Hello Donna. It can tolerate more sun than japonicas but it does not "need" unusual or larger amounts of sun lights. Before my dogs destroyed my Yuletide shrub, I noticed that the blooms -for me- would open anywhere from November through some time in December.

The location where I had it, it would get sun through ..... -I am guessing here now- .... 12pm or 1pm. The sun here is just too harsh during the summer for sasanquas.

But it is ironic. While I had that Yuletide plant, I used to see it in stock locally at Lowe's and HD often. Now that I need to replace it, the stores carry other varieties of camellias. Brother....

You know, you're right. I was at Lowe's yesterday and they had no Yuletide. They always have it every year! (Murphy's Law, I guess.) Thanks for the info, luis. I will leave it where it stands. I surely do love the rich color of the foliage. Perhaps I am in too much of a hurry and perhaps camellias are a bit late this year. I just had my first Shi-shi open yesterday.

Just saw the first bloom on Yuletide this week. It does well in shade as long as it is not low heavy shade. Your location description sounds fine. It should not be long now!

My camellia 'Yuletide' begins in October his flowering. It blooms until the first days of December. The climates are not equal. Neither the soil. From April until September, it receives five hours of the Sun in the morning. Other months only three hours. His land always is fresh. My Yuletide proves to be very resistant.
Regards.
Daniel D.F. oKintos
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Thanks very much, gentlemen. Since I am north of you, spartacus, I am concluding that I am just impatient. I am looking forward to its very first blooms.

For what it's worth, my Yuletide does very well in full sun here in Richmond VA. It requires no winter protection at all I have it in a soil/pinebark(well rotted)mixture that somehow remains moist. First flowers today!

I planted two 'Yuletide' sasanquas on either side of the frontdoor steps several years ago. They are in oak shade but get filtered morning sunlight since the house faces east. One of them has reached about six feet tall and is blooming now but only on its back side. The front side has only a couple of buds. There is a profusion of blossoms facing the porch and the windows of the house. I think 'Yuletide' is slow about reaching an adequate level of maturity to produce a full set of flower buds and am hoping that in another year's time this plant will set a full deck of flower buds.

Our local Home Depot had gallon-sized 'Yuletide' sasanquas the last time I walked through its garden center. Their supplier is McCorkle Nurseries in Dearing, GA. In case you're looking for a retail vendor for 'Yuletide,' McCorkle's Website has a hotlink listing nurseries and big box retailers whom they supply with trees and shrubs. McCorkle is a wholesale nursery.

I bought one gallon-sized 'Yuletide' at Home Depot because it was three-for-the-price-of-one. The three 'Yuletides' were small enough for me to separate without damaging their roots. I've now repotted them into individual containers and plan to let them grow a little before planting them out into the garden.

I had two blooms on my Yuletide this week! And one big one on Governor Mouton. And about a dozen on my Shishigashiras. I do LOVE camellia time!

The best surprise of all is I have a good number of buds on my Glen Forty which was mail ordered last year. The largest size I could find was only about 12 to 18 inches. Since it's said to be slow growing, I thought I'd wait years to see blooms. The bush hasn't grown more than a few inches, but it has buds. Can't wait!

Just as a note, Jay, my Yuletide was purchased as a one gallon plant just a year ago. It has a nice number of buds on it this year and has more than doubled in size. I am so pleased that it is so vigorous. (I kicked myself all last winter for not buying a larger one.)

All of the Sasanquas and Sasanqua Hybrids are stunningly beautiful, but 'Yuletide' has to be one of those Camellia sasanquas at the top of the list. They are beginning to really make a show as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

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'Yuletide' is, indeed, an excellent sasanqua. I love its bright, Christmas-red flowers. There are so few truly red sasanquas that 'Yuletide'almost stands in a class by itself. The purplish red of 'Bonanza' doesn't hold a candle to 'Yuletide.' And although 'Shisigashiri' is one of my sentimental favorite camellias, its color, likewise, cannot compete with the red of 'Yuletide.' We should tip our hats to the Nuccios for bringing 'Yuletide' into the American nursery trade.

As far as other spectacular sasanquas are concerned, I vote in favor of 'Mine-no-Yuki,' and its putative offspring 'Pink Snow,' both of which are having a spectacular 2009 season here in our Upcountry South Carolina garden.

Among the japonicas that have started blooming here are 'Lady Clare,' 'September Morn,' 'Daikagura,' 'High Hat,' and 'Spring's Promise.' We're also enjoying blooms on our 'Egao,' which, I believe, is classified as either a _Camellia vernalis_ or _Camellia hiemalis_. This plant has some limbs that bloom as _Egao_ and some that bloom as _Shibori-egao_--solid pink and variegated white and pink.

'Spring's Promise' is fast becoming one of my favorite landscape camellias. Our young plant has grown to well over six feet tall in just a short time. It seems to be in full bloom right now. It's covered from top to bottom with blooms that are about the same color as 'Lady Clare' but smaller in size. I've just bought a couple of additional 'Spring's Promise' camellias from Camellia Forest and plan to plant them in places where they can be enjoyed from the windows of the house, provided the deer can be prevented from gourmandizing on them.

Jay, our Spring's Promise is in full bloom too. Is it normal for it to bloom so early? Last year it didn't start until Christmas Day, then bloomed on and off the rest of the winter - with warm spells. I love this one and it's very hardy for our area. I wouldn't mind a whole yard full of these. I'm wondering if it will bloom itself out before Christmas this year.

Spartacus -- that Yuletide photo is just AMAZING!

My plant is growing slowly but has not bloomed yet. Two years in the ground. Maybe next year!

Dave,
I haven't grown 'Spring's Promise' long enough to comment on its typical behavior in our USDA Zone. All I can say is that this year it's blooming very early. I don't think my plant is old enough to set a full complement of buds. It seems to be opening its buds all at once; however, I looked closely at it earlier this morning, and there are still some buds that aren't showing color yet. Dr. Clifford Parks developed 'Spring's Promisé.' I think it's a cross between 'Berenice Boddy' and 'Daikagura.' Its 'Daikagura' genes probably account for its extreme floral earliness. However, I think the 'Berenice Boddy' genes also contribute to that characteristic.

Well, all I can say is 'Thank you Dr. Parks!'

'Spring's Promise' is a keeper. Especially for us up here in zone 7. I hope it keeps some buds for winter bloom though.

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