#gardenmaintenance Archives - Page 5 of 8 - Andrea Whitely Garden Consultant

As a professional Garden Consultant, I like to think that everything I touch turns to green, however much like everyone else I sadly, must admit that I have my disasters from time to time too.

A week ago, I had a very healthy-looking six-year-old lime tree, beautifully clipped into a neat ball shape, standing about five feet tall and sitting in front of a very tidy planting of three Pyrus ‘Capital’, which have not even shown a single sign of Autumn leaf loss, is there such a thing as an evergreen ornamental pear? anyway, another story…moving on…the lime tree is now DECEASED, DEAD, GONE, NO TURNING BACK!

Granted, that darn tree, despite plenty of flowers has never had a single lime on it and in recent times, I have given it a very stern talking to however I was not expecting this kind of reaction.

Here’s the main stem-no signs of collar rot-no sign of life either

This lime has been loved, nurtured, given compost, given Potassium as well as a complete citrus fertilizer and up until a week ago looked very healthy. This plant has been treated well. It has been watered in the warmer months and mulched and now this!

Here are some of the possible causes of death:

Scale?-no evidence of any scale

Citrus Leaf Minor?-no evidence of that either

Collar rot?-mulch not pressing up against the trunk of the tree-no signs of collar rot

Armillaria?-according to the Department of Agriculture in Western Australia “Citrus trees affected by Armillaria root rot show decline with leaf yellowing and leaf drop. They may set a very heavy fruit crop in spring but collapse and die when the weather gets hot in summer.

Armillaria appears under the bark of affected trees as fan-shaped mycelia mats with a strong mushroom odour.” There’s no funghi, I have had no fruit and it is winter and the weather is cold so I’m eliminating that.

Phytophthora? “Phytophthora root rot in citrus is caused by the pathogenic fungi P. citrophthora and/or P. nicotianae. Below-ground symptoms are the loss of feeder roots. Above-ground symptoms are a loss of vigour and spindly growth.” says AgricWA It could be this but I’m not convinced.

Sooty Mould? There’s no blackening of the stems, so I am also ruling this out

Nematodes? I am thinking maybe, citrus nematodes (Tylenchus semipenetrans). Well, it could be them, they are microscopic but I will not know until I remove the tree and check out the roots of the plant and very difficult to diagnose.

So, what’s wrong with my lime tree? I have to admit that I am stumped, I don’t know what’s wrong with it but here’s my solution…

I’m ripping it out, goneski, it’s taking far too much of my energy and valuable time to diagnose the problem and it has never given us a single LIME-space is at a premium at my place and so it’s goodbye to you, lime tree!

Looks like I will be buying limes for my Gin and Tonic next Summer

….and now for the biggest (and I do feel guiltily mercenary) is…. what is going to replace the lime…it’s off to the garden centre for me….retail therapy fixes all woes.

Finally, it feels like summer here in Perth and we are getting some hot, sunny days, easterly winds and dry heat. The children arrive home from school all red-faced from their bike ride or walk and ready for a dunk in the pool and a long, cold drink. I love the heat that summer brings and adore all the gorgeous summer blooms that I have in my garden. They make me happy.

Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’

My garden is only 4 years old and as much as I could, I salvaged favourite plants from the old garden. I have planted tough plants in our garden, which will bloom for us, mostly all year round but especially in the summer when we are spending lots of time outdoors enjoying the long days and warm evenings. I have a good collection of Salvias, Roses and Succulents and I guess our space has a “formal cottage” feel due to the diversity of plants.

Want White?

It’s hard to beat this hardy Iceberg rose which seems to bloom most of the year. We planted it on my first Mothers Day in 2000.

I planted this pretty hibiscus along the pool fence last year, sweet delicate blooms

These bees are going crazy in this magnolia-the fragrance is overwhelming

Our garden survives on the two allowable reticulation waterings per week. We do not have a bore on our property, if we did we would be able to water three times a week. I hand water my pots, they are not on drip irrigation.

I group plants together depending upon their water requirements.

Frangipani grown from a cutting from a friend-you don’t always need to buy all your plants, donations are fun to nurture along.

This frangipani smells like roses and was taken from a cutting from my friend Helens’ cattle station near Broome

Apricot Brugmansia-the fragrance is divine when you’re taking a dip in our pool

This year, my veggie garden is having a bit of a rest and I have planted lots of Salvias and a couple of roses in that bed behind a hedge of Rosemary Tuscan Blue. I, of course, still have herbs and veggies growing in pots! I just can’t resist having fresh herbs for my cooking.

Potted Chilli-so pretty in a shady corner

Burgundy Iceberg-because every good host serves up white and red

The garden is fertilised with mature compost and liquid fertilisers like Seasol Powerfeed and Compost Tea, a great product I picked up in the USA. I try and keep it all as organic as possible. I use anything organic that will bind together our ancient but gutless sand that lies beneath my feet.

Pretty in Pink…..

so many of us forget about this great plant-Oleander-it blooms all year round-this is a “borrowed” plant as it’s feet live in our neighbours yard.

David Austin ‘Jubilee Celebration’ planted for my 50th birthday

This is a climbing pelargonium that I have growing in terracotta pots

I love this geranium..another slip cutting form a friend, happily dwelling here now

Rosa Pierre de Ronsard, slowly making his way up and over my arbour

I just love the lime green colour on the new Pierre de Ronsard buds

This is Hibiscus ‘Apple Blossom’ and it’s an awesome screening plant…and you get flowers!

I mulch my garden every two years with wood chips that I get from my friendly Arborist and I top it up with lupin mulch for pots. We re-use a lot of the leaves and nuts that drop from our Eucalypts for mulch too, they get raked up by Dr Garden Consultant and put into the garden beds.

Geranium ‘Rozanne’ was a favourite of my friend Margy who we sadly lost to cancer a few years ago-I always think of her when I look at this plant

This rare tradescantia was give to me many years ago by as nurseryman from down south.

I’m not really one that likes being told that I can’t do something- and so, I break all the rules for our climate. You can have a pretty garden in the summer. You can have an organised, abundance of flowers. You can have lovely garden on just two waterings a week. You can have a healthy patch of lawn. You can create a habitat garden in an urban setting.

I am always observing my garden to see the huge variety of bugs and birds that come to visit, I have provided lots of height variation so that we get a variety of birds and insects and somehow in this relatively small patch of dirt, we have created a habitat where they all seem to live in happy harmony and no-one eats too much of what they shouldn’t, everyone is kept in check by the other. Even Jazz, the Labradoodle chases away the doves when they eat too much of her kibble!

What’s flowering at your place this summer?

Tag: #gardenmaintenance

We have had a death in the family

Some like it hot…some more than others!