Don looked at a row of murrayas (Murraya paniculata) that had died back through the winter. This problem was caused by frost chilling the leaves down, stopping them functioning properly and leaving them susceptible to sunburn next morning. The parts of the bushes nearest to the masonry wall were not so badly damaged. That’s because masonry walls act like storage heaters. They store heat from the sun during the day and radiate it out at night, thus creating a warm ‘microclimate’ for nearby plants.
Fixing the problem
Don waited until all danger of frost had passed. By this time the murrayas had died back on top, with green growth below (as seen in our segment). He then gave the plants a maintenance prune, simply removing the dead wood. (Tip: when pruning plants that have died back, don’t prune back to living tissue. Plants pump toxic chemicals to the site of the damage as protection against fungal and bacterial attack. If you prune back too far, you will interfere with the plant’s natural defence mechanism.) The murrayas were then watered well and fertilised. In 2-3 months when they have recovered, Don will tidy them up with another light prune.
Fragrant plants for smelly sites
Don pointed out that the murrayas were planted at the back door of a stable, along with port-wine magnolias. Both these plants have beautiful perfume and are ideal for planting near compost bins, stable doors or other smelly areas.
Port-wine magnolia (Michelia figo)
An evergreen shrub to about 3m (10′) tall, with glossy, dark green foliage. It produces small, insignificant flowers in spring, but they have a wonderful, heady perfume. Port-wine magnolias grow well in most areas of Australia, except for the cold mountain zones.
Murraya (Murraya paniculata)
Murrayas are compact, rounded bushes to 3m (10′) tall, with attractive shiny foliage which responds well to clipping and shaping. They have pure white flowers with a gorgeous orange blossom perfume. They grow well in Sydney, Perth and areas north. If you live in a cooler area plant the frost hardy choisya (Choisya ternata) instead of murrayas.