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Friday 19th October, 2018
Blue October
Hi
My cousin Christie came to stay the other weekend along with Georgia who would have to be the most laid back 7 month old baby that I have met. Not quite crawling yet but all limbs are in the right position and she's all set to go.
The plan was to have dinner at home so I modified a recipe that I have done here before from a magazine dish. Sometime you think 'Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that dish' and nutmeg and cinnamon are not the most usual spices I would put in a meatball recipe.
Pork and oregano meatballs with molten mozzarella .. To be fair I didn't even really have many of the ingredients so as usual winged it.
I had beef mince to which I added a small packet of pork mince, which I find helps bind the meatballs more, although I did still add an egg or two and a very small amount of breadcrumbs.
But its the herbs that I find make these pop. Finely chopped cloves of garlic, zest of a lemon and of course I used a Yen ben, grated fresh nutmeg, pinch of chilli flakes, handful of finely chopped parsley (because we have no basil yet) and heaps of finely chopped oregano, salt and pepper because you must.
Mix it all together and form the meatball then cook in the oven. You can follow the link to Whats Cooking for the full version. We had this with buttery rice and fresh seasons asparagus.
Catch up time over dinner were conversations of running her Personal training business around the needs and constraints of a 7 month old child and the challenge she faces of maintaining and attracting new clients and the various events that she holds. A couple that spring to mind and that are close to us all are her charity fun runs... Boobilcious and The running of the Balls which she has managed to persuade me that I should give a go this year as its only a five km run, 'and you could just walk it', she goes. Apparently you get a bacon buttie and a coffee on completion, yahoo! Of course proceeds for this event go to Prostate cancer and hospice. I wonder what my sporty blue "drag" look will be ????
LOL I haven't run anywhere for years so maybe in the next three weeks I should perhaps make a small start so I can at least earn my bacon buttie and I don't have to walk all the way... Just in case there are any 09ers out there that have a desire to dress in blue and do a small run for a good cause here is the link to follow or you can find it on our facebook and website events pages.
The visit was rounded off with us going to the Hamilton gardens to which Christie had never been. I was amazed that she had never been and delighted that we could go there as I think that the gardens are world class. I just love wandering around those theme gardens and am already planning my visit back to when the roses start to flower.
There was a Bonsai plant exhibition on at the same time and we all went in to check out the miniaturised trees. I have to say that I'm fascinated by this art and wouldn't mind giving it a go myself. It so happens that Christie's neighbour teaches this and is prepared to give us an introduction. Maybe could even find time to look into the local Bonsai group.
On the subject of roses they are just on the verge of starting to pop in the nursery and the whole place will start to be a blaze of colour. Colour is starting to show and with this long fine warm weekend I bet you there will be loads more before the end of it. When I was out there this morning looking out for what was showing colour, these are the ones that I found.
Check out Mary rose, pretty and pink and just the sweetest fragrance and such a good doing rose for those that love this old fashioned look.
Mari Dot, really pretty apricot shade and packs the most powerful fragrance. My mum use to come and pick this rose and take home just to have the scent inside ... one bloom would scent an entire room.
Gruss an Aachen, one of my favourite old fashioned roses with that typical old fashioned look and fragrance in an attractive shade of beigey creamy white... repeats too and there is also a fab pink form that does well.
Strawberry Hill, another pretty Austin rose in a sweet shade of pink... spied this one amongst the standards.
Ali Mau, I found this one also in the standards and the with the promise of so many buds to open... a good healthy repeat flowering modern rose.
Princess Anne, one of the newer David Austin roses and quite a cool colour, very healthy foliage and good flowerer to boot.... another one for the Austin lovers and you know who you are!!!
Reine des Violettes, as its name suggests it is a neat violet pink shade.... belongs to the hybrid perpetuals and has the most amazing fragrance.
Blanc Double de Coubert... typical rugosa rose with its semi double flowers and also has a great scent... very reliable and hardy shrub style rose bush. Make a hedge with this one or just have as a shrub in the garden.
Other Rose stuff
With this extended fine weather that we have been having the rose fungal infections should be at an all time low. The stresses of having downy mildew are past us now and the next infection to watch for are of the black spot types but if the weather continues to be fine then this shouldn't be to much of a problem. Watch the weather forecast and spray prior to the next wet period or if you see black spot forming then spray a couple of times with Super Shield approx 2 to 3 days apart and this should nail it.
With this good weather and those healthy shoots on your roses aphids, green fly, call them what you will, will almost certainly find them and start sucking the green stuff out of the new leaves and even the flower buds...
