Our Garden in January

Following on from my failed attempt at taking photographs of our garden each week I have decided to just take photographs when there is something interesting to show you.

Today, 23rd January 2012, I was surprised to notice the size of the Camellia Buds, this time last year they were a lot smaller but we had just had the worst winter in many years so not surprising really.

I went outside with my camera and also found the Snowdrops looking great as well as the Winter Flowering Jasmine and Witch Hazel; take a look below.

Plants in Our Garden – Camellia

Camellia x Williamsii Debbie has been on a container for about eight years now and it has always flowered well.

It has deep pink flowers during February and into March but the glossy, dark green foliage remains throughout the year to provide additional interest.

This variety is available from Gardening Express for just £12.95 for a 3.5l plant and Crocus.co.uk have lots of other interesting varieties.

The photograph above is the property of Linda Peppin and must not be copied or used in any public work without her express permission.

The 12 Step Beginners Guide to Pruning

Not all shrubs require pruning but you may want to consider it in order to shape the plant, to encourage vigorous growth, flowering or fruit production or to remove dead, damaged or diseased material.

Here is a beginners guide to pruning:

1. Pruning is best carried out immediately after flowering to ensure a good display the following year but a general pruning in Autumn is also usual particularly for roses
2. Always cut at a downward angle to allow rain to fall away and not sit on the cut
3. Pruning to remove spent flower heads is always a good idea as it stops the plant spending energy producing seed
4. Always use good quality, sharp, clean tools
5. Cut out dead or diseased stems right down to where they reach the roots or main stem
6. Take out any stems that cross over other stems as they will eventually join together and cause injury which can let in disease
7. Take a look at the plant and decide what size and shape you want and bear this is mind throughout the pruning process
8. Take a stem and starting at the tip look along it’s length to where it reaches the base. The “nodes” you see along the length are where either leaves, new stems or flowers will appear; you won’t know in advance which of these it will be
9. By pruning just before a node (i.e. before when looking from the tip to the base) you stimulate a chemical at the node which tells the plant to shoot out from there and produce a flower, leaf or another stem
10. If you prune after a node the chances are that the stem will die back from the end down to the next node and may even continue down the stem
11. To hard prune, count the number of nodes up the stem from the base; you should leave at least two nodes to allow for die-back so pruning just before the third node is usually ideal; this type of pruning produces new growth and reinvigorates the plant
12. For an annual prune when you just want to keep the shrub in shape so you should cut just above the node needed to maintain the shape; this type of pruning usually produces flowers and new leaves the following season

Next you can find out more about pruning specific types of plants:

Evergreens – During May cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Examples: Camellia, Pieris, Rhododendron -

Early Flowering Deciduous Shrubs – Immediately after flowering cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Cut back all branches which have flowered this year. Examples: Forsythia, Weigela, Deutzia, Philadelphus

Later Flowering Deciduous Shrubs – During January to March before the new growth appears cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Cut back all old wood to the ground. Examples: Buddleia, Hypericum, Cornus

Damaged or Diseased Trees – Identify the diseased or damaged branches and cut back to healthy, clean wood.

Clematis

Group 1 – these are small-flowered species which flower in early spring on last season’s growth Immediately after flowering remove dead or damaged stems, and reduce other stems if needed. To renovate an older plant cut back to 15-30cm (6-12in) from the base immediately after flowering

Group 2 – large-flowered, flowering May-June on the previous year’s growth. Some flower again in summer on current season’s growth. Remove dead and damaged stems in early spring before growth begins, trimming all remaining stems to a pair of strong buds. To rejuvenate a mature specimen remove old shoots during spring

Group 3 – flowers late summer on current season’s growth. Cut back all growth to a pair of strong buds 15-20cm (6-8in) above soil level, before growth begins in early spring

Pest on Camellia

Question:

The flower buds on our Camellia are going brown and then falling off plant. Upon closer investigation we found very tiny whitish bugs in between the forming petals and the heart of the bud. Please can you help us to identify cause and how to treat the nuisance so we can get flower display we’d be most disappointed to lose the show from a treasured wedding gift.

Answer:

I have been a bit stumped with this one as whereas bud failure in Camellias is very common I had not heard of a particular bug which affects the buds. However, I have interrogated the RHS website and I think they may be Capsid bugs which are sap-feeding insects that feed at the shoot tips, and on flower buds, of a wide range of herbaceous and woody plants. It doesn’t mention that they over-winter within the buds but everything else seems to fit. Alternatively it may be aphids which come in lots of colours including white and can over-winter as adults. Either way the treatment is the same.

When (if) we get a dry day spray your plant with a general insecticide from garden centres and DIY stores; just read the label to ensure it is suitable for greenfly. Stray regularly throughout the summer to break the laying cycle and spray again at the end of autumn to kill those settling in for the winter.

Here’s what the RHS say about Camellias which should help you care for your beloved plant:

Despite being easy to grow, camellias are occasionally subject to problems.

• Failure to flower and loss of flower buds are common problems, but can be avoided by providing good growing conditions:
  • Water during dry spells in late summer when flower buds are forming.
  • Mulch with an 8-10cm (3-4in) layer of chipped bark or leaf mould in late winter or early spring to conserve water around the roots.
  • Move container-grown camellias out from under the eaves of the house in late summer or autumn so that they catch the rainfall.
  • Do not feed camellias later than the end of July, as excessive or late feeding can lead to bud drop.
  • Some natural bud drop may occur where too many buds have formed, particularly with double-flowered cultivars. This should not be excessive and is nothing to worry about.
  • Protect tender cultivars with a double layer of horticultural fleece in winter, as low temperatures can lead to bud drop.
• Flowers can be damaged by rain and frost, but camellia petal blight may also be involved.
• Like many evergreen plants camellias are vulnerable to windy, cold or wet weather, developing wind scorch, oedema or a coating of algae on the leaves.
• Nutrient deficiencies may cause yellowing foliage where alkaline soil (usually greater than pH6.5) prevents uptake of certain nutrients.
• Camellias can succumb to pests and diseases, including Camellia yellow mottle virus, vine weevil (especially those grown in pots), camellia cushion scale, camellia gall and the root diseases phytophthora and honey fungus.
• The loss of a few leaves is normal and nothing to worry about

Another thing to note, if you don’t know already, is that Camellias are acid lovers and should be planted in ericaceous compost if in a pot or fed regularly with an ericaceous feed if planted in an alkaline garden soil.

Our Plant of the Month for February – Camellia

Camellias are wonderful plants giving amazing splashes of colour on bleak February days. The glossy dark green foliage remains throughout the year to add interest at all times.

This particular camellia has been growing in a container in my North facing garden for about eight years and always rewards me with lots of these deep pink flowers during late Winter and early Spring. The variety is Camellia x Williamsii Debbie.

Camellias are well suited for pots and containers, but they need acid compost, a reasonably large pot and regular watering to thrive. Once the flowers have faded they drop off the plant meaning no dead-heading, making this shrub a practically maintenance free plant.

Below are a selection of Camellia on sale a Crocus.co.uk, click on the pictures for more information: