To all our loyal readers
Here is a great voucher you can use instore.
Just print is off and bring it in. More information at our website: www.fourseasonsnursery.com.au-coupons.
Hope to see you all soon
Matt
Four Seasons Nursery
Monday, August 19, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Brilliant Bromeliads For Winter Colour
ONE of the few benefits of possessing an overgrown garden is the
treasure it can turn up, seemingly out of nowhere. Bromeliads are my particular
booty and in the depths of winter when deciduous leaves are long gone and
colour can be thin on the ground, these striking ground (terrestrial) and tree
(epiphytes) dwellers stand out like dazzling jewels.
It’s the twinkle of winter colour I love best but members of the
Bromeliaceae or pineapple family, also provide the solution to a host of site
challenges. These exotic American perennials lend themselves very well to
creative and unusual displays, especially in the shade of a tropical garden.
Provide interest to a leafless deciduous tree in winter. Epiphytic
bromeliads happily grow up a trunk and can be tied into forked branches,
spilling leaves from nooks and crannies along shady lower boughs. For even
greater effect, dress with delicate silver tufts of a very different bromeliad
sub-family, Tillandsia usneoides, the
dreamy air plant, Spanish moss.
Create beauty on the move and pot up bromeliads to provide a
dramatic accent of sculptural interest, indoors or out. Use a light, open
potting mix with good drainage.
Often hardy, many bromeliad genus require little maintenance other
than the removal of a spent mother plant to allow her offsets (pups) to thrive.
Bromeliads In Bloom Now
With a greek name meaning `spear tip’, the Aechmea genus is ideal
for beginners and offers many species ranging in size from 30cm to 1m, all
featuring colourful foliage and flowers.
try...
A clumping habit makes Aechmea gamosepala (Matchstick Plant), a cold hardy, epiphytic species from Brazil, versatile as a groundcover and tree adornment. |
or try...
or try...
Beautiful and practical, Billbergia nutans (Queen’s Tears) forms a dense weed suppressing
ground cover and requires plenty of moisture.
|
THE pineapple, Ananas comosus,
is the most famous member of the Bromeliaceae family and the first one to leave
the New World after Columbus took it to Spain in 1493. It is the only one of
3,000 species grown for its edible fruits. All the rest are tropical American
ornamentals highly regarded for their varied, architectural forms and vivid
flowers. Over 99% of bromeliads will flower only once, soon after producing
multiple pups to continue their life cycle. The family is named for Swedish
botanist and medical doctor, Olaus Bromelius.
Happy planting!
Lynsey
Monday, June 24, 2013
Keep Camellias Blooming - A Guide To Preventing Bud Drop
words
and images by Lynsey Hughes
MY last house came
flanked with a divinely tall, mature Camellia japonica specimen which
thrived in the shade of a two-storey neighbour and produced a stunning carpet
of candy- pink blooms each winter. All this buddy love without a single scrap
of attention from moi!
Opening Bud Stage 1 |
Bud Opening Stage 2 |
Bud Opening Stage 3 |
Fast-forward to my current abode and you’ll see me hovering, gloved-fingers crossed, over a stubby, shrubby as-yet-unidentified Camellia, waiting for the first tight bud to reveal her winter petals.
Last year I was
bitterly disappointed in this little woody shrub, which survives on the edge of
a bed filled with tree stumps; the remnants of shade long gone, and no doubt a
contributing factor in the pathological rate of bud-drop we experienced last
winter.
Bud failing to open |
It seems the causes
are largely unknown, but a few common themes appear: lack of water, too much
water, too much sun, too many buds, incorrect soil pH levels and the plain ol’
fact that some types, like formal doubles, are just more susceptible. Among the practical
tips gathered (see below), all except number three were carried out last
Spring. It’s been a slow drum roll so far, but it’s almost showtime. My bud clusters
are looking plump, green and encouragingly healthy. A couple have burst their
barriers, but only time will tell if we’ll be rewarded with a much-wished for
explosion of blooms.
Six Tips To Combat
Camellia Bud-drop
1. Pinch out buds by
one-third in Spring. Over-production of buds can dilute plant resources,
resulting in no beautiful singles, doubles or anemones unfurling. Best to
reduce the number of buds at the early stage to ensure the lucky survivors
receive adequate nutrients.
2. Ensure soil
never dries out. Buds need coaxing with an adequate supply of water to see
them flower. Maintain constant moisture during Summer while buds are
developing. During the flowering season, heavily budded plants should be soaked
well and often - once a week, especially if rainfall is low.
3. Provide enough
shade. Avoid direct early morning sun in Winter to prevent dewy buds from
burning and perishing. Remember, most Camellias hail from a woodland
environment.
Happy Planting
Lynsey
4. Prune dead wood
and any crossing branches that restrict internal air flow. It’s basic shrub
management to stop pests and disease taking hold. Remove spent flower heads at
the end of each season.
5. Ensure soil pH
is slightly acidic, between 5.5 and 6.5, by using a soil testing kit. Lower
pH with applications of ammonium sulphate, commonly found in specialty Camellia
fertilisers. Throughout the year, sprinkle used tea leaves (Camellia
sinensis) at the base to provide a boost of tannic acid. Or better yet feed with a Camellia and Azalea fertiliser for the best results. We have a range available at Four Seasons Nursery
6. Mulch with old
compost in Spring to keep roots cool and well fed.
Tea leaves are harvested from the Camellia sinensis,
and can
be fed to your growing camellia.
|
Fast Facts
NAMED after amateur
botanist and Moravian Jesuit Priest, George Kamel, who surprisingly never laid
eyes on the species, Camellias grow wild in Japan, parts of China, the
Himalayas and Indo-China.
Commonly cultivated in the West as ornamental shrubs and trees, it was the tea
variety, Camellia sinensis that was first taken from China by the
British to colonial India over 200 years ago.
They love cool, moist roots and slightly acid soil. The darker the flower, the
more sun it can handle, especially the `ideal for hedging’ sasanqua
varieties.
Happy Planting
Lynsey
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