Garden News November 29

2015'S BRAND NEW

* HELLEBORE FREE DAHLIAS! *BUY 2 PLANTS, GET 1 FREE Exciting shapes & colours to try November 29, 2014

8UGLY WALL! ways to hide an

Camellias for Christmas!

Discover the varieties in fower for the festive season

CAROL KLEIN

"Get masses of perennials - for free!"

Transform your

Lift chrysanths to keep them safe this winter Plant a patio ďŹ g tree Propagate shrubs with hardwood cu ings

GARDEN!

s Easy ways to IMPROVE all soil type em BEST MULCHES and how to use th

Plant of the week FACTFILE

CAMELLIA SASANQUA Shrub

Full sun or shade Moist but well-drained soil Hardy (just) Height up to 10m (30ft) Flowers late autumn - winter

Turn on the

Autumn charm Camellia sasanqua adds a touch of the exotic

Burncoose Nurseries

THINK OF CAMELLIAS and you may think of spring, but one species, Pam Camellia Richardson sasanqua, bursts into GARDEN WRITER bloom in autumn when most other flowers are winding down.

Like all camellias they prefer acidic soils, but unusually they

Camellia ‘Hugh Evans’ is frost hardy

4 Garden News / November 29 2014

also love hot, sunny positions, thriving particularly in humusrich acidic soil in sheltered south and west-facing gardens.

The scented flowers emerge from September and can still be in full bloom at the end of January, adding a touch of the exotic to gardens. Some varieties such as ‘Narumigata’ have dainty single petals, others are semi double with ruffled petals or fully double, and most have a large and distinctive central ruff of golden stamens. Handily, the plants are self-cleaning, so there’s no need to deadhead spent flowers because they drop naturally.

If you can bear to take them from the garden, the flowers are perfect for cutting. ‘Yuletide’ is ideal for Christmas bouquets.

C. sasanqua originate from Asia and they grow and thrive in hot regions of the world, including Australia. Because of this, choose a frost-hardy variety with a history of growing in the UK, such as

lovely and vigorous pink single ‘Hugh Evans’ or old established variety ‘Crimson King.’

They are also more tolerant of a range of growing conditions, coping with dry as well as moist soils. Give them protection from cold winds and try to avoid east-facing positions when frosts are a risk. Early morning sun can cause plant cells to rupture as they warm up too quickly. Keep the roots cool by growing ground cover plants at their feet.

C. sasanqua grow well in open ground in acid or neutral soils and they make excellent hedging plants in mild areas. But if you garden on alkaline soil or have simply run out of room in the garden, then grow them in pots.

Don’t start them off in too large a pot – they prefer to be potted on gradually. Water pot-grown camellias carefully because they need free-draining soil that is never waterlogged. Feed with an

Red buds of ‘Navajo’ open to pink semi-double flowers

ericaceous liquid feed in spring and a high potash feed in summer.

Be prepared to bring pots under cover if severe weather is forecast, or protect them with fleece.

Suppliers ● Burncoose Nurseries, tel: 01209 860316; www.burncoose.co.uk ● Loder Plants, tel: 01403 891412; www.loder-plants.co.uk

Imagine this flowering on Christmas Day in your garden

Trehane Nursery

Trehane Nursery

“Hardier than people think”

‘Crimson King’

‘Tanya’

Deep red single flowers with golden yellow stamens from October to November. Prefers a sunny sheltered site. Height: 1.5m (5ft)

This variety is one of the smallest so it’s perfect for pots.

It is very free flowering and has deep pink flowers.

Height: 90cm (3ft)

Lorraine Keets Nursery Manager, Trehane Nursery

Trehane Nursery

Trehane Nursery

‘Fuji-no-mine’

‘Yuletide’

One of the few pure white doubles, it is a fast grower with upright slender branches.

Flowers in November and December. Height: 4m (12ft)

Known as the Christmas camellia, it flowers from November to January and the single red flowers last well as cut flowers. Height: 3m (10ft) Shu erstock

Autumn-flowering camellias are easy to grow, they’re in flower when li le else is in bloom – and really should be be er known.

Unlike spring flowering camellias, Camellia sasanqua like a very sunny, hot position, preferably south-facing, which helps to set the flowerbuds. But, they will tolerate most aspects, even east-facing, as long as they have some shelter from cold winds.

Plant them at the same depth as they were in their pots. They need freedraining, lime-free or acidic soil. Although they are said to tolerate neutral soil, at the nursery we plant our Camellia sasanqua in ericaceous compost. If camellias are unhappy they’ll tell you – their foliage turns yellow!

Prolonged cold will damage these camellias whether they’re in pots or open ground but, depending on the variety, they are hardier than many people think.

Established plants can cope with temperatures as low as -10C (14F). Ericaceous compost in pots can become compacted so add some bark to open it and improve drainage. Keeping the compost drier in winter also prevents roots from ro ing. Insulate pots with bubblewrap or fleece, and bring under cover in severe cold to protect the roots.

Most Camellia sasanqua are naturally slow growing, but they can be lightly pruned in late spring to keep plants manageable, although you may lose a few flowerbuds. ● Trehane Camellia Nursery, tel: 01202 873490; www.trehane.co.uk

Lonicera purpusii

Shu erstock

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Autumn camellia blooms also make good cut flowers

November 29 2014 / Garden News 5

Trehane Nursery

‘Plantation Pink’ makes a good wall shrub

Shu erstock

With their showy flowers and neat glossy foliage, autumn-flowering camellias are impressive plants.

