Timeless beauties - yourlifestyle.tv

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MELISSA KING
TIMELESS
BEAUTIES
H
ave you ever wondered why camellias, rhododendrons and
magnolias attract a common group of enthusiasts, even
though they are three different plant genera from three
different families? Perhaps it’s because these plants all have
an ethereal beauty that has stood the test of time, maybe it’s that their
cultivation requirements are somewhat similar, or perhaps they share
a bond because the vast majority of species come from Asia. Or, is it
simply that their sheer popularity has led garden centres and plant
breeders to introduce a mass of stunning new varieties. Whatever the
reason, there is an enormous choice of good performers out there.
Rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias are often grouped together
by enthusiasts, even though they are actually from different families.
What makes them so alluring? Melissa King shares some tips on
growing these three beauties, as well as some favourites to try.
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Magnolia 'Nigra'
The Garden Guru Magazine / Issue No. 52 / Spring 2014
Pl a nt Pro fil e s
RHODODENDRONS
Rhododendrons are a diverse group with over
1,000 different wild species – and that doesn’t
include the countless number of hybrids.
They range in habit from ground-covering
alpine forms to big trees. The flowers vary
enormously too and come in shades of white,
yellow, pink, purple, magenta, orange and red.
Their beauty lies not just in their magnificent
flowers, which mostly grace our gardens in
spring, but in other subtle features too, like
decorative new growth, attractive bark or
even autumn foliage colour in the case of
deciduous types.
Most of the rhododendrons we grow
are hybrids; bred for bigger, better blooms,
different form, flower colour or resistance to
heat or cold.
Look out for old hardy varieties like
‘White Pearl’, with showy pearly white flowers
through mid to late spring, or ‘Sir Robert Peel’,
with deep rose pink flowers. You’ll also want
to get your hands on the beautifully fragrant
‘Princess Alice’, with pink buds, white flowers
and a compact growth habit. It’s also worth
looking out for good Australian-bred hybrids
like ‘Anne Teese’, admired for its big trusses
of fragrant pink trumpet-like flowers with an
orange flare, and ‘Wedding Gown’, which has
gorgeous white flowers with a lemon throat.
There are even smaller growing hybrids
like ‘Florence Mann’, with pretty deep violet
flowers that make beautiful potted features
on a city terrace or balcony.
Botanically speaking, ever-popular
azaleas are also classed as rhododendrons.
Some of my favourites include ‘Kirin’, which
is absolutely smothered in small musk pink
flowers – so much so that when it is in
bloom you can barely see the foliage. ‘Red
Wing’ is spectacular with brilliant lipstick
red flowers and a long flowering season
from autumn right through to spring. I’m
also a fan of deciduous azaleas like ‘Gibraltar’,
which boasts knockout orange-red ruffled
flowers on bare branches.
In my opinion vireya rhododendrons,
commonly referred to as tropical
rhododendrons, should be more widely
grown for their exotic trumpet-like blooms
that are often beautifully scented. Although
they originate in tropical regions of
Southeast Asia, they can be found growing
in cooler mountainous areas – meaning
they are adaptable plants that can be grown
successfully in many areas of Australia. Look
out for favourites like ‘Dixie’, with sunset
yellow and orange blooms, ‘Red Mountain’,
a compact grower with brilliant scarlet
flowers, or ‘Simbu Sunset’, with exoticlooking orange and gold flowers that are
wonderfully fragrant.
The two most important ingredients for
growing top quality rhododendrons are good
drainage and an acidic soil, so dig in plenty of
compost and organic matter before planting.
There are varieties that will cope with sun or
shade, but most enjoy an easterly or southeasterly spot. As a general rule, the smaller
the leaf, the more sun it will cope with. >>
Azalea
The Garden Guru Magazine / Issue No. 52 / Spring 2014
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Pl a nt Pro fil e s
CAMELLIAS
Camellias are native to Southeast Asia,
but most species originate from China,
home to some of the world’s most
stunning plants. There’s no doubt that
camellias are striking garden plants, but
they also have enormous commercial
value since tea comes from the leaves of
a camellia (mostly Camellia sinensis). A
high quality edible oil is also extracted
from the seeds of some species.
There are hundreds of camellia species,
but most of the varieties we grow come
from just three – the sasanquas, japonicas
and reticulatas. Then, of course, there are a
huge number of hybrids.
The sasanqua camellias are the early
flowering ones – the varieties that burst
into bloom in autumn and early winter.
They come in all shades of pink and white,
with just one red variety on offer – a
compact grower called ‘Yuletide’, with
single scarlet blooms and prominent
yellow centres. Sasanquas have a
reputation for being the tough ones in the
bunch and are certainly more tolerant of
heat and sun than other varieties. They
also clip really well, making for excellent
hedges and topiary. Look out for tried and
true performers like ‘Setsugekka’, with
semi-double white flowers and golden
stamens, and ‘Beatrice Emily’, loved for her
abundance of double white blooms that are
blushed with pink.
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Or, you might prefer the more
flamboyant japonica camellias, which
flower during winter and spring and come
in a range of colours from snow white
to pink and the deepest of reds. Their
extravagant blooms certainly appealed to
the 18th century Europeans, who painted
images of the flowers, embroidered them
on silk and paid big money for new and
undiscovered species.
