Some overdue Camellia care

I have two Camellias (Camellia japonica), one at the front and one at the back, both inherited from the previous home owner.  I’m not sure what cultivar they are but they have gorgeous red-pink flowers in early spring, when not much else in my garden is in flower.

This morning, when I was pegging out the washing (ever the optimist, me), I remembered a task that I should have done a few weeks ago.  Since the weather forecast seems pretty mild for the next week or so, I thought I’d do it immediately, before forgetting again.

Autumn is a good time to give early flowering, acid-loving (ericaceous) plants such as Camellias a good water, before the winter frosts set in.  This boosts their bud-formation, which happens throughout the autumn.  I gave each plant a large watering can each, filled up from my water butt.  Rainwater is ideal for ericaceous plants because it is acidic.

Whilst watering, I noticed that a few of the leaves on one of the plants are yellow.  This is possibly a sign of lime-induced chlorosis. If the pH of the soil is too high (too alkaline), it prevents the Camellia taking up sufficient iron to make chlorophyll, hence the loss of green colour.  I shall keep an eye on this, and consider an ericaceous feed in late spring, after it has finished flowering.

Other early flowering ericaceous plants that benefit from some autumnal watering with rainwater include azaleas and rhododendrons.  Here’s a picture of the rhododendrons in flower at Muncaster Castle in West Cumbria, a few springs ago.

Coming next - Gardening jobs for November (I really mean it, this time).

Autumn leaves - and what to do with them

“Autumn days when the grass is jewelled…”  Do you remember singing that in your primary school assembly?  I can tell you that they are still singing it, with some culturally sensitive alterations to the lyrics. 

Apart from the piano, the other obvious accompaniment to autumn days is piles of fallen leaves.  Every year I ponder the irony of the Council cutting the green bin collections down to fortnightly, just when we’ve all got the largest amount of green-bin waste we’ve had all year.

So when your green bin is overflowing, what else can you do with your leaf-fall?  Here are a few suggestions:

Mow the leaves into your lawn: 

For lighter leaf-fall, you can mow over the leaves to break them up into smaller pieces.  This speeds up decomposition, and they can be left on the lawn as a mulch.

Add them to your compost heap:

Successful composting requires an appropriate balance of nitrogen-rich ‘greens’ and carbon-rich ‘browns’.  If your compost heap is wet, slimy or smelly, it would probably benefit from the addition of a layer of dead leaves, to boost the browns.  Don’t forget to turn your compost heap after each addition.

Make a leaf-mould cage

This is probably the most practical of my suggestions for dealing with the volume of leaves we get in Whalley Range. Below is a picture of one of the leaf-mould cages at Cheadle College, where I have my weekly practical classes for my RHS qualification. 

Leaf-mould cage at Cheadle College, Stockport.

To make one of your own, drive four tree-stakes into the ground, about 60cm apart, in a square formation.  Wrap with, and attach chicken wire.  Add your leaves.  You do need patience; they can take over two years to break down to form leaf-mould, depending on the tree species.  Leaf mould is low in nutrients but makes a great soil conditioner or mulch around the base of plants.

Make exciting crafts:

Ask any parent, school teacher or play leader; the possibilities are endless. Perhaps next autumn I will do a whole feature on this one.

Play!  

Throw them in the air, jump up and down and listen to that rustle and scrunch as you walk down the street.

Coming next; Gardening jobs for November

Gardening in Shade

The marvellous thing about living in Whalley Range is all the magnificent mature trees - such a relief to turn down cool, shady Range Road, after a sweaty cycle home during the heatwave earlier this year.

The frustrating thing about living in Whalley Range is… all the magnificent mature trees (not to mention those pesky squirrels). 

Shade.  It can make for some tricky gardening decisions, and I am quickly working up my knowledge of the plants that work best in order to tackle my own garden.

We have a small walled flowerbed in our front garden.  It is over-shadowed by the neighbours’ enormous beech tree.  In addition to light, this tree is also competing with my shrubs for root space and water.  As you can imagine, it’s not much of a competition.

After a year or two of complete neglect, including my total failure to water throughout aforementioned scorcher of a summer (not a good advert for a gardener, I do realise), I decided to take this little flowerbed in hand. 

The beech tree, like the houses, has presumably been there since Samuel Brooks’ time, over 150 years ago. It is not going anywhere soon.  Instead, it’s up to me to make sensible planting choices for the prevailing conditions.

I’ve gone for a Viburnum davidii, which likes shade, along with Heucheras (‘Plum Pudding’).  The Heucheras pick out the beautiful red leaf petioles on the Viburnum really well. 

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, I’ve also put in some Alchemilla mollis or Lady’s Mantle, which will grow anywhere!  Hopefully the Verbena and Bergenias will perk up next year, if I’m more disciplined about watering them…

Let me know what shade-loving plants have worked well for you, and check back here in spring for a photo when the viburnum is in flower, and the bulbs are up.  That is, assuming those pesky squirrels haven’t got to them first.

Coming next; Autumn leaves – and what to do with them.

The Range Borders Blog

Welcome to my blog!  I’m Emily the garden girl, and I have just embarked on an exciting new business venture as a gardener, serving local folks in Whalley Range, Chorlton, Hulme and Old Trafford. 

Since moving to Whalley Range, I have continually struggled to find regular skilled support to assist me with my own garden; it ran wild whilst I juggled a busy family, a demanding full-time job and a characteristic Victorian Whalley Range property requiring more than a little TLC.

How did I get here? First of all, I extricated myself from a career in transport planning. I passed my RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles in Horticulture (with commendation, no less!).  Then, whilst tending to the planters on Withington Road in my capacity as a Whalley Ranger, I was approached by a local lady who asked me if I knew anyone who could help her with her garden.  Maybe that person could be me?

So here I am, and here’s my blog.  In it, you’ll find my musings on gardening in Whalley Range and environs.  I’ll share tips and advice, and keep you updated on what you should be doing in your garden, month by month.  

And because I am still on a horticultural learning journey, I’ll also include reflections from my weekly RHS classes. 

But my source of knowledge needn’t be limited to the RHS; please use the comments box below to comment on my posts, give me your views and share your own experiences, and we can grow our learning, together.

Coming next: Gardening in Shade