Should I prune this Camellia sasanqua?

I want to know if I should prune this camellia sasanqua a little bit to keep it more compact or let it grow on its own. I'm looking for a more arching graceful form but don't want it to get leggy with few flowers. How much pruning do sasanquas need? My garden is sort of cottegy so letting things take a natural form is what i'm after but I want lots of these beautiful flowers. It looks like it was prunes last year to encourage branching. The flowers this year were kind of in the middle of the bush and somewhat overshadowed by new seasons growth. Is this normal? and can i change this by pruning less?

Camellias, like other blooming plants, should be pruned after bloom, not before. So you'll want to wait until the flowers are spent.

There's an excellent article on pruning camellias at:
http://www.camellias-acs.com/display.aspx?catid=3,9,109&pageid=7

Good luck!

Can't grow Camellias here, but I do think that natural, arching form is lovely. I see a lot of folks around here prune blooming shrubs into unnatural shapes that I find displeasing to the eye, especially Forsythias.

i agree. I won't be doing any pruning. THx folks.

I have japonicas and sasanquas over 35 years old, that have never been pruned or fertilized
This Pink Perfection is at least 15 ft.tall and I have sasanquas over 30 ft.tall
The tea plants have not done as well

Interesting

I like to keep my camellias on the smaller side so I do prune them to prevent them from overwhelming my other plants. So - it all depends on what your preference is. They will tolerate either treatment. If pruned properly, you can still keep the natural shape. Just don't let a gardener do it who is used to shearing off the outer edges and makes everything this rounded un-natural shapes.

How do you prune for a natural shape? Do you head back a little each branch after it blooms?

I cut about a 10-20% of it way back (depending on the shape that I want and where I want new branches to grow out) and keep the branches that are in the shape that I like. In a few years, those cut branches will reach the size that I want, and the uncut branches will then be cut to start the cycle over again. Once the camellia reaches the size that I like, I start this type of pruning. The problem with cutting a little from each branch, you will get two branches forming from the cut one, and then so on and each of those new branches may get spindly over time. So, I cut way back to force new stronger growth, but doing it judiciously so that the plant doesn't look "hacked". It takes a little more time, but the results are so much better. I also use the branches for arrangements, and that process in itself keeps the plant in check. Here is a photo of one of my sansaqua camellias - white doves. It blooms in Nov/Dec/Jan when most other plants are dormant.

I like this best thx for sharing your technique. Would you say that you are renewing a portion of branches each year so to speak?

Yes - and it is normally the branches that are a longer than I would like the plant to be that I would cut off. But at some point, plants do get too big and eventually will have to be replaced when the central stems get too thick and overwhelming.