Camellias, Japanese Maples and Lawns

Camellias, Japanese Maples and Lawns. What do these three things have in common? They are all plants I have somehow successfully managed to kill every time I plant them.

Two years ago, I thought it was a great idea to plant a hedgerow of camellias against my north facing wall. I bought 5 beautiful, but very small camellia bushes from Nuccio’s Nurseries. The spot I chose to plant them in was in the shade so I thought it was the perfect location. I followed the nursery’s instructions for planting and was confident that in a few years down the road, I would have my beautiful camellia hedgerow. Fast forward 2 years and guess what? Every single one of my babies died! One by one, they started declining, leaves dropping and no new growth. Oh, they are all still in the ground, just in case, you know, they are just resting! Well, I highly doubt it, but until I figure out what I will replace them with, they will remain there, brown, leafless, and more than likely, lifeless, a sad reminder of yet another one of my gardening ideas not working out as I intended.

I love Japanese Maples, but they don’t seem to love me. The first one I lost, I can kind of understand. It was in a pot in my front, west facing yard. I mean, that was just a disaster waiting to happen in zone 10a right? Well, it managed to eek by for a bit, but it didn’t seem like it was thriving, so I decided to move it to a better location. I found a nice shady spot in my backyard and within a few months of moving it (still in it’s pot), that sucker was GONE! 😢 My second one started out in the shade and died in the shade. Go figure.

The lawn! Oh don’t EVEN get me started on the lawn! LOL. Okay, okay, I will sing my sad song! I decided to keep a lawn in the backyard for the dogs and the chicks to enjoy. Well, they certainly did enjoy it, while it lasted! Over the last 3 years, I have prepped the soil, sown the seed, covered with topper, watched it sprout and then watched as the dogs peed on it and the chickens dug up or ate the remainder. This process has been repeated at least 3 times a season! You would think I would give up with the lawn, but no, I am determined to make it work! Well, umm maybe. 😂 I’m thinking a backyard labyrinth would look really cool in that space so…🤷🏼‍♀️