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Saturday 17th August, 2024

Hi

Huge thanks to all my team and the seasonal helpers 
Whew !!!!  My how all the weeks just seem to roll into one and time seems to pass in a massive blur. It doesn't seem nearly 3 months ago that we started the potting of the season's roses and we had a brand spanking new team of seasonal help to get the job done. A huge thanks to the Wairere team for their dedication in what can be quite an intense time of year and we all came through in good form. I must also say a big thanks to the part of our seasonal team that we met through this very newsletter-style email. I'm sure the 12 weeks was somewhat enlightening and I believed they enjoyed the experience as they turned up rain, hail, shine and frost, not to mention the days when they were covered in mud. 

 
They started with root pruning and labelling all of the roses and finished this week with making sure all the roses in the nursery are in alphabetical order.  Most of the nursery is now in order, well most of the fruit trees anyway, though there is still a bit to do. Life at Wairere now becomes almost normal with all the teams operating in their normal roles. We all look forward to our busy season of spring, which is happening now right under our noses, with all those gorgeous pink and white blossoms and the ever-so-slight lengthening of daylight.
Trees that Cascade
Whenever I look at any tree or plant, in my head I can see it in all stages from what you purchase to when it's grown or even mature. I guess really that it's a living thing that has a cycle from being a seed or new plant to growing into an adolescent and finally maturing. It comes as a surprise to some that all trees and plants actually have a life span and that makes creating a landscape sometimes difficult as it potentially outgrows the position, or for that matter, just gets old.
It seems to me that there is a perception that a weeping cherry, for example, is smaller growing than its upright counterparts. And yes, whilst perhaps it won't get as tall due to the fact that its form is cascading, its size is still on the same scale or stature as the upright versions. I often get the impression from clients that a weeping cherry doesn't get so large but over a similar time frame to a vase shaped cherry will get some 5 or more metres across and even some 4 metres high. They increment in size and width by throwing branches up that cascade over. Of course you can prune flowering cherries just as you would the fruiting kind, which will slow their road to being of mature size, but of course it will not stop them. After all, they are all still a "medium" sized tree. 
I tend to think of all trees as small, medium or large rather than strictly adhering to a label size, as their growth is also dependent on environment, nutrition, water, genetic variation and other factors that can affect anything living. 
Trees that cascade, in my opinion, are useful as a feature trees where they have space to do their thing. When I starting thinking of the stock that we have that cascades, well there are heaps to choose from. They tend to cover all sizes of trees to suit all kinds of positions from small and compact to those that will eventually be large enough to have a seat underneath.
Cherries That cascade
Flowering cherries (Prunus) are always a popular choice with their cool weeping form and beautiful spring blossoms. Initially, these would be a feature tree with their branches that cascade to the ground. You can lift the pendulous skirt so that you can see the trunk, or not so that it touches the ground. If these weeping cherries are in a spot in which they can mature, and are more of a medium-size tree, then after enough years (20 or so) one could stand underneath or even have a seat there. These can be grafted at various heights from low worked graft to to 1.2m, 1.5m and also 1.8m.

 
Prunus Falling snow has, as its names suggests, white blossoms on cascading branches. Pendula Rosea is the pink form with masses of single pink blossoms on pendulous branches. Kiku Shidare Sakura has bright pink double flowers borne, again, on branches that droop. Then there is Yedoensis perpendans with single pink to white blossoms and pendulous branches.
Crab apples that weep
There are quite of few Weeping Crabapples (Malus) and they range from those that have quite the cascading form to those that grow upright and arch or have that pendulous shape. Again, these can be low grafted or on standards of either 1.5 or 1.8m. It doesn't matter too much which you choose other than this: on a low work graft the trunk can be any height that you want to make it. Again these have pretty spring blossoms but some of the varieties also bear crabapples into the Autumn and that adds another dimension.

 
Red jade is one that I love as it has quite the tighter weeping form with blush white blossoms followed by red crabs. Floribunda could almost be upright with a cascading form and is absolutely spectacular with masses of small pink and white blossoms also followed by small fruits. Check out these others also: Echtermeyer, Ellerslie and Kaitoke.
Then there is the Apple Wandin glory, one that I have never grown but is an actual apple that has a weeping form and sweet crisp fruit. Something different for the orchard perhaps?
Acers aka Maples with weeping form 
There are many Weeping Maples that have this cascading form and these usually have that dissected leaf shape and are generally with either green or red leaves. These are the ones that tend to suit smaller gardens and the perception is of around one metre dimensions which is usually good for the first five to ten years. If these are planted in a position in which they can continue to growth and mature then after 50 years could potentially be almost 3 to 4 metres across. Of course there are lots of different cultivars available and they all have slightly different forms and shades and dimensions. 

