Saturday 17th April, 2021
Hi
So handsome but... Cabbage tree????
Cabbage trees... why are they called cabbage trees, they don't look anything like a Cabbage, so I had to google. Apparently we can notch this one up to James Cook simply because the new shoots, on one of our landmark trees, are edible. Characteristic in form and significant, in our kiwi landscape, with the distinctive trunks and sword like leaves.
In my days of study these large monocots were acclaimed to be the worlds largest lily, but have since lost that claim to fame, and are now classified in the Asparagus family! It always fascinates me to what actually belongs to this family of plants of the spears that we love to eat in the spring.
Cabbage trees or Cordyline australis could also be called ti Kouka and again were a source of food, cooked and raw, for Maori and particularly in the south Island where other crops wouldn't grow, not to mention providing these early generations with fibre for the making of textiles, anchor ropes, fishing lines, caps, cloaks, sandals and the like. The fibre was considered stronger than that of flax.
Just for fun, because I am sure that I have never seen a Cabbage tree this large, but google says "The largest known tree with a single trunk is growing at Pakawau, Golden Bay. It is estimated to be 400 or 500 years old, and stands 17 metres tall with a circumference of 9 metres at the base." and yet here it is!
So the prompt on these handsome trees with their sword like leaves came from working down the hill in the garden centre as I came across quite a group of them amongst other plants. It's worth noting though that some clump and others grow upright and tree like due to having different species in their parentage.
In amongst them was a newbie for me called
Broadsword and my gosh it really stood out with stunning wide leaves of the nicest green hue... so much so that I had to bring them out and display them against a large pot.
Then there was some pretty nice specimens of a red one called
Red Star, again nice wide leaves and of course, after its name, in an attractive red shade. The cool thing about our ornamental cordyline is that they make for pretty neat specimens whether in the garden or in pots.
Green Goddess is another goodie and this smaller growing, wide leaved, upright in form, variety has been around for quite some years. In fact, was a star in our office garden for, probably, some 20 odd years and I really should plant it again as it's a fav with me.
Then there is
Electric Pink... Such an amazing colour .. one cant quite believe that a plant can actually be this colour, but then nature is pretty incredible.
Correction from last weeks email
Recipe for Feijoa pickle from Rowan Bishops recipe book and it was pointed out that we had garlic in twice so please note the ginger replacement below to correct this.
600g onions, 1.5kg Feijoas peeled and diced, 3 medium apples, 2 1/2 cups wine vinegar, 3 cups sugar, 60 g fresh or minced garlic, 60 g fresh or pre minced ginger, 2 Tbsp dry mustard powder, 2 Tbsp mustard seeds, 3/4 cup sultanas or raisins, 1 tsp cardamon seeds, 1tsp whole cloves, 1 Tbsp turmeric, 3 Tbsp cornflour, 1/4 cup water...
I was going to write a piece on the persimmon situation but I haven't been able to complete my research so hopefully next weeks write up!
Clearance time for last seasons Roses, Camellias, Rhodos and more!
If you haven't been out lately and are looking for some nice economic plants, just to fill some spaces in the garden, then now's the time to get them... and the fact that it's Autumn, rained and warm is even better... so get planting... you have to come out though as these are no longer in stock due to all the new seasons Camellias and Rhodos having arrived.
Roses... still some left, and look to be mostly floribundas, going from 25% to 50% off just to clear them right out.
Last seasons Camellias and Rhodos from $25.00...generally larger than the current new seasons and still in great condition.. ideal for the garden or mass plantings in semi shade areas where you may wish to create an under story for a woodland.
Plants from $5.00-$10.00 mix of grasses, coprosmas and other bits and pieces that we need to clear or reduce numbers of. Plants there suitable for reveging an area.
Apples 25% off remaining stock... there is still a variety of choices though some of the more different varieties and I believe that we have quite few Santa Rosa plums which are a great choice to go with other Japanese plum varieties for pollination.
Abutilons 25% off these pretty Chinese lantern shrubs .. great filler for the garden, cut them back to keep them bushy.
Last night was the night to get stuck in and make my first batch of feijoa pickle.
Ended up with 6 small Agee jars and the plan is to make another batch cause it's my favourite. Also want to make a batch of the feijoa, lime and smoked paprika recipe as that was pretty tasty too. Love this over pork sausages or on a cheese sammie but wherever you want a spicy condiment.. this one works.
Sadly there's no gardening for me this weekend as other obligations stepped in but whatever you are doing have a fab weekend.
Cheers Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
