Wednesday 16 November 2011

Vintage Garden Plants - Hydrangeas

I like plants.  You’ve probably already guessed that but what I mean is I love the diversity plants offer us in our lives. I love how the same plant can be used in a formal garden or a cottage garden and still look fantastic. I love how the popularity of certain plants is cyclic just like our fashion industry.
I adore old fashion plants or vintage styled plants (vintage makes me sound more fashionable!).  I think there was a reason our grandmother’s gardens were full of certain plants.  It was because they didn’t require much TLC to look fantastic all year.
Hydrangeas are one such plant. These wonderful, hardy shrubs would certainly have to be included on the list of the best flowering plants in the world.
Hydrangea flowers are absolutely stunning and with over 500 different cultivars there is sure to be one to suit everyone.  There are two main groups of flowers these cultivars are split between – Mopheads and Lacecaps. Mophead flowers are large round flower heads resembling as the name implies the head of a mop. In contrast, lacecap flowers bear round flat flower heads with a center of subdued, fertile flowers surrounded by outer rings of showy, sterile flowers. The hydrangea flowers usually appear from early spring through to late summer.  It is the colours of the hydrangea flower that I find most amazing. The colours range from white through to red, pink, purple, and blue but the amazing part is I can change the colour of my flower!
Beautiful Array of Hydrangea Colours
The acidity of your soil determines the colour of the flowers. If the soil is acidic the flowers will be blue to electric or even peacock blue but if the soil is more Alkaline the flowers will be pink through to red, neutral is purple of course. The white cultivars remain white regardless of the soil pH.  To make sure you get the colour you want you must change the soil pH before flower buds form.  Start treating your soil around August with lime for pink flowers or sulphur for blue flowers. 
Even though the hydrangea flower is impressive, the foliage too can be quite remarkable.  Most hydrangeas have large lush dark green oval leaves, often with serrated edges but some have variegated green and white leaves.
 I find hydrangeas to be very hardy once established.  They are best grown in part shade but I have seen some beautiful plants grown in full sun.  I find the flowers on these bushes tend to burn off too quickly though in our hot summer sun.  Many of the cultivars available are compact but a quick prune in Autumn will help promote next seasons flowers.  Due to the compactness I find they do well in both pots and gardens.
New Release Strawberries and Creme
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tesselaar/4171329525/
Hydrangeas are one of my vintage must haves for your garden as they require not much TLC.  Plus the anticipation of wondering what colour will it flower this year is a cheap but wonderful thrill all gardeners experience.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Sapping the Life from your Trees

To me every plant has its place. Just because I think its place is in the bin doesn’t necessarily mean you should feel the same. Every garden should be as diverse as its owner.  Take pride in expressing your individuality in your garden.  Just because Jamie Durie likes it doesn’t mean you have to.

 Some plants though do not deserve anyone’s TLC.  These plants make up Australia’s Most Wanted Weed List or Weeds of National Significance.  Lantana would have to be number one.  This plant has successfully taken over nearly every rainforest and bushland along the east coast of Australia as well as some areas in West Australia and Northern Territory.  As a way to help combat this evasive weed a Bio-control called Aconophora compressa (Lantana Treehopper) was introduced in 1995 throughout Queensland and New South Wales.

 Bio-control is importing a natural enemy to combat pests. It has been very successful in controlling a range of introduced plants that are pests to agriculture, the environment, and human health. Bio-control methods also help reduce the need for pesticide use. The decision to use a Bio-control is not gone into lightly. The lantana treehopper was screened as a bio-control agent from 1990 to 1994 and its release was unanimously supported by 22 state and federal agencies.

 The Lantana Treehopper camouflages itself very well against the bark of the tree. The insects are brown in colour and can grow up to 8mm long.  It has a horned body so it makes the plant look like it has thorns.  It sucks the sap out of the host plant and exudes large amounts of honeydew, a sugary solution in which black sooty moulds can grow. The treehopper can cause die back, stunted growth and flowering, unhealthy leaves and eventually death of the plant.

 Unfortunately this bio-control hopped onto some of our ornamental shrubs and trees.  This is ok though as this bio-control can be controlled through spraying with an insecticide and trimming or removal of affected plants. The two most viscously attacked plants are fiddlewoods and duranta but it has been seen on other ornamentals as well such as Jacarandas and Pandoreas.