Aphids are really good at reproducing so try to nail them quickly. Amazingly their turn around is super fast and they don't even need a male in sight to increase the population quickly.
If your fingers don't do the job, do what Harry does and get them with the fly spray but the proper way would be 2 or 3 close together sprays of super shield, which is a combination fungal and insect spray, or just use Confidor.
If you need your roses to flower for a specific event then you need to cut them back 7 weeks prior...we do this in the garden centre as we try to stagger the flowering of all our Iceberg standards so that they don't all come on together. Sadly you would have to miss the spring flush for them all to be in flower for Christmas but perhaps enjoy the flush now and cut them back as soon as its finished and they should be covered in new growth and on the way back up for a second flowering.
I know that its tempting to cut all your hedges but don't start this task too early as you may just have to to do it twice. I usually wait until the spring growth has started to change colour or harden so that you know that the main flush has finished. Usually I work on the principle of getting the garden back into line for Christmas, being hedges done, edges done and roses pruned back ready for the next flush.
New Arrivals
Geraniums or are they Pelargoniums?
Not all geraniums are created equal and the name geranium is used very loosely, to be correct these should be Pelargoniums. True geraniums are the cransbills and these delightful versions are winter dormant. Rozanne and Bertie Crug are on order for November and Tiny Monster arrived today. Pelargoniums include what we commonly call ivy leaf geraniums which climb or trail, then there are the ones that we recognise as geraniums that give that classic European window box look particularly in red and white. These usually have a more rounded leaf. The ones that I always thought were Pelargoniums have the more pointed, cut leaf and darker flowers and of course I can't not mention the fancy colour leaf forms that are stunners. There are some delightfully scented varieties as well. Whichever geranium you like we have a superb selection just arrived in but small numbers of each variety so put your order in if you are wanting a particular one.
Labour weekend and the first long weekend for a while and its going to be a beauty... perfect for getting out there in the garden but even better for coming here to check out all the gorgeous roses that are about to flower in the garden centre. Come check out the gardens and maybe go to the local cafe for a coffee. Our wisteria trees are looking stunning right now and so worth a look for yourselves. I was taken with the beauty that is all around today at the nursery and thought I would share it with those of you not lucky enough to live close. You can see the pics by clicking the highlighted link word.
Above all else have the most a fabulous weekend.
cheers
Lloyd, Harry and the Wairere Team
Make it a Wairere weekend where even GNOMES know that gardening's not a drag.
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2018 Newsletters...
Feb already (3rd February, 2018)
Gardening friends (9th February, 2018)
fabulous feb (16th February, 2018)
Grapes and Art deco in Napier (2nd March, 2018)
About Ferns (10th March, 2018)
out with willow and in with Camellias (27th March, 2018)
Paddock Trees (25th March, 2018)
Trees for Big Spaces (27th March, 2018)
Sasanquas take 2 (30th March, 2018)
Brrr Autumn is here (14th April, 2018)
Garlic and Winter Roses (21st April, 2018)
Friday Again (5th May, 2018)
Espaliered (12th May, 2018)
always a project (18th May, 2018)
Power Outages and Proteas (31st May, 2018)
Rose time again (8th June, 2018)
Aussie Natives (19th June, 2018)
Roses Abounding! (23rd June, 2018)
Ornamentals (7th July, 2018)
High, Low or Cascading (13th July, 2018)
Daphne time (20th July, 2018)
Spring in four days (27th July, 2018)
Let the blossoms begin (3rd August, 2018)
Tamarillos (10th August, 2018)
Magnolias3 (17th August, 2018)
Bloom time not gloom time (28th August, 2018)
Is it September Already? (31st August, 2018)
Nuts abounding (7th September, 2018)
Its all in the name... seriously (14th September, 2018)
Blossom bloom again (21st September, 2018)
Fabulous Friday 28 (28th September, 2018)
Fluffies and Pretties (5th October, 2018)
October rain with 22mm (12th October, 2018)
..... Blue October
Its all about roses this week (26th October, 2018)
what about this (2nd November, 2018)
Rose show 2018 this weekend (9th November, 2018)
The running of the balls sequel 1 (16th November, 2018)
Orange Kumara 1 (23rd November, 2018)
scones (30th November, 2018)
Hydrangeas (8th December, 2018)
French Tarragon Hmmm (14th December, 2018)
Happy Holidays (21st December, 2018)
Wairere Nursery
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