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Friday 26th October, 2018
Hi
The things we do....
We are baby sitting for a couple of weeks. Although it's not one of the human babies, it just happens to be one of the sister pups from Anthony's Italian greyhound and so consequently we have three of these quite hyper active dogs going zoom zoom around the house.
There is nothing quite like waking up in the morn to see the visiting child with its head on the pillow next to yours and all stretched out in the super king bed as if there isn't enough space for her... I think that spoilt is a word that I could loosely use here.
Now as I write this email the sister is sitting on my lap because the vacuum cleaner is going and she is scared of the noise, but you know, we wouldn't be without them.
Next on my agenda today is some time in the garden as I want it to be up to scratch for Christmas and I need to get some of those longer term veges going in the garden.. I mean who wants to be without Zucchini for the next 5 months and they are so easy to grow.
I laughed out loud just now as I just found out that our darling little Trinity even photo bombed my pic of our wisteria tree that I posted on facebook, I didn't even see her until Cathie said that one of her friends asked if it was a dog in the pic. See if you can spot her too!
Its all about roses this week.
I have been posting flower pics of the roses as they come into bloom on facebook and Instagram as their beauty is just breathtaking, and no matter how many years I watch them open they still engender awe with their beauty and so this was the inspiration for writing about all the different styles of flowers and forms of these beautiful plants.
I apologise ahead of time to those of you that already have this sorted, maybe think of it as a refresher for us all, but as I write this piece, I'm thinking that it will have some relevance to those that are keen to know more or those who are just starting out on their love of roses and learning is a new happening thing for them in regard to this amazingly diverse plant. When someone enquires with me about varieties or wants suggestions of a suitable rose I always ask what style of flower they like as then its easier to suggest others of the same ilk.
Its funny but not all like all styles of roses and those that are into Hybrid teas are only into the these formal roses and I find that those that like old fashioned blooms just adore the David Austin range and often there is not much room for movement.
Hybrid tea (HT's) are those that I associate with being like florist flowers and a description would be full petalled high centred buds. The classic form would be one bloom per stem, though with the over breeding that has been done often HTs now have more than one bloom per stem, (prob some Floribunda in the genes from way back). When this is the case you can always remove the surplus buds so that all the growth goes into single huge flowers if you want. It is said that Ht's are good for picking and in the vase, its because they have so many petals that they don't open so quickly, but hey I pick all roses'
Floribunda (Fl's) are often referred to as cluster flowered roses and often can look like HT's but perhaps not so many petals per bloom. These often make for a spectacular show in the garden because they have just so many flowers.
Patio ... well these are like mini Floribunda with smaller flowers and make for a more compact shrub in the garden... great for those smaller garden situations and as the name suggests can be potted for patio colour.
Austin Roses are really shrub roses and are the result of hybridising old fashioned roses with modern roses to achieve a free flowering fragrant old fashioned style bloom. If you are into old style flowers then these are for you.
Standard Rose types
Standards are roses that are grafted on differing heights of rootstock... I would suggest that every example of these should be securely staked to prevent them from damage. Often the top grows faster than the stem and in windy and wet weather the bush becomes very heavy and a snapped stem is usually terminal. The stake needs to be right through and slightly past the graft union at the top... weeping roses sometime benefit from a round frame at the top of the stake to spread the form wider but this is not always necessary.
What is a pillar rose is something I often get asked.. Technically its a 1.5 high rootstock (rosa Multiflora) that has been blinded (had all its buds removed so that it can't grow) with approx 7 to 9 buds of the desired rose budded up its length. Usually these are robust, good doing roses that are floribundas and will grow approx 1m square bushes all the way up the stem and of course there will be one at the top.
To sum up in a nut shell a pillar rose is like a feature rose tree/shrub and after 3 years will potentially attain approx 2.5 metres height and approx 2 metres width. I imagine a pillar rose being used as the centre piece of a round garden... or a row of three instead of using other shrubs or small trees as the height. The big bonus of a designer rose pillar is that we all know that you will get at least three flowering per season and that beats any tree hands down.. use instead of a small tree because the rose pillar will have a maximum height whereas trees will slowly keep growing in size.
We have some really good and reliable choices available like Absolutely Fabulous, Baby Jack, Iceberg Burgundy, Trumpeter, Mum in a Million.
1.8 weeper are just as the name suggests... a 1.8m high rootstock, again of blinded Rosa multiflora, with suitable weeping roses grafted at the top... when I say weeping roses they are usually choices of shrub roses that have a cascading habit or equally climbers that are not so upright but rather could cascade or at least arch outwards. The fairy and all of its cousins are more than suitable with great habit and of course lots of recurrent flowers.
