My Weekend Garden Glow-Up: Camellias & Pines

Unplanned wknd garden glow-up

My husband Dante surprised me with a trip to Pike’s Nursery last weekend. 🥹

Our mission?
Finding evergreen shrubs for one of our garden beds.

Our original idea? 💡

Planting two Montague™ Cleyera shrubs as a backdrop ⸻ they reach 6-7′ high and 3-4′ wide.

🚫 But then we both said nah.

We wanted more than evergreen leaves.

Something a little fancier.

And that’s where our spontaneous plant hunt began.

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Window shopping for camellias

Our goal?
Two matching camellias to flank the bed.

With help from the sweetest associate ever we looked over options.

These columnar camellias grow tall and narrow…

🪴 ‘Autumn Rocket‘ camellia sasanqua
— slim shaped showstoppers for any garden nook or narrow hedge.

🪴 ‘October Magic®‘ camellia sasanqua
— gorgeous color options, some stay slim (3-4 ft wide).

🪴 ‘Slim ‘N Trim‘ camellia sasanqua
— another slender, upright choice for tight spaces.

🪴 ‘Winter’s Snowman Ice Angels®‘ camellia sasanqua
— columnar growth habit, 12 ft tall and 5 ft wide.

I love the layered, romantic blooms and cozy size of:

🪴 ‘Shishi Gashira’ camellia sasanqua
— layered pink blooms, 4–5 ft tall and 6–8 ft wide.

🪴 ‘Showa-No-Sakae’ camellia sasanqua
— ruffled blooms, slightly weeping branches, 4–5 ft tall + 6–8 ft wide.

Gotta mention this — I was also looking for Pink-A-Boo® camellia sasanqua. Because the popping pink color puts a charming twist on the classic red Yuletide variety.

But they didn’t make me think, ‘this is it’ for the space.

And then she dropped a question that made me blink twice:

‘Have you ever seen a yellow camellia?’

Umm… what?!
NO. I haven’t.

Then, she showed us ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’ camellia japonica.

And I knew I was in trouble.

We ONLY were window shopping.
But in the end, we brought TWO home. ✨

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Sasanqua and japonica camellias

Since we’re talking about camellias…

Here’s a quick little breakdown on the two types of camellias seen most often — sasanqua and japonica.

Sasanqua camellias bloom between fall and winter. Leaves are 1 to 3 inches long. They do best in full sun to partial shade, well-drained soil with a neutral to acidic pH.

Japonica camellias typically bloom between winter and spring. Leaves are 2 to 3 inches long. They prefer shade to part-shade, well-drained slightly acidic soil (pH 5.5 to 6.5).

Tap the links ☝🏽🔗 to learn more about them.

🌤️ From my experience:

I’m in North Carolina. If you’re in the South (like me), ‘full sun’ doesn’t always mean direct sun all day. Our sun hits different. ☀️

For camellias here, full sun might look more like:

‪‪❤︎‬ morning sun/afternoon shade or
‪‪❤︎‬ filtered sun all day or
‪‪❤︎‬ filtered afternoon shade

That’s enough brightness to bloom, without the burn.

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Second stop: A garden girl’s dream

After buying the camellias, my husband says…

‘Let’s go to another Pike’s.’

I thought, another sweet surprise?!

Let’s go. 🥹

Our last visit at this location was to pick up Surf™ Swell Hebe.

But then a little special something caught my eye.

A Pinus sylvestris ‘Glauca Nana.’
Also called ‘Dwarf Scotch Pine’ —
it can be grown beautifully in topiary form.

We went into the second Pike’s ready to buy…

Would it be there though? 😯

I walked down the row…

To the EXACT spot I’d last seen it — OOF.

It was gone.

Half hopeful
Half ready to give up,
I turned a corner…

Making a beeline to where I’d seen something similar—French Blue Scotch Pine— a full-sized ‘cousin’ that can reach 50+ feet tall.

Lovely plant.
Not what I needed.

But the dwarf version?
It was perfect for our space.

And then I saw it.

One lone Dwarf Scotch pine—
There like it had been waiting for us all along.

Dante just said:

We always end up where we need to be.

We loaded our cart. 🛒🤸🏽✨

Then, we made one last stop before checking out.

Dante and I both wanted Pinus strobus pendula ‘Weeping White Pine’.

It’s a graceful, slow-growing pine — that spreads 6–12 feet wide and grows 3–7 feet tall (or taller if staked).

What I took home (besides plants)

On this surprise shopping trip, we got new plants…

🪴 The camellias to anchor the bed beautifully.

🌲 The pines to bring year-round texture and shape.

But you know what else I got?
Some fresh ideas. ✨

The super sweet and knowledgeable horticulturalist at Pike’s shared ideas I wouldn’t have imagined — pairing different colors, textures, and heights for contrast.

Like growing the cutest little compact azalea (Autumn Fire Encore Azalea) with our slow-growing Black Dragon Japanese Cedar.

Thinking back on our chat, she’d asked:

➡️ what we were looking for,

➡️ how much sun the garden bed got,

➡️ and a few other questions about our space.

She was genuinely invested in helping us find the perfect fit!!

At some point, I told her about some camellias we already grow.

So, when I said:

‘If you can believe it, I don’t have a single azalea.’

She didn’t flinch.

But with a straight face — full of shock and sincerity, she said:

‘I can’t believe it…with all those camellias.’

Then, she walked me over to the azaleas. Ahahaha.

But it’s time for me to wrap this blog up…

Little moments, big reminders

That entire exchange really stuck with me. Here’s why:

✨ It inspired me to rethink how we’re layering this space.

✨ It proved good garden glow-ups come from learning moments — not just new plants or things we add to our gardens.

✨ And maybe most of all, it reminded me that the smallest moments can spark the biggest ideas.

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Unexpected learning

I love when learning sneaks up on me like that. 🌱

That happens all the time in my garden.

👩🏽‍🌾 One minute I’m tending to my plants, building something, or plant shopping.

🥰 The next, I’m walking away with a whole new outlook.

So yeah — that surprise shopping trip? Total success. 😌

Our next mission?

Get them in the ground before winter!

That’s ALL for now — talk later.

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Not ready to go?

👉🏽 Check out more garden stories below!

Garden Glow Up in Progress: Veggie Garden

Chasing Someone Else’s Season Can Leave You Empty

How to Build a Garden Path on a Budget

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