So a week or two ago I wrote about Black Friday as I was confused as to why the 29th was Black Friday when I have always known Black Friday to be on the "unlucky" 13th. "Where has this Black Friday come from?... have I just had my head in the sand as I have always known Black Friday as being Friday the 13th and here we are November 29 and today, apparently, its black Friday! It just seems like it's a new thing here but maybe its not, a quick google reveals that its originally American marketing.
Black Friday is the name given to the shopping day after Thanksgiving. It was originally called Black Friday because the huge volume of shoppers created traffic accidents and sometimes even violence. In the 1950's people began calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving to give themselves a four-day weekend."
Rhododendrons
Jan pointed out that the real black Friday is almost upon us, being Friday the 13th of December so I've decided we shall have our own Wairere Black Friday Sale to celebrate it. The sale will last 24 hours from 8 am on 13 Dec and go through till 8 am 14 Dec and only current stock will be included.
The Black Friday sale will have a blanket 25% off all Roses, this includes all bush, climbing, standard, patio standard, weeping standard and pillar roses currently in stock. Many of our roses are in full flower now and so it is the perfect time to choose roses for your garden or give them as presents to friends and family.
25% off all
Camellias making this a great opportunity to get plants for any hedges you were planning on putting in.
25% off all
Rhododendrons, these give an amazing seasonal display of colour in the garden.
25% of all stone fruit being
Peaches,
Apricots,
Plums,
Pears and
Apples. Increase your orchard harvest with some new flavours from some new to you varieties.
These can be purchased online or in store. We going to be offering other specials on other days as well so keep watching the website and facebook for more offers.
What now in the garden?
The team have been busy trimming the hedges and I was wandering down, checking out the roadside holly hedge admiring what a good job the team have done. This had me walking past the mophead and lacecap
hydrangeas and I was quite taken by them. There is quite a good range of them in flower at the moment and the colours of the flowers are soft and bright as they are before the sun hardens them off and they were looking rather pretty. They have done well this season, nice big bushy plants and the patchwork of flowers offer plenty to choose from.
If your roses have finished flowering they will need dead heading, a feed with a good watering to wash it in and a spray to keep them healthy while you wait for the re flush in 7-8 weeks time.
Camellias
Most hedges are probably needing a trim about now, take them back to their usual size, remember every inch you give them makes them bigger so if you are happy with their usual trim size then take them back to that each time.
Trees grow bigger each year and often need the lower branches lifted or removed to keep them from obscuring the view you enjoy and to allow light in underneath. This is often referred to as crown lifting or limbing up and involves the removal of the lowest ring of branches. This helps to keep a nice trunk without too much scarring from large branch removal and is usually a yearly practice.
Weeds will be loving the sun and warmth so will be growing quickly. Keep on top of these with spraying, hoeing (as little as possible as the less you disturb the soil the better) or mulching. Mulching is a great way to retain water for plants in the hot summer months but remember to keep a clear area around the plants to avoid ring barking them.
Generally most plants will be looking for some food to support the growth they are putting on before the heat of summer slows them down and remember that most plants are used to having a dry spell so don't over water them as this will kill them as quickly as under watering them. A good long drink is always more beneficial than a quick sip so when you do water make it a good one then give the ground a chance to dry out a bit before their next drink.
Burglars sure know how to wreck a good day!
I'm a bit miffed as the shop was broken into last night, the second time in a month, and it is surprising how much trouble it causes having to re secure the building when it is this close to Christmas. With one of the side doors broken and warped it has taken a lot of time finding someone who can make the shop lockable again. Thank you Brendon.
I have to say it has surprised me, the different feelings it has aroused today... first the anger that it happened at all, then the feeling of violation with someone just ignoring all social boundaries and doing this, annoyance at having to deal with the problems it causes, the time to clean up, the police visit, calling insurance, trolling the internet for aluminium joinery businesses to try to replace that which has been broken, then back to angry because I have had to deal with all this. Mainly targeted were the ARS tools and gloves but at the end of the day it has to be business as usual so door fixed, insurance claim made and onwards.
Roses
Mail orders and dispatch.
Last day for dispatches to the South Island is this coming Monday and our last day for the year dispatching for North Island deliveries is this Tuesday so enjoy our Black Friday sale and have your order in and paid for before the weekend ends as we will cut off early so all goods get to their destination.
There will be no dispatch during the short weeks of Christmas and new year and will resume the first full week in January being Monday 6th.
Truck deliveries are generally back on deck the last week of Jan or beginning of Feb.
Lots to do getting ready for this sale so it's short and sweet this week and of course it's going out a day early as I wanted to ensure everyone had a chance to take advantage of our Wairere Black Friday Sale.
Have a great weekend
Cheers
Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere Team
