Camellia sasanquas are an attractive feature in many autumn gardens. They are versatile plants as they are tolerant of drier positions, requiring a minimum of water.
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Sasanqua camellias can be grown in positions that are more exposed to sun and wind. In spite of this tolerance for garden positions that may be more extreme, sasanqua camellias produce flowers that appear to be delightfully fragile.
They produce an abundance of flowers in a range of colours from white through pale and darker pinks to reds, with some varieties having multi-coloured flowers.
Sasanqua camellias differ in their flowering habit from the more well-known camellia japonica in that their flowers generally last for only a few days, whereas flowers on a camellia japonica bush can remain there for up to a week.
However, sasanqua camellias make up for this by producing many more flowers, so that the bush appears to be covered in blooms for an extended period. As the flowers fall, they create an attractive carpet of colour on the ground underneath the bush. The flowers encourage native birds, especially honey eaters.
As sasanqua camellias start their flowering season, this is a good time to choose varieties for your garden.
Flower colour, structure, growth habit and size are all factors to be considered when choosing plant varieties.
Sasanqua camellias are adaptable and make ideal specimens for topiary, particularly the popular lollipop form. They can also be grown as hedges, wind breaks and screens.
Varieties that can be used as ground covers are also becoming available.
Because of the nature of their trunks, the removal of lower growth exposes an attractive pattern of shapes on more mature plants, especially if they have been grown along a fence.
They respond well to trimming with hedge clippers and, therefore, they are ideal for narrow garden beds such as those beside a driveway.
Lawn grubs a pest after recent rain
Lawns are displaying a healthy, green cover following the recent rains. However, healthy lawns are also attractive to pests such as the lawn grub.
Lawn grubs are leaf-eating caterpillars and attack the healthy shoots, often eating down to the surface of the soil.
They are seasonal, appearing October and April. The presence of moths over the lawn’s surface, particularly at night time, may be an indication of impending trouble.
An application of lawn grub killer will probably be necessary to control the pests. This should be followed by a thorough soaking of the soil.
A repeat application may be necessary five to seven days later. If the grubs have been present then an application of Seasol will encourage new growth, enabling the lawn to become reinvigorated before the cooler weather sets in.
Light handfuls of lime applied to lawns after periods of heavy rain will help to keep the lawn at optimum growth.
Heavy rains can cause various elements to be leached from the soil around plants. This can particularly affect rose plants.
Dolomite added to the soil around the plants and then dug in will be of benefit.
The recent rains, followed by warm weather, have also provided good growing conditions for weeds. They should be removed from the garden regularly, either by pulling them out by hand or by selective hoeing, before they become too established.
Otherwise they will soon produce seed heads that will then lead to an increased invasion, making removal more difficult.
Lawn runners that are invading adjacent garden beds should be trimmed off. If grasses such as invasive couch have formed thick mats in garden areas then the use of a glyphosate-based herbicide treatment may be needed.
The use of this type of chemical will ensure it reaches the extensive root system. Pieces of roots will usually remain if normal weeding practices have been used and these will quickly regrow and the original problem will again be present.
It may be necessary to cut back some weed types before applying the glyphosate, as its application straight onto the strongly growing leaves will have little effect.
This is particularly so in cases such as the weed Tradescantia fluminernsis, more commonly known as wandering jew. It is a very difficult weed to eradicate.
However, it the area of infestation is cut back with a whipper snipper, or similar piece of equipment and the area is then sprayed with glyphosate, the chemical will be absorbed into the newly cut leaf surfaces. A re-application may be needed in several weeks.
Glyphosate will only work on plant materials and will not have any residual effect in the soil.
However, it is important to avoid using glyphosate herbicides in areas of the garden where roses have been planted as these plants will be badly affected by the chemical and may even die.
geoffh.gardening@gmail.com, Maitland and District Garden Club
