Purple Pixie - Loropetalum chinese 'Peack' (post from Portmarnock Garden)

 A weeping ground cover with rich purple foliage.  Purple Pixie boasts showy pink ribbons of flowers in spring that compliment its foliage nicely.  This is a cold hardy, drought and humidity tolerant plant.
Size 30-50cm tall x 1.2 - 1.5m wide.
Full sun to part shade.  Purple Pixie handles clay, loam or sandy soils.
Fertilise in early spring.
Prune after flowering in spring.
Pruning every 2-3 years will kepp Purple Pixie below 30cm
visit www.ozbreed.com.au for more information.

29-4-18

 Really liked the look of the foliage on this plant when we came across it at Manawee nursery, since purchasing it in April '18 it has put on a couple of inches on the branches and come into flower.  

We chose to pot it into a bowl shaped plastic pot to go on a plant stand on the back patio, being plastic on a stand plastic is safer and will not dry out like terracotta.  The bowl shape may not be such a good idea as the shallow depth around the edges makes it a challenge for any other plants.  The unknow leafy green thing is just an experiment.

The plant will have to be potted up as it grows. 

18-8-18

 BLACK FLYING INSECTS

18th August '18, noticed tiny black flying insects around the plant.  Lightly sprayed it with white oil, (home made)  Seems to have killed the bugs but also killed the flowers, however there are lots of buds so not too distraught.

STILL WITH THE BLACK FLYING INSECTS
20-8-18.  More insects, quite the little cloud, only around this plant.  Taking a bit of 'advice' from a gardeners blog I just used a household flying insect spray to spray around, not directly onto, the plant.
Left it sit for 30-40mins then sprayed with water to wash off any insecticide residue....checked it at sundown and all looks good, no leaf damage and no insects.  Holding my breath till tomorrow, hopefully no damage.

Found this link to a native alternative: http://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/breynia-cernua-ironstone-range.html


 Breynia 'Ironstone Range'
Native shrub with deep burgundy-red foliage on cascading branches. Suited to accent planting screening and hedging when clipped. Use as a native alternative to Loropetalum "China Pink'.

20-10-18
Insects have moved on, plant is healthy and growing well. Branches are not starting to hang over edge of pot and little experiment (green leafy thingie - still have not found out what this plant is)...little experiment is forming roots and sending out new leaves, colour is a nice foil agains the dark red leaves of the Loropetalum.

Quisqualis 'Jessie's Star' (post from Portmarnock Garden)

 

7-10-18
Quisqualis in larger pot between Peace Lillies with newly potted spider plants as path edging.

Quisqualis 'Jessie's Star'
This unique pure white flowering Quisqualis puts on a spectacular show with its lime green foliage contrasting with the clusters of white flowers en masse.  A very hardy climber flowering from september through to April.
Uses: To cover archways, arbours, fences and pergolas.  Ideal fro privacy screening and the addition of colour into your garden.  
Climate: Subtropical to tropical, protect from frost.  Herbaceous perennial.
Care: Keep moist in dry weather.  Light prune after last frost to promote bushy growth and flowering.  Seasonal application of a slow release fertiliser, low in nitrogen, is recommended.

First grown as a seedling at Retreat Garden in Burpengarry- 'Jessie's Star' the first white variety ever to be grown.
Avoid fertilisers that are high in nitrogen, they will only encourage foliage growth and not flower set.  The vine may occasionally be plagued by scale and caterpillars.  The vine can be propagated from cuttings.
This creeper, like all lianas, attaches itself to trees in the wild and creeps upwards through the canopy in search of the sun.  In the home garden, quisqualis can be used as an ornamental climber or trained as a specimen plant in a container.  With some supportive structure, the plant will arch and form large masses of foliage.
The genus name Quisqualis means 'what is this' and for good reason.  it has a form more closely resembling that of a shrub as a young plant, which gradually matures into a vine.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/rangoon-creeper/rangoon-creeper-vine.htm

Agave Atenuata

 some scrappy left over plants, need to be revamped 

Gardenia

 Purchased July 2018, potted and located on back patio. Did well.

 Needs a moist but well drained soil enriched with organic matter.  They will need plenty of light for flowering but protection from the most punishing summer sun and drying winds.  Morning sun or dappled sun all day would be appropriate.

Will drop their buds if shocked, such as drying out.  Try to keep soil moisture consistent.

Plant in tubs in Azalea and Camelia potting mix.  Gardenia like soil on the acid side.  Fertilise with Azalea and Camelia fertiliser.

Epsom salts are recommended as a remedy for yellow leaves but note that like any plant a number of nutrional deficiencies could cause yellowing of foliage.