Again like the pillar roses these would totally fit the bill as a feature plant in the centre of a garden or even take the space where one may consider a small tree but nothing is ever going to stay that small... again the advantage of many flowerings throughout the season.
...which reminds me of the time we had advertised The fairy on our blackboard, years ago, and our wonderful friend, as a joke, changed it to 'The Fairies', took a photo and sent us a copy whilst overseas as a post card...
I digress - Chimo is stunning in bright red with a yellow centre, Flower Carpet Yellow, finally Pink Bells with its amazing form.
80 cm standards which I normally refer to as just standards
Grafted on approx 84cm rootstock, this is the most extensive range that you can have as it includes all manner of rose forms from Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, shrub roses, Austins even Weepers and Patios.
Usually standard roses are again used as features in the garden and then under planted with complimentary plantings of perennials although there is no reason why roses can't be used in a contemporary or even subtropical style... its just about which rose, how you use it and with what companion planting.
Usually a normal rose will attain an additional 70 to 100 cm on top of the 84 cm standard unless of course its a weeper then it will cascade downwards.
This year Harry got to choose what varieties would be budded for us and as a result we have standards that we don't normally have and an abundance as he was like a kid in a candy store and got a tad carried away with what he could get.. and they are all looking positively gorgeous... go and check them out online or better still, if you are able, come and see the colour yourself in the garden centre... but to whet your tastebuds here are some of the more unusual ones that H chose.
The Rugosa rose Blanc Double de Coubert, A Tea rose General Gallieni, Gruss an Aachen, Jacqueline du Pres and my fav old mini Paree White... but his zealousness didn't stop there and we probably have the biggest range of Austin we have ever had...grafted on 80cm std... If there is something there that appeals grab it now because its unlikely ever to be repeated.
If you have read this far then you have got how it all works, usually the domain of the patio roses but there are some Floribundas grafted here on these small stems which is useful because their overall height wouldn't be so tall so maybe more suitable in front of windows etc
These should speak for themselves and this is the domain of all roses regardless of the type or style and is really just the production method of cloning or reproducing the various cultivars.
Patio stds
A deal to be had
Cranberry viburnum, I was moving some plants yesterday and spied our batch of Viburnum trilobum or the cranberry viburnum know for its persistent red cranberry like fruits, Huge plants that are just about to burst into flower and they are a real steal at just $49.99 down to $29.99
Acer Buergerianum, Gorgeous spring and autumn colours in brilliant reds, dark green through summer, these are big grade trees that are in 45l bags, over 3m now so would like to see them move to their new forever homes so I've taken $50 of these so really good buying for an outstanding tree at $129.99.
Oioi or Apodasmia Similis a reed that is salt tolerant so great for the coastal gardens. Will also grow in wet or muddy ground, we have good numbers of these for a good price so reduced to $12.99 each.
Camellias. Many of our camellias have bulk or multi buys on them so you can get lots of the same or lots of different ones at the same price for less.
Currant Black Whistler for your edible garden this currant is a good high yield cropper, it fruits on new wood so prune back after fruiting. Reduced from $14.99 to $9.99 so it will fruit in your garden not ours.
Events
Last week I wrote about the The running of the Balls being a fund raiser for prostate cancer and hospice and the challenge that I need to find something sporty and blue to wear not to mention doing a few runs prior to the event. I posted it to our events page in case there are others out there that want to help a good cause. This is an event close to my heart and besides it will be a fun event.
There is a garden ramble up in Aucks the same weekend which got me thinking when yesterday a great client came in and mentioned that he was going to be part of the Heroic Gardens Festival this year.
I would love to go to that garden ramble myself... a quick google told me that its being held on the 16th and 17th of Feb 2019 so have added it to our events page to help promote this as well.
If there are any other appropriate events or garden rambles that we should know about then please don't hesitate to email Cathie with the details so we can check them out and perhaps add to our Events page. You can get her at receiving@wairere.co.nz
I know that we have had such an amazing spring so far, beautiful fine sunny weather and plenty of fine weekends but it would be just fab if we got some decent rain to wet the ground again... LOL from my business point of view not on the weekend but if it has to be then after 5 pm and before 8 am would be very welcome and convenient.
I have to say that if you had an hour or two spare then now is the time to check the garden centre out.... and the garden for that matter... Its looking just gorgeous in flower... If you are one of those that like to see the colours of roses for yourself then now is the time, it's really starting to pop.
Above all else have the most fabulous weekend.
cheers
Lloyd, Harry and the Wairere Team
Make it a Wairere weekend where even GNOMES know that gardening's not a drag.
Archived by year 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
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 (19th October, 2018)
..... Its all about roses this week
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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