Dear Anne,

"We have a 15-year-old mature camellia plant with healthy leaves. It gets lots of sun but its blossoms are not opening up fully like they used to. How can we get it blossoming fully?"

Owen Chan, Vancouver

When buds are healthy but don't open fully, the condition is called 'bullnosing.' It's caused when temperatures around the time of bud development and flowering are somewhat warmer than usual.

The same effect can be caused by temperatures that fluctuate wildly from cold to hot in the bud-forming season.

Camellias are sensitive to temperatures, and temperature changes can trigger them into growing vegetatively (producing new shoots, stalks, and leaves), and abandoning their flowers.

Some camellia varieties (mainly older types) are more sensitive.

Camellias don't like lots of sun. They're woodland plants that do best in part shade. Heat radiated from a wall will increase the effect of high temperatures, and dryness from roof overhangs can be a problem.

Camellias need lots of water, but they also need good drainage away from their roots. They also like lots of organic matter. A yearly mulch of compost, leaves, or Sea Soil can help.

Dear Anne,

"I have had at least 25 tulips decapitated over several days. The stem is chewed through at varying heights, between two and five inches from the bloom. There is no visible damage to the leaves or fallen blossoms, so it's unlikely children or dogs. No feeding has taken place."

Robin Ripley, via email

Double-flowered tulips are top-heavy, and high winds can topple them.

Deer often decapitate tulip flowers, but eat them. Racoons can be randomly destructive, but usually eat as well as shred.

Once, in nest-building season, I was stunned to see a robin fly past the kitchen window with a primrose in its beak. But tulips are pretty hefty flowers, and not flexible enough for nests.

Some research revealed that other gardeners have the same problem - including one who saw a squirrel decapitating tulips. Rats also get blamed. Are there marks of little teeth on the "chewed" stems? Or tiny footprints on the soil?

Maybe some evil-smelling repellent would protect your tulips, or a spray of cayenne pepper or sudsy ammonia will help (both need renewal after rain).

Try putting something on the ground which four-footed creatures wouldn't like to walk on - wire or thorny stems or prickly leaves. Perhaps a temporary netting surround might help.

Most furry creatures might be scared away by a motion-detector-triggered water spray. Lee Valley Tools sells such a 'Scarecrow' device. It's an expensive way to protect tulips alone, but if you have other critter problems, too, it could be worthwhile.

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Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to amarrison@shaw.ca