Yesterday was a fine sunny day and I really wanted to go to the Takapuna markets. But mum was like no, the camellia needs trimming. So I lopped off all the tall growths that were blocking the window until the shrub was about waist high and since there was no longer any shade I pulled out all the spider plants too.
After I had done that THEN I got to get out and about, and the Fat Lady Sings bed looked a bit denuded. I was calling it that because of La Dame aux Camellias. However this camellia doesn't really sing, she looks too fat and any flowers immediately drop off and turn to a brown mush on the ground. You can't use her leaves to make tea because she's strictly ornamental. I wasn't the one who planted her though. She's the only camellia in this bed so it's all about her being front and centre.
If I could haul her out I would instead plant hibiscus, or frangipani in her place. However we are stuck with her and she now looks like a green blob with a few stray growths where I haven't had a chance to lop off with a pruning saw.
Now if she was properly trained from young I would have turned her into an elegant tree, and perhaps kept her cloud topiaried but its too late now because she's already been lopped and now has so many shoots that she ended up like a spider plant with more than eight limbs instead of one trunk.
Camellia makes a great hedge, the leaves are thick and glossy and with the bonus of flowers its really a plant you can't get past. However a camellia hedge needs to be planted in the right place.
I don't understand gardeners who plant hedges right next to walls. You'd think you'd want to plant a hedge to enclose a space not where there is already a wall. And if there is a wall you want to hide, wouldn't you just plant a climber to climb over it?
In my opinion and experience of clipping hedges the following make good ones while others are doomed to fail.
Good hedges -
Totara - for a tall thick dense hedge
Corokia - for low hedges, similar to buxus but native
Buxus (though watch out for blight) - the traditional choice for English style gardens
Manuka - actually can make good topiary balls too, great for bees in a hedge row, can withstand wind
Escalonia - when clipped to rounded shape, looks great especially when flowering
Camellia - for secret gardens. Sasanqua is the one for Auckland conditions and the top variety is one called Setsugekka
Maybe more about hedge garden fails in my next post. Sorry Camella but I had to shorten your skirt.
