Answers to your gardening questions (by those in the know!)

OK, question # 1:

I've been growing a camelia bush in a largish pot for a few years now. It's pretty healthy & produces beautiful white flowers in season.

This year, at the beginning of summer, it's produced a few small "fruit", similar in appearance to small quinces. I have never seen this before, in camelias that I've grown in the garden. The only reason this particular camelia is now growing in a pot is because the previous owner of the property planted it in entirely the wrong place (too much sun) & it was suffering. I simply had no other place to plant it & transplanted it to a pot, where it's been much happier.

So how come the "fruit"?

Does it have something to do with growing in a pot, or perhaps to do with warmer, drier weather in my part of Oz?

It would be my expectation that fruiting has something to do with the age of the plant.

Any idea how old it is?

(Let's think) Hmmm ...

I have been here for something like 4 years now ...

And the previous owner (with not a green finger on either hand, I'd reckon! ) planted it close to sale (of the property) time! With not much regard for anything to do with it's future survival.

So, about 4 years old, I'd say.

Oh to be so cultivar, Camellia yunnanensis, she's apples.

That's an interesting response to my query (Perhaps, maybe ....)

Thanks, solipsister! (I think? )

Anyone else here with a gardening question: feel free to ask yours as I await the answer to mine ....

bumpity bumpity bump!

Does anyone know if mums are a good flower to plant in a sandy soil? And will they come back year after year or not?

floral mums or garden mums?

The heck if I know Dys. I have these two huge mum plants and all it says is Gold Crest Yellow Chrysanthemums. Someone gave them to me. I was figuring if they come back year after year I'd plant them.

garden mums do well in a sandy soil with compost added when planting and they are pinched back regularly in the spring.
floral mums are pretty much one time bloomers that don't come back regardless of the soil.

gold crest mums are garden mums and are best planted in the fall with a little mulch and a mild water soluble fertilizer such as ozmacote.

Oh cool! Then these should work ok? It's winter I know but it's 76 degrees here. Think I can go ahead and plant them now?

sure, plant them now.

Awesome! Thanx Dys! Nice to see you again by the way.

I'll be perusing this thread, looking for a spot to drop my fertilizer pellets of wisdom.

garden mums do need to winter chill to come back blooming in the spring.

The mums are all withered and gone but the roots are still ok. Is that what you mean by winter chill or do you mean the weather?

I have a question! I have a question!

Mo's classroom has a big planter box right outside the door - mostly full sun (morning sun). We are thinking of planting the box as a surprise holiday gift to his teachers/class. I was thinking of mixing in some good, new dirt, cutting some holes and leaving bulbs so that each kid could plant one. That way they could watch them grow in the spring.

We haven't had a freeze yet (close). I don't think it's too late to plant bulbs but I'm not sure. Any ideas?

We're in Oregon.