Autumn Spirit Camellia
Camellia ‘Autumn Spirit’Autumn Spirit Camellia is a cold-hardy hybrid camellia, Camellia ‘Autumn Spirit’, bred by Dr. Clifford Parks in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from a cross of tea-oil camellia and sasanqua camellia. It forms an upright, bushy evergreen shrub about 5–6 feet tall and wide. The small, glossy, dark green leaves have finely toothed edges and pointed tips, and they keep their deep color through winter, so the plant looks full and polished in every season.
From early to mid fall, the branches fill with deep pink, fully double flowers 1–3 inches across, with ruffled, peony-like centers and a few gold stamens tucked among the inner petals. The blooms open over a long season, after most shrubs have finished, and hummingbirds and bees visit them on mild days. Cut stems last well in small arrangements. The shrub serves as a hedge, privacy screen, foundation planting, espalier against a wall, or specimen in a large container.
Autumn Spirit grows best in partial sun to partial shade, ideally with morning light and protection from hot afternoon sun and drying winter wind. It needs acidic, organically rich soil that stays evenly moist but drains freely; it will not survive standing water or alkaline soil. Once established, it handles dry spells and is seldom browsed by deer, though steady moisture in summer helps keep next season’s flower buds from dropping.
Care Instructions:
Planting: Plant in spring or early fall in a spot sheltered from winter wind, keeping the root ball shallow, since camellias root close to the surface.
Soil: Prefers acidic soil high in organic matter; loosen heavy clay with compost or pine bark and avoid low spots where water collects.
Watering: Water deeply and regularly through the first growing season, then water during summer droughts, when the plant is setting flower buds.
Fertilizing: Feed lightly with an acid-forming azalea and camellia fertilizer in spring, after flowering, and avoid feeding late in the season.
Pruning: Flowers form on old wood, so prune lightly for shape in late winter or spring, after flowering ends; heavy cutting reduces the next fall’s bloom.
Spacing: Space plants approximately 4–6 feet apart; at the closer spacing, neighboring shrubs will grow together into a solid hedge.
Maintenance: Keep a 2–3 inch layer of mulch over the shallow roots, pulled back from the stems, and check the leaves for scale, aphids and spider mites.
Gardeners choose Autumn Spirit Camellia for dependable fall flowers on a camellia bred for colder winters than most sasanquas tolerate. Its moderate size fits along a house foundation or property line without constant cutting back, and the dark evergreen leaves set off perennials and bulbs the rest of the year. It performs best in a protected spot beside a north- or east-facing wall or under high tree branches, with filtered light and a thick mulch.
Landscape Solutions:
- Deep pink double flowers bring color to the garden in fall, when few other shrubs are in bloom.
- Glossy evergreen leaves form a dense hedge or screen that stays green through winter.
- Its 5–6 foot size fills a foundation bed or the space beneath windows on a two-story house without frequent trimming.
- Deer resistance makes it a practical evergreen for yards where deer browse other flowering shrubs.
- Tolerance of partial shade suits it to beds beneath high-branched trees where many flowering shrubs bloom poorly.
