Heritage and classic gardens on the North Shore

On this page: our garden heritage · camellias · azaleas · hydrangeas · roses · gardenias & magnolias · hedges · cottage borders · mixing with natives · calendar

The North Shore's garden heritage

Much of the upper North Shore was built up in the Federation era (around 1890–1915) and between the two World Wars. Ku-ring-gai Council protects many of these streets as heritage conservation areas: places where the houses, gardens, hedges and street trees together make the character of the area^KRG-H. Big trees, deep front gardens, clipped hedges and flowering shrubs are all part of that look.

The camellia connection

The North Shore has a special link with camellias. Eryldene in Gordon was the home of Professor E.G. Waterhouse, who bought the land in 1913 and had the house designed by architect William Hardy Wilson^ERY. Waterhouse researched camellia history and names, co-founded the Australian and New Zealand Camellia Research Society, and started Camellia Grove nursery at St Ives in 1939^ERY. The house and garden are on the NSW State Heritage Register, which notes his world-renowned work on camellia names and breeding^HNSW. Eryldene is run by a trust and opens on set days, so check their website before you go.

Camellias in depth

Care basics

• Position: sasanquas take sun; japonicas like morning sun and afternoon shade. Strong afternoon sun can scorch flowers^GC.
• Soil: camellias need acid, humus-rich soil^GC. Most North Shore soils suit them.
• Water: steady moisture with good drainage, especially in the first couple of years^GC. How often depends on your soil: sandy soil dries out fast, clay holds water. From the field
• Feeding: a camellia fertiliser in early spring and late summer^GC.
• Mulch, my rule: no mulching by the calendar. Whether a camellia bed needs mulch is decided on site. If it does, it's coarse mulch only, usually 50–75 mm, kept well clear of the trunk, and no fine mulch layers. Camellias have shallow roots, so a thick, fine, soggy blanket does more harm than good. From the field

Pruning: after flowering, never late

Prune camellias as soon as flowering finishes, ideally before spring growth starts. Don't leave it until the end of the year: December is when camellias start forming next year's flower buds^CI-P. Light pruning after flowering keeps the shape and encourages bushy growth^GC. For sasanqua hedges, do the final trim no later than mid-summer^GC. Pruning also opens the bush up, which helps keep scale and mites down^CI-P.

Petal blight

Camellia petal blight is a fungus that turns petals brown soon after they open. It was confirmed in Australia in February 2023, including in NSW^CI-D. The advice: pick up fallen flowers from under the bush and put them in the red (general waste) bin, not the green bin or the compost, where spores spread^CI-D. Not every brown flower is petal blight (sun, frost and old age brown petals too), so if you're unsure, ask. From the field

Tea scale

Leaves going yellowish or blotchy? Look underneath. Tea scale shows as small black or brown spots on the leaves: each is a tiny sap-sucking insect under a hard shell^CI-D. Thinning crowded growth helps^CI-P. Horticultural oil is a common treatment^GC; always follow the label.

Azaleas

• Like part shade, protection from harsh afternoon sun, and acid soil (pH around 5.5–6.0)^YAZ.
• Prune straight after flowering, which is usually late spring^YAZ.
• Azalea petal blight makes flowers go brown and mushy. Pick off and bin affected flowers, and avoid wetting the flowers when you water^YPB.
• Yellowing leaves often mean the soil isn't acid enough for the plant to take up iron^YAZ.

Hydrangeas

• The colour of mophead hydrangeas changes with your soil: acid soil gives blue, alkaline soil gives pink. White ones stay white^GAH.
• Prune in late winter. Cut stems that flowered back to a pair of fat buds, and leave stems that didn't flower: they carry this year's flowers. From the field
• They wilt dramatically on hot afternoons. That doesn't always mean they need water, so check the soil first. From the field

Roses

• July is the main pruning month in mild areas. In cold, frosty spots, wait until August^RS.
• Clean up prunings and fallen leaves straight after pruning^RS.
• The second half of August is ideal for feeding^RS.

Gardenias and magnolias

• Gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides) flower from late spring into summer. Prune just after flowering, usually late summer or early autumn^YG. Yellow leaves usually mean the soil isn't acid enough (they like pH 5.0–6.5)^YG. Buds that brown or won't open can be thrips, dry soil or hunger^YG.
• Magnolias need very little pruning. If you must, do it just after flowering and keep cuts small. From the field

Clipped hedges: buxus, murraya and friends

• Box (buxus) is the classic low, formal hedge. It's not on NSW weed lists. Clip little and often in the growing season. From the field
• Murraya (orange jessamine, Murraya paniculata): handle with care. NSW WeedWise says the common garden form, 'Exotica', has become an environmental weed in parts of NSW, because birds eat the red berries and spread the seed. Some hybrid cultivars are sterile^WW. The Sydney Weeds Network lists seed-grown murraya as a bushland weed^SWN.
  • Already have a murraya hedge? Keep it clipped so it doesn't flower and fruit much, and don't dump the clippings in bushland.
  • Planting new? Ask the nursery for a low-fruiting or sterile variety, or choose a native hedge such as coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa).
• Sasanqua camellias make a beautiful flowering hedge (last trim by mid-summer)^GC.

Cottage borders and perennial displays

A cottage border is a happy jumble: tall spires at the back, soft mounds in the middle, and bright flowers spilling over the front edge. Lovely, as long as you leave out the plants that escape into bushland. The Sydney Weeds Network lists agapanthus, gazania, canna, gaura, seaside daisy, coreopsis, scarlet sage and exotic verbenas among Sydney's garden escapes^SWN. My mixed border guide has safe swaps for each.

Mixing classics with natives

Ku-ring-gai Council points out that many natives blend well with exotic plants^KRG-N. A few combinations I like: From the field

• Camellias with a skirt of native violets or dianella underneath.
• A clipped hedge of coastal rosemary (Westringia) in place of box.
• Roses with native daisies (Brachyscome) and blue flax-lilies along the front.
• Hydrangeas in shade with native ferns.

Seasonal care calendar highlights

Sources

• KRG-H Ku-ring-gai Council, Heritage conservation areas Link
• ERY Eryldene Trust, History and Camellia Collection Link
• HNSW Heritage NSW, State Heritage Register: Eryldene Link
• GC The Garden Clinic, "Charming Camellias" (2025) Link
• CI-P Camellias Illawarra, Pruning Link
• CI-D Camellias Illawarra, Pests & Diseases (petal blight confirmed in Australia, Feb 2023) Link
• YAZ Yates Australia, How to grow azaleas Link
• YPB Yates Australia, Petal blight Link
• GAH Gardening Australia, "Colouring Hydrangeas" Link
• RS Rose Society of NSW, Rose care calendar Link
• YG Yates Australia, How to grow gardenias Link
• WW NSW WeedWise (DPIRD): weed profiles incl. Murraya, Paterson's curse, Mexican feather grass Link
• SWN Sydney Weeds Network, "Garden Escapes in Bushland and Reserves" (2021) Link
• KRG-N Ku-ring-gai Council, Native gardening in Ku-ring-gai Link
• From the field My own professional practice, not taken from a published source.

Eryldene is mentioned as local history only. This guide is general information, not advice for a specific site. Printable version: Heritage & Classic Gardens (PDF).