"Sazanka" is the common Japanese name of this beautiful group of evergreen shrubs.
Their flowers have a surprising air of fragility about them, but thrive in full sun, wind and snow with equally good grace.
When each flower is finished it shatters, losing petals individually and creating a pretty carpet of colour under the bush.
An excellent selection of these stunning plants is in flower in the lower botanic garden Camellia Collection, and trained around the tea kiosk and information centre.
Outstanding choice
One of the most outstanding Camellia in this group is Camellia x vernalis `Yuletide'. It is also one of the brightest, with its single, brilliant red flowers and contrasting mass of yellow stamens.
The slightly cupped flowers are perfectly regular in shape.
The foliage is glossy, very dark green, neat and compact, serving as a perfect foil to the abundant blooms.
C. `Yuletide' flowers for several months through late autumn into winter.
It can be clipped and pruned to neat formal shapes, informally hedged or trained to a more natural style.
> Nectar-feeding birds are attracted to "Sazanka" camellia flowers
> "Sazanka" camellias will grow in either full sun or partial shade
> All camellias prefer a slightly acid, humus-rich soil with good drainage
> Camellia `Yuletide' originated from the famous Nuccio's Nursery of California
> In the northern hemisphere the floral display of C. `Yuletide' coincides with the Christmas season
- Marianne Groothuis is the camellia and thematic plant collection curator at Dunedin Botanic Garden.
Having access to a fresh crop of catnip will make your cat very happy.
The fresh catnip will be more potent and appealing than the bags of dried stuff you buy at the pet store.
It is the smell of it that they love.
And they particularly flip over a sprig of fresh catnip with a bud or flowers on it.
Catnip, a member of the mint family, is a perennial herb that can be grown in a mostly sunny spot with good drainage.
It also does well in pots.
Do not forget you can sprinkle some catnip on a scratching post and place it near a sofa or chair your cat has been sinking his claws into.
The addition of the catnip might keep your pet off your furniture for a change.
- Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
