Camellia 'Setsugekka' (White Camellia)

Camellia 'Setsugekka' (White Camellia) Details

Camellia ‘Setsugekka’ is an evergreen shrub renowned for its large, semi-double, white flowers which have wavy, fluted petals and a centre of yellow stamens. These are produced from autumn through winter and contrast nicely with the glossy, dark green leaves. It grows relatively compactly to about 3 m tall and 2 m wide, performing best when planted in full sun on a well-drained soil that is slightly acidic. It is tolerant of cool and humid climates as well as moderate frost once established. Camellia ‘Setsugekka’ is commonly grown as specimen, clipped into a hedge, added to a mixed planting, used in cottage or “white” gardens, planted around outdoor living areas, or used as a backdrop for smaller plants. It is also well suited to being maintained in a container. This variety of Camellia is favoured by landcape designers across NZ for both its elegance and versatility.

Camellia ‘Setsugekka’ Hedge Spacing

Growing an amazing Camellia hedge starts with determining how far apart to space the plants. As a general guide, 50 cm between the plants is the ideal spacing for a Camellia ‘Setsugekka’ hedge. If you want the hedge to fill in faster, you can close up the spacing to 40 cm. However, going wider than 50 cm will have two effects. The first is that the gap between the plants at the base will be harder to fill in. The second is that the plants will tend to grow wider rather than upward. At a closer spacing the plants compete for light, and in doing so, push each other upwards. The Plant Company recommends a 40-50 cm spacing to achieve an amazing Camellia ‘Setsugekka’ hedge.