BadgeIsBack

I've been pissing on my wife's lemon tree for years to no avail.

Time I paid a visit to the doctor to work out what's going on I reckon.

Alfresco

Hi PP,

I would be very careful of where to plant a bottlebrush. They attract loads of bees when flowering which can be a real problem when eating outside etc... if it's close by enough.

Here is some info.

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6021580_care-bottlebrush.html

Cheetah7

I have 3 levels to my garden and was thinking right at the top, I shouldnt imagine the flowers would last long as the carnabys cockatoos would have those - all being well. I must check the DEC website as they are advising us what to plant for the carnabys project.

Here is a piccie of one of the carnaby's outside my house in one of the trees, I would give anything to attract them and give them half a chance in their search for food.

Not that I intend to feed them myself, just provide native plants etc for them to feed themselves as suggested by DEC.

lesleys

I have planted several hundred natives over the past 4 years, one of the main reasons being to attract birds. Honeyeaters and lorikeets love grevillea. Good ones are 'Ned Kelly' and 'Superb' for loads of flowers. They grow about a metre tall and are happiest in the sun. Bottle brushes are more variable and don't flower as much. Neither grevilleas nor bottle brushes have invasive roots. Don't waste money on large sized native plants, they grow quickly and don't like being transplanted.

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/index.html
http://anpsa.org.au/gallery.html

http://www.koalanativeplants.com.au/

Wol

We panted several hundred natives in our new garden, and have found out that the locals are right - they are difficult!

It obviously depends on the climate and soil, but the only natives that have consistently done well have been the callistemons (bottle brushes.)

We have lost grevilleas by the handful, correas, westringias and so on

Part of the problem is that the nurseries haven't a clue as to how to pot on - they grow the cuttings in tiny plastic pots and just stick them into large pots to sell them. The compost is rubbish and what appears to be rooted plants die in six months because their roots never really get outside the small pot.

gobbyjock

If you want a lemon tree - go for a Lotsa Lemons they are dwarf size, look good in pots and you can take them if you move. I`ve got a Leomnade tree too but not had a thing off it, the LOtsa Lemons is much more successful for us.!

KatieStar

Our bottle brush hasn't had many flowers yet. Does it need feeding with anything in particular? I am hoping for more flowers this year, it is still only little.

We had geranium bushes in our yard. They died, but I am thinking of replacing them as they were beautiful.

odyssey

I love the Callistemon dawson river weeper.

I like growing all the gingers, they are beautiful in the garden.

I have avocado, olive, mango, lime, orange (2), mulberry, lychee, nectarine, pomegranate, passion fruits, lemon lotsa lemons, lots of draecenas, yukkas, those purple flowered trees, pandanus and a number of other myrtles etc. All are doing ok but the callistemons just look after themselves. I only plant edibles really but we back onto a green belt type area and so plant natives in there. we get so many birds and I find everything grows without any effort on my part. I just feed with mushroom compost and blood and bone once a year. things that dont like too much manure then have a dicky fit but they all come good in the year. at the same time I use citrus fertiliser on the citrus trees.

I saw the most beautiful bottle brush hedging today, it was perfect, I am thinking of using it to hedge all down the side of our property. it was a mass of flowers and clipped into a very even shape.

Lots of things you can just chop a bit off and then stick it in the ground (with or without a bit of honey on the end) and they just grow, its unbelievable really. a neighbour throws sticks from her christmas plants over and I stick them in blank spaces then once they root i plant them and give them away.

squeezzii

Ive got a lemon tree- its 3 years old in a pot- they told me it would be absolutely fine for up to 10 years in the pot BUT It keeps losing its leaves. I removed most of its flowers when a couple of lemons look like they will be contenders, and that has given me 3 lemons this year (woop woop) but even though I feed it and love it, it doesnt thrive, any suggestions?

gelato

sorry but lemon and orange trees are not native to Australia. I don't think geraniums are either but I could be wrong.

odyssey

no, quite I did think that but changed native to things that grow here following the thread.

sorry to hijack PP - I found my lemons needed repotting with water crystals - water being the issue especially if in a terractotta uncoated pot. in the end I put mine in the garden and its been lovely since

Cheetah7

I am severely jealous of my neighbours lemon tree which shows off with shit loads of lemons.

And my other neighbour has a lime tree, I am the only one without a tree in my garden. But hey, I have super kelpie.

Cheetah7

I am so jealous of your fruit.

Sherlock Holmes

Apparantly lemon trees need zinc. There is a compound you can get. Sorry not to have better info but I'll bet google could take you further on this one.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Use iron chelates to boost your citrus, sold by Yates and plenty of others.



Unless you have a dwarf stock citrus, then, regardless of what the tell you at the garden centre, it won't do well in a pot.
Citrus need plenty of water, but it's also really important that the water drains away as well.
Easy test... dig a bucket size hole in the garden. Fill it to the top with water. If it still has water in it 15min later then don't even bother trying citrus.... they will just sulk and eventually die.