The only trait they lack is a pleasant scent (the smell of the flowers has been likened to musty churches). Planting them with scented winter-flowering shrubs such as Chimonanthus praecox or Viburnum bodnantense will remedy this by providing a sweet perfume to counter it.

Both these deciduous plants flower on bare stems so they complement the evergreen camellias.

Evergreen Daphne bholua could also be a perfect partner.

Chimonanthus praecox

Shu erstock

Trehane Nurseries

Perfect partners for autumn camellias

Shu erstock

Four autumn camellias

Former head gardener, TV and radio broadcaster and RHS judge

Martin Fish

The undercover

GARDENER

EN

IN THE FLOWER GARD

Group all your best plants together to make a winter display

Plant tulips Photos: Martin Fish

Of all the spring-flowering bulbs, tulips are best planted late in the season because it reduces the risk of disease. Tulips like to be planted deep, too. If in doubt, plant them deeper than you think, 15cm (6in) ideally. You don’t need to get out there with a ruler. The length of most trowels is about 15cm (6in) so just make sure you dig the hole at least as deep as the blade of the trowel and you can’t go wrong. If the soil is on the wet side, mix some grit into the bo om first.

Making the most of late colour WAS POTTERING AROUND in the greenhouse the other day, removing a few yellow leaves from plants and was surprised by just how much flower and colour there is on some of the plants.

As I like my greenhouse to look decorative as well as being functional, I set about creating a mini plant display on my greenhouse bench. I go in there every day, even if just for a few minutes to check the heater or to water, so I might as well get full benefit from the plants that are being overwintered inside.

Plants that are still looking fairly good include pelargoniums and quite a few are still in flower. Others

I

Make your decking less slippery Keep decking safe this winter by using an anti-slip coating. Apply two or three coats to your deck, leaving 10 minutes between each coat if using a spray-on product. Coating applied with a brush takes longer to dry. Work towards an easy exit so you

don’t trap yourself in a corner!

For a longer-term solution, try tacking taut chicken wire over your decking to provide permanent extra grip. Lay it over a small area first, to make sure you are happy with how the decking will look.

L ast ch an ce to...

22 Garden News / November 29 2014

Jobs to do now

Plant brassicas in the tunnel I’ve got a few spare spring cabbages and brassicas left after planting in the garden, so rather than waste them I’m planting them in the border of the polytunnel, where they should thrive.

Plant winter bedding Garden centres are still selling winter-flowering plants. As soon as you get them home, it’s good to plant quickly, while the ground is unfrozen and workable. In the middle of a cold, freezing snap, it won’t be possible to plant without damaging the structure of the soil. Choose areas of the garden that drain well for growing winter bedding. They hate having wet feet!

have attractive coloured foliage.

I also have some Congo cockatoo (Impatiens niamniamensis) in flower, which are colourful with their bright red and yellow blooms.

The chilli peppers in pots still have plenty of attractive red fruits and I also have variegated spider plants (chlorophytum) for foliage effect. The salvias that I brought under cover last week are also in full flower and add to the display.

With just a little arranging and mixing of the plants, I’ve put together a lovely collection of plants that should look good for a few more weeks. It takes me back to my days as an apprentice when we did displays in the Town Hall!

Tend to salad crops I’m watering salad and veg crops around once a week in the polytunnel. To prevent mould developing on the foliage I’m keeping the leaves dry by only watering the soil between the rows.

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Major oak: voted England’s top tree

ories this week The big gardeningEditst ge ed by IAN HODGSON Editor-at-lar

Heart of oak

UK champions will now take on Europe

28 Garden News / November 29 2014

Lady’s Tree – the osprey’s nest – is Scotland’s contender

The Lonely Tree, rescued by community, scooped the Welsh nom a local ination

Rob McBride

the Major oak’, said Woodland Trust CEO Beccy Speight.

The oak is one of three nominated by the UK to contest the European Tree of the Year competition in February 2015.

Scotland will be represented by Lady’s Tree, named after an osprey, Lady, who has nested in the 100year-old Scots pine in the Lowes nature reserve, Perthshire, for 24 years, raising 50 chicks.

A 150-year-old Scots pine known as the Lonely Tree will represent Wales. The tree on top of a hill in Powys was blown over in 100mph gales last February. Residents came to its aid by covering the roots with 30 tonnes (29 tons) of topsoil. They hope the tree will regenerate by producing new vertical shoots.

• Visit: www.treeoftheyear.org

Niall Benvie

T

HE MAJOR OAK in Sherwood Forest (above) has been crowned England’s tree of the year. A 13,000 strong poll nominated the 23 ton, 10m (33ft) round leviathan, taking 18 per cent of the vote.

The tree beat off Old Knobbley in Essex (15 per cent) and the Ickwell Oak (12 per cent) in Bedfordshire.

Newton’s Apple Tree in Lincolnshire attracted just seven percent of the vote, coming eighth.

The Major, which legend says sheltered Robin Hood and his Merry Men, takes its name from Major Hayman Rooke, who described it in 1790. It was voted Britain’s top tree in 2002. Considered between 800-1,000 years old, its limbs have needed propping since Victorian times.

“I can’t think of a better representative for England than