Gardenias are prone to Sooty Mould.

Prune after flowering.  Avoid winter/spring pruning as this will result in loss of the autum initiated flower buds which normally bloom in late spring/early summer.

Pic Aug 2018  

Buds beginning to form.

Pic Sept 2018

 This was the best the gardenia looked in the time we have had it, shortly after it got white wooly aphids that I struggled to contain using home made white oil.  The plant went backward quickly when we moved all plants from the back patio, the Gardenia went either to the Dining room Garden or the Mediterranean garden, both in full sun in the middle of the day.- see care notes above.  We were unaware of this as both the label and the net info mentioned full sun...

Pic October 2020

Greg heavily pruned away all the dead wood, relocated to back of Fernery where it has started to recover.  Moved pot to Mediterranean Garden in Spring but since reading about the mid day sun we will be finding it a new home.

Pic December 2020

 
 

 

Crepe Myrtle - Babe (Compact) Lagerstroemia indica

Purchased from Rosemount December 2020 $20.

1.5 M H x 4' W.  

Flowers all summer into Autumn, lots of sun with a little shade, suitable for larger pots, growing to 1.5M tall.

 

Pruning instructions on Dwarf Crepe Myrtle from Wilson Bros. Gardens, The site is full of down to earth advice on garden design, plants and care.  My downfall is pruning, am hoping this advice will help

 

The methods of pruning dwarf crape myrtle range from easy to not at all. For starters, the plants really don’t require pruning - they have a slower growth rate than their larger growing cousins and usually have a good natural form all on their own. That said, I usually do at least a light annual pruning on mine.

If your plants are full and dense, I'd suggest leaving them alone, or maybe just use hand pruners to snip off the old flower/seed heads from the previous season.

When To Prune

Late Winter - You'll want to prune dwarf crape myrtle shrubs in late winter or early spring, before or just when new leaves begin to emerge. That said, broken or stray branches that spoil the shape of the crape myrtle can be removed any time of year.

Summer Pruning - Deadheading (the removal of faded flowers) can be done during the flowering season to encourage rebloom from summer through fall on some varieties. Either way, it won't hurt to deadhead spent flower clusters. To remove a faded flower cluster, simply snip it off at its base with a pair of hand pruners.

How To Prune

If your dwarf crape myrtle is young and sparsely branched, with maybe just a few widely spaced stems/branches, you might want to give it a pruning to make it grow more dense. If so, use a pair of bypass hand pruners to cut these long branches back by one-quarter to half their height. Cut all stems in a way that the plant will form a nice mounded or rounded shape when the plant fills out with foliage. In other words, don't just "flat-top" it.

Keep in mind that wherever you make a cut on a branch two or more new branches will emerge from just beneath where you made the cut. So, when you're pruning the following year in late winter, you can make your cuts several inches above where you pruned the previous year. This pruning method will double the number of branches every year, which also doubles the number of blooms. After a few years of pruning like this you shouldn't have to prune at all except to remove a stray or broken branch - the plant will keep a nice, dense form all on its own.

Below are some diagrams that show how we prune the established crape myrtle shrubs in our gardens. As mentioned, we prune annually in late winter for several years in a row and then usually cease the annual pruning after that to allow the plant to grow naturally.

Plumbago auriculata, Royal Cape

 Purchased from Rosemount December 2020 $12.00

Royal Cape produces large clusters of deep blue flowers from late spring to autumn.  This Plumbago variety has been bred to ensure that the flowers maintain their vibrancy throughout the summer months.  A long flowering, hardy shrub that will tolerate australias harsh conditions.  Perfect for pots, can be pruned.

Likes full sun in well drained soil.  Will tolerate dry conditions once established.  Drought tolerant.

For best results prune and fertilise with slow release fertiliser after flowering.

Grows to 2M high

Pic December 2020 

Pic taken after heavy rain, blossom damage.
 

Hydrangea

 Purchased from Rosemount Nursery in June 2019.

Hardy, deciduous shrub with large, spectacular flower heads in summer.   Ideal for shady garden beds.

Requires moist, well drained soil in a partly shaded site, protected from hot sun and strong winds.  Prune Old stems that have flowered by 1/3rd as soon after flowering as possible.  Fertilise in spring.  Keep moist during the summer and mulch.  Water from ground level.

Great for pots

 Located in Fernery, it came down with white fungus, heavily pruned & sprayed with white oil and re-located to 'nursery' area.  It has regained it's growth.

Pic Oct 2020 

Relocated to Mediterranean garden with sun protection from Brunsfelsia, but the fungus is back. It did have one pink flower head in November, very pretty.

Pic December 2020