 Fiddlewood a West Indian native is now considered an undesirable introduced tree as their roots are very invasive.  The Department of Primary Industry (DPI) recommends removing the affected fiddlewood and replacing it with a desirable native tree. Duranta – Sheenas Gold or Geshia Girl are so extremely fast growing and resilient that a severe trim, a fertilise with Organic Link (a good quality organic slow release fertiliser) and a follow up spray is all that is necessary. 

 If spraying is necessary the chemical Imidacloprid (Searles' ConGuard) is recommended by the DPI.  I have found Pyremuythum based sprays are also effective.

 This weekend give your life some TLC by getting dirty and making sure you have no nasty critters hiding in amongst your flowers.



Saturday 3 September 2011

Fairies Give Good Advice

Over the years the Garden Fairies have been good to my garden. Last night though I had to ask them why don’t some of my plants flower? Why don’t my fruit trees fruit profusely or if they do why is the fruit misshapen?  I just had to ask why all my coloured foliaged plants like crotons and dracaenas have lost their colour?
The Garden Fairies replied “Your garden just needs some TLC and a little Potash!”
Potassium Sulphate or Sulphate of Potash is commonly called Potash.  It is an essential element necessary to the lives of all plants. It aids in disease resistance and frost protection by strengthening the plants cell walls.  It helps in seed and root development. It encourages strong new growth and helps with the formation of flower buds and fruit. Potash can improve the quality and the colour of flowers and enhances the formation of proteins and sugars in fruit. Potash can even help plants with slender stems and large flower heads such as Iceland poppies and Gerberas hold their heads erect.
 
If a plant is deficient in potash, it will express an overall weakness especially in its stem.  It will have yellowing leaf margins and grow more slowly.  It will be disease prone and its fruit and flowers will be small and poorly coloured and sometimes tasteless.

Many Australian soils are low in potassium (potash).This can be added by itself or as part of a complete fertiliser. Potash by itself is available in a liquid or granular form and is usually certified organic.  The liquid form is added to water and used as a foliar spray. Used like this it is quick acting but not long lasting and needs to be repeated on a fortnightly basis. This is best for promoting flowers especially on annuals.  The granular form is added to the soil and watered in.  The granular is slower acting but lasts a lot longer.  This is best for correcting deficiencies, promoting fruit and stimulating coloured foliage. If you use mainly a manure based fertiliser like blood and bone or chicken manure you will need to add potash as these products don’t naturally contain it.
Complete fertilisers, whether they be chemical or organic, usually contain potash.  An N:P:K ratio can usually be found on the fertilizer label. The N:P:K ratio stands for Nitrogen (greening, growing), Phosphorus (roots) and Potassium (fruiting, flowering). Some fertilisers contain almost equal parts N and K this is great for general fertilising. Fertilisers with a high K are better if you are trying to correct deficiencies or promote fruiting and flowering.

This weekend I’m playing with my Garden Fairies and giving my garden some TLC and a little Potash.  In a few months I’ll share with you the spoils of my labour with an abundance of fruit and bunches of glorious flowers.

Saturday 27 August 2011

My dirty little secret

Every year around this time my secret love affair starts.  It starts off slow with only a hint of the love and pure joy that will come as the days turn into weeks and finally months.  Then very quickly it’s gone. All the happiness and pleasure gone and I come crashing back down to earth. 

I have to keep my love a secret as so many people disagree with me plus this love is just so, so, so common!

But I’ll let you in on my dirty little secret…. I love Jasmine Polyanthum. They give my end of winter start of the wester/ly winds blues the TLC I need to continue.  I know spring will be here soon.

I love nearly everything about this plant. I love the soft feather like foliage, the deep green lushness of its leaves.  I love the way it soft stems intertwine themselves and fall gracefully down.  I love how the pink buds form at the end of winter, letting me know the end of this cold is close.  I love watching the deep pink buds open to the purest white flower. But most of all I love the scent.

I love the scent wafting in the air, just a hint of spring.  I love getting up close and breathing deeply letting the fragrance fill me.  I love how it captures me and makes me want more. Oh how glorious it would be to be surrounded by Jasmine Polyanthums. 

