Camellia sasanqua Waterfall Pink

Camellia sasanqua 'Waterfall Pink' provides the best ground-cover of autumn camellias, and its mellow spreading vegetation, adorned with pink flowers, transforms it into a beautiful flowering cascade in autumn. This original variety will bring a lively charm to the late season: the fresh pink of its double corollas well highlighted by its evergreen foliage of dark and glossy green. Attractive all year round, this bush will create a sensation above a low wall or in front of a bed of taller bushes. Give it moist soil in summer, completely free of limestone.

'Waterfall Pink' camellia is one of the many hybrids derived from the Camellia sasanqua species, which belongs to the tea family. This plant forms a shrub with a habit that is bushy, flexible, wide, and prostrate. Its growth is quite rapid, allowing it to reach 1m (3 ft 4 in) in height and 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) in width within 10 years. Its mature size reaches 1m (3 ft 4 in) with a spread of 1.70m (5 ft 6 in) under favourable conditions. Flowering takes place from October to November. This bush produces beautiful flowers measuring 5 to 6 cm (2 to 2.4 in) wide, composed of multiple pink petals that fade slightly over time, around a barely visible golden yellow stamen. They are not very long-lasting, but continually renew themselves on the plant, leaving a carpet of petals on the ground, like cherry trees in Japan. The dense foliage persists throughout winter. It is composed of dark green, shiny, ovate and leathery dentate leaves, paler on the underside.

A shrub for humid oceanic climates and non-limestone soil, Camellia sasanqua 'Waterfall Pink' is sensitive to scorching sun and windy conditions. It performs better in mild climates than in cold regions, where flowering may be destroyed due to a lack of hardiness. Wherever winter is not too harsh, it can be planted in the garden either in isolation or in front of a bed of other acid-loving plants (Rhododendron, azaleas, Hydrangea, Hamamelis). The 'Waterfall Pink' camellia deserves a prime site: place it in a raised position near a porch, not far from the house, or at the turn of a pathway. You can dress its base with autumn bulbs, such as colchicums or cyclamens. In cold regions, it can be planted on a balcony or terrace, and brought indoors during the flowering period to an unheated conservatory or cool greenhouse.