Practical camellia care from two decades in the garden
Helen Pritchard · June 9, 2026
Picture a torn plant tag in someone’s hand — that’s the image I keep coming back to from a spring garden show, where a woman stood at my table holding two labels, unable to decide between them. “Sasanqua or japonica — which one?” It’s a question I field constantly, and after two decades tending upward … Read more
Helen Pritchard · April 13, 2026
Nursery tags will tell you “full sun to part shade,” maybe a hardiness zone number, and little else. What they won’t tell you is that Camellia sasanqua and Camellia japonica lose their flowers to cold in two completely different ways, at two completely different times of year — and that gap is exactly what my … Read more
Helen Pritchard · November 25, 2025
A Quieter Kind of Perfume: The Camellia’s Case for Restraint Hi there! I’m Helen Pritchard, a lifelong gardener in the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve spent over two decades growing camellias. With more than 200 named cultivars under my belt, including sasanquas, japonicas, and hybrids, I’ve learned a thing or two about these beautiful blooms. It’s … Read more
Helen Pritchard · November 22, 2025
Zero—that’s how many of the five senses most garden plans actually engage, since nearly every decision about color, texture, and shape is built entirely around what the eye can catch. Scent rarely enters the conversation at all. Yet a garden that only performs visually is missing an entire layer of experience, the kind that turns … Read more
Helen Pritchard · November 15, 2025
Picking the Right Camellias for Your Garden Get the soil right, choose a good spot, and stay consistent with watering, and camellias will reward you generously. Between the range of flower shapes, colors, and bloom windows on offer, it’s realistic to have some camellia or another flowering from September clear through May. I started my … Read more