Sasanqua camellias are among the best of all garden plants for temperate areas of Australia. They will tolerate awide range of climates and positions, from full sun through to partial shade.
Paradise Plants at Kulnura, near Gosford in NSW, has bred and released some excellent new sasanqua varieties including:
- ‘Paradise Venessa’ which has a ruffled centre, with mid to deep pink and white petals. While it is similar in appearance to an old-fashioned variety called ‘Beatrice Emily’, it is not troubled by that variety’s tendency to drop its flowers. ‘Paradise Venessa’ can be used as a hedging or screening plant, or in topiary.
- ‘Paradise Baby Jane’ has a tight and small growth habit. It has tiny candy pink flowers. It can be used as a pot plant or a low hedging plant.
- ‘Paradise Petite’ which is a compact variety with soft, icing pink flowers. A relatively low growing plant, it is well suited to hedges and pots. With regular clipping it can be grown as a dwarf hedge around 50cm (20″) tall.
Botrytis
The flowers of some of the smaller Paradise varieties have been observed to suffer a fungal disease called botrytis, which causes flowers to turn brown and cling to the plant. The larger varieties of sasanqua do not appear to suffer from this problem.
Unfortunately botrytis is resistant to the fungicides available for home garden use. The best method of control is to select resistant cultivars or to remove any affected flowers and place them in a bag in the garbage bin. Avoid overhead watering. Botrytis is worse after rain in cool, humid conditions such as experienced in coastal New South Wales in autumn.