 
Some of the classics are Viridis which in Latin means green and so obviously is a green leaved dissected form. Crimson queen has been around for as long as I have been in the industry and again it is named for the colour of its foliage. Click the link and check out all the other very pretty Weeping Maples.
That's not all but here are a whole heap more 
Weeping mulberry (Morus Alba Pendula). Desirable, weeping form of the highly ornamental Mulberry tree. The glossy large heart shaped leaves always look fresh. Small edible fruits appear in spring and are loved by birds! Berries are red, almost black when ripe. Give this special tree the space to spread its lovely pendulous branch formation.
Pyrus salicifolia pendula or Weeping Silver Pear. A special tree with long narrow silver-grey leaves that are covered in a silky down. The overall effect is graceful and arching. White blossoms in spring are followed by small inedible fruits. Quite stunning placed against a dark back ground or soft and sensual combined with white.
Prunus Persica Cascade aka Weeping Peach Blossom. A simply beautiful blossom tree with glistening white, fully double, frothy blooms, on graceful arching branches. Fresh green summer foliage. Plant in a sunny well-drained spot in nice deep loam for best results.

 
Parrotia Persica Pendula or Persian Witch Hazel. A special small tree with a neat, erect growth habit. Unusual crimson tassel like flowers on bare branches in late winter. Lustrous dark green foliage in spring that colours well in autumn. As the tree matures the trunk has attractive flaking bark.
Ulmus Glabra Pendula aka Weeping Elm. A very special weeping tree with graceful pendulous branches clothed in deep green leaves with 'toothed' edges. The tree matures into a dome-headed shape with the branches draping to the ground. Looks good all year round even when bare. Hardy and easy to grow.
Betula Summer Cascade or River Birch - Weeping. A delightful cascading form which is perfect for smaller gardens. Attractive fresh green spring and summer foliage that turns yellow before leaf fall. Characteristic flaking bark. Fast growing in sun or part shade. Tolerates quite a bit of moisture.
Just arrived this week
Delphiniums. Yes, it's time to plant these and we have the famous Dowdeswell selection in stock, which means they should grow bigger and better. These are perennials which means they will come up to flower each year for you and the clumps will just get bigger as time goes past. I used to think that these just flowered once but you will get several flowerings when you remove the spent blooms. The only other pieces of advice I can give is that they like heaps of food and the snails and slugs adore them.
Asparagus, well this actually arrived last week but time to get planted now too. A perennial plant that needs a dedicated bed to do its thing. There are purple and green available. The plants of Pacific Challenger are a tad dearer than the other two varieties we stock (Pacific Endeavour and Pacific Purple) but the crowns are very chunky.

 
Winter roses of the Ice N Roses series. We have varieties Merlot, Red and Rose also Helleborus Picotee. These will give late winter colour at this time of year followed by great foliage for the remainder of the year.
Boronia Megastigma. Have to mention this one as this is the first for the year and I know that many just adore the fragrance. Sadly, I love the look but I am one of those who can't smell this beauty's fragrance.
Rice flower (or Ozothamnus) Springtime white and Winter white are popular with those that like to do floral work or dried flowers but equally pretty in the garden. These are in flower and looking quite pink but there are hints that as they mature they are becoming more white. 

 
Gosh that email ended up quite long and so I hope that you don't get bored  reading this week. Things to get done this weekend in the garden: all of your pruning... if you haven't then it's definitely time to get completed and that is fruit trees and all of your roses. If you plan to move anything then time for this is also running out as spring is on its way. 
Time to spray fruit trees and roses with copper and conqueror oil and time to get the feed/fertiliser ready to push that spring growth along. 

 
Get the slug bait out and do the whole garden as the slugs and snails will get Hostas and delphiniums long before you know that they have started to grow. There is nothing more holey-looking than Hostas that have been chewed by snails. Slug bait your Liriopes and Mondo Grass too as these molluscs will rasp their new leaves too and then they are spoilt for the whole season. Don't just slug bait the plants that are desirable but also in hedges and place where they hide during the daytime.
All that remains is to wish you all the best weekend.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.

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Last 25 Newsletters...

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Is it too early? (16th November, 2024)

Plenty to do and see (9th November, 2024)

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Fabulous spring (14th September, 2024)

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Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: