Back to latest Flower of the Week

Camellia sasanqua 'Narumigata’

4 December 2009

If it seemed rather absurd this year to be looking for yet more flowers in November, when most of the garden is still going strong and the primroses are showing every sign of starting up,  I still remember my excitement at seeing my first Sansanqua camellia opening its buds at the low point of the year. It was a bright pink double-flowered variety called ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ – a curious concept in itself.

I acquired a plant and kept it in a pot, not daring to plant it out in our anything-but-acid soil. It throve for several years, then outgrew its pot, while I perhaps outgrew its charms.  My next sasanqua was Narumigata, pictured here with its almost wild-rose charm. Now it’s time to plant him (or maybe her) out too: same problem. The answer will be a west-facing bed largely dedicated to hydrangeas, a big hole full of leaf-mould and plenty of summer water. Perhaps one of these years there will be a shortage of November/December flowers….

Back to last week's Flower of the Week