Every year I forget what their scent does to me. Then I start to notice them everywhere. This beautiful dense climber with pink buds and then they buds open and I’m in love all over again. 

While Jasmine Polyanthums are beautiful at this time of year reality hits around autumn and winter when they have a tendency to look a little shabby.  I have found that a good fertilise with Organic Link Fertiliser and trim after flowering (October, November) and just before flowering (July) helps keep them looking neat and beautiful. 

Jasmine Polyanthums love the full sun but can grow in some shade.  They are a very vigorous climber and can cover an area quite quickly.  If you don’t have anywhere for them to climb don’t worry they look glorious in hanging baskets or trailing over the edges of retaining walls.  I have even seen some Jasmine Polyanthums climbing on chain link fence but they were highly trimmed and it looked like a box hedge.  These plants are hardy – they don’t mind a little bit of dry weather or a little bit of wet weather.

Jasmine flowers are also commonly used as aphrodisiacs so make sure you like your neighbours before you use it on your fencing!  Also for many people the scent can be very overpowering and even a bit sickly so do be mindful of where you plant it.

This weekend give your love life some TLC and bring a Jasmine Polyanthum home, it can stay inside for a few days too but only if necessary!

Saturday 20 August 2011

My Favourite Scentous Month

I love July.  It has to be my favourite month.  Not only is it my birthday month but my favourite plant is starting to flower.  I first discovered this plant when I was a little girl climbing trees in my parent’s garden.  At the time I thought that my mother and father had especially planted this tree for me so I had flowers on my birthday. I just could never work out why they planted it under my sister’s window and not mine!  Even when I smell the flowers today I get transported back to their garden and a time of simple existence.
I find the best way to give my life some TLC especially during one of the coldest months of the year is to have a Rondeletia amoena.  Whether it be in the garden or a pot this plant is a must for all gardeners.  Some may class it as old fashioned, for me it’s timeless!

The genus name, Rondeletia, commemorates Guillaume Rondelet, a 16th century French naturalist. The species name, amoena, is from the Latin meaning 'lovely' and lovely it is. Rondeletia amoena is an evergreen shrub or small tree to around 3m tall. It has dense green foliage making the perfect tree for hedging or as a feature.  Energex even thinks it’s a wonderful plant and recommends it for planting under power lines.

Rondeletia amoena are just beginning to produce their clusters of deep pink buds which will slowly open to salmon-pink, perfumed flowers.  They will flower from now until the end of spring.  These deliciously scented flowers do not have an overpowering scent. If you are anything like me though you’ll want to sit all day in the garden and breathe in this divine scent.

Rondeletia amoena’s are a versatile plant that can be grown in full sun or part shade.  It is a very tough, drought-tolerant plant for any style of garden from tropical to formal.  These plants are hardly bothered by pests or disease and they even attract butterflies!

 Whether you have a green-thumb or slightly brown tinged one Rondeletia amoena are for you. A small trim after flowering and a seasonal fertilise with an organic slow release fertiliser, I use Organic Link, will promote a denser form and more beautiful plant.
This weekend spoil yourself and take a trip back to your childhood.  Rondeletia amoena are the best and easiest way to give yourself and garden some TLC during the cold month of July.

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Aphids


Some weekends start off perfectly - the slow and steady rise from sleep to wakefulness, the smell and taste of a fresh brewed coffee and the deliciousness of a cooked breakfast.  Finally as the sun starts to warm up the garden you get motivated to go outside and enjoy the day by being productive outside.

 You take a slow stroll around the garden creating a mental checklist of what needs to be done when you stop short.  What on earth has happened to my beautiful plants?  They were fine yesterday (or whatever day I was last out here!) Now suddenly they are in dire need of a little TLC. The perfect weekend is slowly spiralling downhill.
Even through the cold months insects and disease can play havoc in our gardens.  An easy way to keep insects and disease at bay is to keep our plants healthy.  Fertilising with a complete organic slow release fertiliser every three months or at the change of season is a great way of helping our plants stay strong and able to fight off disease and insects.  Sometimes though even the best laid plans go astray and plants unfortunately will get disease and insects, it even happens to the best of us green thumbs!
At the moment I am finding that aphids are having a feast in my garden.  With the warm days many of my plants have tender, yummy, new shoots appearing, just what aphids love.  There are many different species of Aphids; they are all small sap sucking insects that vary in colour from green to yellow and black. Aphids don’t just suck the life from your plants they also transmit virus diseases such as broad bean wilt. Natural predators are lady birds but if you don’t have enough of these you may need to spray with the chemical Imidacloprid.  The brand I use is Conguard by Searles.  

