soon....Grins

c

I have Camellia sasanqua 'Kanjiro'.
I've had it for many years, maybe 20.
It's maybe 5' or 6' now. I do cut back to keep it this size.
It was very slow to grow and start blooming, but now it seems to bloom good every year.
It's in a part shade, part sun flowerbed, so gets watered pretty often and fertilized occasionly with a slow release fertilizer or maybe black kow manure.

Just got back from a weekend trip to Northeast Louisiana and saw Camelias blooming everywhere I turned. Made me want to get some for here. I wonder if the north side of the house might be a good place in Texas for them? And I also wonder if they need acidic soil which I don't have... Must research.

I have a japonica and several sasanquas. I fertilize with camelia / azalea food. I do put some peat/potting soil in the hole. I find that they are more hardy than the azaleas. They sure grow slowly. I plan to get the biggest plant I can afford.

I see old cameilas in our 1950's neighborhood. Some are as tall or a bit taller than a 1-story house. My sasanquas bloom just after the trees lose their leaves or into December.

The japonica blooms in Feb. That might be tricky if it were facing North, in full bloom and we get a really hard freeze. I have that one facing East and next to the house.