GARDENING AUSTRALIA MAY 2019 83We have one prize pack to give away, worth $145,
comprising Habitat by AB Bishop, Magic Little Meals by
Lolo Houbein and Tori Arbon, Stylish Succulents by Tokiiro
and The Botanist’s Daughter by Kayte Nunn. To enter, tell
us in 25 words or less about a book that motivated you to
change or improve your garden. Write your name, address,
phone number and entry on the back of an envelope and
send to May Book Pack, Gardening Australia, nextmedia,
Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590, or email
[email protected] with ‘May Book Pack’
in the subject line. Closing date is May 19.BLENDOF
INTERESTS
ere’s an interestingcrosssection
of books to enjoy in this month’sprizepack.
One is a practical guide packed with information
and ideas for creating wildlife- friendly gardens
in Australia; another, a cookbook with recipes
and advice on growing and preparing delicious
food. Find out how to create Japanese-inspired
decorative succulent gardens and displays, and
read a fascinating tale of two female botanists,
who are separated by a century in time, yet
connected through a mutual quest to nd a rare
and dangerous ower that can heal but also kill. ree of my established woolly bushes
(Adenanthos sericeus) recently wilted,
browned and slowly died. I had planted six
in a row as a hedge, in a sunny position, in
a large bed with ornamental pears, Acacia ‘Limelight’
and a gum. All three bushes had the same symptoms.
First, they wilted like they were thirsty, but water
didn’t help. en they bleached and turned a straw
yellow. One went brown, from the bottom branches
up. I feared root rot but they all had good, strong
roots that I had to rip out of the ground. ere were
no obvious pests or diseases. I watered them every
day. Do you know what this may be? I fear for the
remaining plants and don’t know if I should replace
the lost ones or if they will su er the same fate.
Christina Barnacoat, Wahroonga, NSW
ANGUS STEWART SAYS This sounds like a case of
collar rot, which is a fungal disease that affects the trunk at
ground level but not the roots, and has the same effect as
ringbarking the plant. If you scratch some bark off at the base
of the shrub when you fi rst see the symptoms, it is usually dry
and brown, as the vascular tissue that is normally green and
sappy has died. This causes symptoms of water stress, even
though you are keeping up the water supply. To protect the
healthy remaining plants, I suggest you use a low-toxicity
anti-rot fungicide as a preventative measure.
Beware toxic manure
have had a terrible time in my garden
n the last year, and I want to warn
others. When getting my patch ready
to plant summer vegies, I dug in lots of
composted horse manure. The plants
didn’t kick off well and, in fact, they
were looking quite sick, with cupped
leaves.ThenInoticed my dahlias had cupped leaves, too,
and were really struggling, as were my peony roses after
they were dressed with the same manure.
I found a UK website that described the dahlias’
symptoms exactly. Apparently, cupped leaves are caused
by using manure from animals that have eaten pasture
sprayed with a particular broad-leaf herbicide. I looked
up the manufacturer’s website, which confi rmed this.
I can’t use the existing garden beds until the residue
has gone, which will be a minimum of two years.
John omson, New Gisborne, Vicworth
$145win
A 4BOOK
PACK OF NEW
RELEASES