Azaleas will also benefit from a spray of Imidacloprid (Conguard) at this time of year.  If your azalea leaves have lost their colour and lustre (may look sandblasted) and have black spots on the underside of their leaves – you have Lace Bug. Severe infestations of lace bug can lead to reduced plant vigour and loss of leaves. You may need to spray a few times to control your infestation and unfortunately once the leaves have that sand blasted look they will stay that way.  A good trim and fertilise though will help promote nice new healthy growth to cover the unsightly affected growth.  If you don’t like spraying with chemicals a new range of azaleas have been released that are lace bug resistant. This is called the Encore Range.  My favourite is Autumn Twist.  It is mauve with a dark purple stripe thru the flower.

The Imidacloprid based sprays work on a Systemic action – absorbed through the foliage and moves throughout the plant to control insects.  They are safe to use on most plant types and you need very low concentrations to be effective.  The most important thing I find is that Imidacloprid based sprays are low toxic to beneficial insects such as ladybirds and bees.
Start and end your weekend perfectly by giving not only your garden but the birds and the bees some TLC.

Camellia Japonica

Over the years my grandfather has tried to teach me a lot.  He tried to teach me to fish but I could never stand still long enough to catch anything! He tried to teach me to cylinder mow but I could never get the hang of mowing in a straight line. He even tried to teach me to be a little quieter and we all know that didn’t work!  The one thing he did teach me well though was how perfect Camellia Japonicas are. 
Do yourself and your garden a favor and treat yourself to a Camellia Japonica.  These glorious plants are sometimes called the rose of winter but should be called the jewel of winter because they put on a fabulous flower display in the cooler months of the year when the rest of the garden often looks dull and bare.

Japonica flowers are what make this plant so perfect.  I get such joy in seeing the buds open to these so flawless and diverse flowers.  I have found over ten different descriptions of Japonica flowers. The most common are single, double, peony and formal double.  The shade of the flowers are just as diverse and can vary from red to pink to white and sometimes have multi-coloured stripes or specks.  The flowers are not small either with many flowers being at least 15cm in diameter.  What is even better is these plants flower in abundance and the flowers last for ages.  A childhood memory is of water bowls all over our house filled with japonica flowers. 

Camellia Japonicas have the darkest green glossy foliage.  The leaves are quite broad, thick and smooth making the plant look lush and dense.  Japonicas will grow superbly in full shade or part shade.  In climates where deciduous trees are popular japonicas are usually planted underneath so they are protected from the hot summer sun but are free to shine while they are in flower and the tree is naked.  Japonicas don’t mind if they are planted in the ground or in a pot.  They don’t like wet feet though so make sure your soil is well drained and slightly acidic, around pH6.  They are quite hardy once established.  I find they do best if they are mulched well and are given a good fertilise about every three months with a slow release complete organic fertiliser.

Why doesn’t everyone have one of these glorious plants?  Over the years they have gotten a bad reputation because they are slow growing and some varieties can take years to flower.  Many people also suffered with Bud Drop which causes loss or decay of buds.   

Beautiful plants do not grow overnight and it is nice to have a plant that does not need constant trimming.  Some Japonicas can take years to flower mainly the formal doubles, the others flower very easily.  We also now know that bud drop can be caused by over watering, high temperatures, or pot bound roots.  Some things we can fix others we cannot!

A Camellia Japonica in a pot on a veranda is the perfect way to give your dull winter life some TLC and bring some happiness back into your garden!



Tuesday 16 August 2011

Welcome

Hi and Welcome to Trevallan's Blog.  I hope you enjoy this ride.  I am so excited about sharing with you all.  By the end I hope we all have a green finger (even if its just the pinkie), beautiful homes, scentous scents and look even more fantastic than we already do.  The blog is only just beginning so its not the prettiest but give me a chance and we can all grow and flourish together.  Remember Trevallan's motto its all about "Giving your life some TLC"

 
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