Pruning a Sasanqua with Don and Dave
About 21 months ago Don showed how simple it is to buy an ordinary sasanqua camellia from a nursery and in just a few minutes turn it into a beautiful ball on a stick or topiary. The two camellia standards that were created almost two years ago were shown in our segment. Both had developed full rounded heads of growth on tall, straight stems. One, ‘Beatrice Emily’, was flowering.
They still looked reasonably good, but they needed reshaping and forming. Don trimmed them back to maintain a ball shape. He was ably assisted by his mate Dave, who held a hula hoop around the leafy ball as a pruning guide. You can use a hoop or anything circular when doing this job, just as you’d use a string line or the straight edge of a wall as a guide when trimming a hedge. Don’t worry about any bare spots that show, they will gradually close over as the plant sends out new side growth. If the standard is in full flower, you may like to wait until the flowering has finished before reshaping the plant.
If you’d like to create your own sasanqua camellia standard, follow the steps below.
How to create a standard camellia
Purchase one or more suitable plants at the nursery. Look for plants with tall, slender growth and branches high up on the stem. The point where the plant starts to branch out will be the beginning of the ball. If there is no branching, allow the plant to grow to the desired height then pinch out the growing tip to encourage branching. Repot the camellia into a large pot, putting a stake next to the plant. Remove all the growth beneath the point of branching with a pair of sharp secateurs. Cut them flush with the stem. Decide on the height of your standard. Look for the natural growth points and the balance of the height of the ball with the height of the trunk. Next cut out the tips. This will force the camellia to branch out sideways. Go over the plant trimming back side growth to form a loose ball. This will thicken up as the plant grows. Be conservative and remember that it’s easy to cut branches off, but not so easy to put them back! Tie the stem firmly to the stake in several places using budding tape (available at nurseries, hardware and produce stores). The trunk is easily broken and so needs extra support. After about 18 months trim back to maintain the ball shape, just as Don and Dave did in our segment.
Further information
Sasanqua camellias in 250mm (10″) pots are available at nurseries for around $25.
Plants grown as standards are also available and cost from $65 to $150.