Ooh you know it’s getting cooler when you need to put your robe on just to go outside to look at the garden in the morning. Leaves will be changing colour soon and it may be time for a trip to the mountains to see the show. Now’s the perfect time to see which tree takes your fancy for an autumn display. And they don’t all have to be huge trees. Here’s a few small to medium sized feature trees I like;

An architectural tree with wayward reaching branches. Up to 10 high with shades of green, orange and red in autumn.

 

Not only does this 5m x 5m tree have dark purple heart-shaped foliage most of the year but displays yellow and orange throughout autumn.

A vase-shaped Japanese maple. Up to 6m with iridescent new growth especially in winter and added golden yellow to apricot during autumn display.

 

An upright form of flowering plum that has dark crimson foliage that deepens in a sunny position. Leaf drop reveals an attractive columnar habit.  6m high by 2m wide and fabulous pink flowers in spring.

 

 

 

They are the show stoppers of autumn. As our days are still warm and the nights become cool, the Camellia bursts into life, brightening up sun and shade alike with its elegant blooms. Of course these plants are still handsome at other times of the year, with their deep green, glossy leaves, and graceful habit.

 

With over 20,000 named varieties, this diverse group of flowering shrubs and small trees can fufill a range of needs in the cooler gardens of Australia. They are great flowering hedges, look fantastic espaliered against a fence and can even be used as bonsai.

 

Paradise Plants, established by renowned camellia breeder Bob Cherry has been supplying wonderful camellias(in particular camellia sasanquas) to the industry for over 30 years. The low–growing ‘Paradise Petite’ is a great flowering alternative to the old box hedge and has pale pink semi-double flowers. ‘Paradise Helen’ is a crisp white double with bushy habit and makes a wonderful medium hedge. For a stronger shade try ‘Paradise Belinda’ with its deep pink blooms. One of my favourites is ‘Yuletide’ - a simple single scarlet red bloom with prominent butter yellow stamens.

 

Although originally from China (who were of course the biggest tea drinkers), tea plants Camellia sinensis grow really well here and feature lovely little single white blooms with yellow stamens. The young leaves can be harvested and used to make you’re own cuppa.

 

 

 

Why don't you...

- Fertilise your lawn to keep it greener over the cooler months. Use a hose feeder if you’re lazy, or water in pelleted forms on a cool day

 

- Buy spring flowering bulbs this week in preparation for their planting time from next week until May. If you want to chill before planting only do so a couple of weeks before they go into the ground. When planting out hippeastrums, dig in some well-rotted manure and plant with the neck of the bulb above ground. They do equally well in pots too, and look great if you have a collection on an old wire frame pot stand - if planted out in traditional terracotta. Be careful of those rascal snails though, they love to eat the new leaves. Lure them with a beer trap, sink a half cut can of beer into the soil. The snails and slugs crawl in, get drunk, then can't get out - at least they’ll die merry. Check out www.tesselaar.net.au or www.gardenexpress.com.au which have a great range of bulbs to choose from.