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Brilliant red, gold-centered blooms that open in late fall and carry color straight through the holidays, when almost nothing else in the garden is flowering.
The Yuletide Camellia [Camellia sasanqua \'Yuletide\'] is a glossy, broadleaf evergreen prized for its perfectly timed show. Single, fire-engine-red flowers with a striking boss of bright yellow stamens open from fall into winter, set against dense, lustrous dark green foliage that looks polished year round. It matures into a handsome upright shrub of roughly 8 to 10 feet tall and wide, with a naturally tidy form that takes well to shaping. Whether grown as a specimen, a screen, or an espalier against a warm wall, it brings structure in every season and a burst of warmth exactly when the landscape needs it most.
Why growers choose the Yuletide
- Off-season bloom. Flowers arrive fall to winter, filling the gap after most shrubs have finished and giving pollinators a late nectar source.
- Vivid color. Single, true-red petals frame a golden center for clean, high-contrast flowers that read beautifully from a distance.
- Evergreen all year. Thick, glossy dark green leaves hold through winter, providing reliable structure and a living backdrop for the blooms.
- Adaptable to sun. Sasanqua camellias tolerate more sun than their japonica cousins, thriving in full to part sun in zones 7 to 9.
- Versatile form. Upright and dense, it works as a hedge, a foundation anchor, an espalier, or a standout specimen with minimal fuss.
Plant it where its winter color earns its keep: flanking an entry, lining a property edge as an evergreen screen, anchoring a mixed shrub border, or trained flat against a fence or wall in a courtyard. In a pollinator garden it offers welcome late-season nectar long after the summer flowers have faded.