You could opt for tried and true
varieties like ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’, with
creamy yellow flowers from mid-July
to the end of August, or try some of
the newer types that are really making
a statement like ‘Black Magic’, with
alluring semi-double black-red flowers,
or ‘Volunteer’, with gorgeous bi-coloured
deep pink and white flowers and a long
Camellia 'Volunteer'
The Garden Guru Magazine / Issue No. 52 / Spring 2014
flowering season from April to September.
You’ll also want to check out the
range of reticulata camellias, with very
big showy flowers and large, heavily
veined leaves. They flower mainly through
August and September, with some
flowering into October.
Among the hybrids, it’s hard to beat
‘Illumination’ that displays intense pink
flowers through the dead of winter and
flowers well in heavy shade. You’ll also
love ‘Peggy Burton’, which displays light
pink flowers fading to white near the
centre through the dead of winter.
One of the things I love most about
camellias is how versatile they are in the
garden. Grow them as feature shrubs, in
decorative pots on the patio or balcony,
as standards or ornamental hedges. They
also make beautiful espaliers.
Most camellias enjoy a partly shaded
position, but there are varieties that
flower well in heavy shade and full sun.
Like rhododendrons, they prefer an
acidic soil that’s rich in organic matter,
so prepare the soil well before planting
and top-dress with a good layer of
compost every spring. If you’re shaping
your camellias, prune them after they’ve
finished flowering so you don’t sacrifice
the beautiful blooms.
A good friend of mine is a professional
camellia grower and he taught me to
fertilise my camellias at the start of the
footy season and again at grand final time.
Use a specialised azalea and camellia food
or complete all-purpose fertiliser. It’s a tip
that has always stuck with me!
Camellia 'Volunteer' flower
MAGNOLIAS
There are more than 200 wild species of
magnolia growing in temperate, subtropical
and tropical areas of Southeast Asia,
eastern North America, Central America,
parts of South America and the Caribbean.
There are both deciduous and
evergreen magnolias, but it is the
deciduous types that display magnificent
flowers on bare branches and signal spring
is on the way. Even now I love driving
through the older suburbs of Melbourne
just to see all the big magnolias in their full
flowering glory.
Varieties of the well-known Chinese
Magnolia (Magnolia soulangeana) flaunt
themselves from metres away with their
large tulip-like white, pink, crimson or
deep claret-coloured flowers. Few other
plants will have you running to the nursery
to buy one as soon as you see it in flower.
Magnolia soulangeana ‘Rustica Rubra’ is a
real stunner, with deep rose-purple gobletshaped flowers that are beautifully
perfumed. You’ll also love ‘Burgundy Glow’
for its magnificent display of purplish-pink
and white blooms.
If space is limited you might like to try
the more compact growing ‘Lennei Alba’
that gets to just 2.5 metres tall and boasts
magnificent globular-shaped creamy
white flowers and a lovely fragrance. ‘Alba
Superba’ is stunning too, with tulip-shaped
white flowers that are blushed with pink.
If you’re gardening in a small space,
it’s still hard to beat the star magnolia,
Magnolia stellata, with its spectacular
display of white star-shaped flowers in
late winter and early spring. You can even
grow this one in a decorative planter on a
sunny balcony.
It’s also worth looking out for
Magnolia liliiflora, the lily magnolia,
which makes a beautiful feature tree.
Magnolia 'St Mary'
Magnolia
'Vulcan'
Magnolia 'Vulcan'
Magnolia 'Black Tulip'
‘Nigra’ is one of the best varieties around,
with striking narrow, dark wine-purple
flowers.
And speaking of gorgeous specimen
trees, keep an eye out for Magnolia
denudata, which flowers early in the
season. It’s often called the King of
Magnolias for its large goblet-shaped
ivory-white flowers and sweet citruslike fragrance. If you’re after something
different, you’ll love Magnolia ‘Butterflies’,
an American hybrid with unique sunshine
yellow flowers. I also love ‘Black Tulip’
for its sumptuous dark red-black flowers
on bare branches, or the deep magentacoloured ‘Vulcan’ that puts on a superb late
winter-flowering show.
The spotlight has been put on
evergreen magnolias in recent years and
it’s easy to see why; their deep green,
leathery leaves and superb, creamy-white
fragrant cup-shaped blooms are hard to
resist. In its natural form, the evergreen
Magnolia grandiflora is a big tree, but there
is a whole host of more compact forms that
make excellent screens and feature trees.
‘Little Gem’ is perhaps the most well-known,
with perfumed creamy white flowers in
spring and summer and shiny deep green
leaves with copper undersides. It’s also
worth keeping an eye out for stunning
varieties like ‘St Mary’, an outstanding
flowering form with big waxy white flowers
with a citrus scent, as well as ‘Teddy Bear’,
with a naturally compact cone-shaped habit.
Magnolias enjoy fertile, well-drained
soil, so dig plenty of compost and well-rotted
organic matter into the soil before planting.
Most varieties also prefer a slightly acidic
soil. Plants generally perform best in a sunny
position, although many will also tolerate
dappled shade.
The Garden Guru Magazine / Issue No. 52 / Spring 2014
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