Our weekly email news letter. Sign up here to get them delivered straight to your email in box. See below for previous issues...

Please note that product availability and prices may have changed from when this newsletter was sent. Please check this site or phone us for current availability and pricing.

Saturday 16th July, 2022

Hi

Wet wet wet... 
Ok, so it's wet, really wet (though I'm sure that other areas have had more). The local stream has overflowed, as it does into the surrounding paddocks and all under those beautiful Kahikatea stands. I haven't really totalled up the amount of rain that we have had in the past couple of weeks but each time that I have emptied the rain gauge it's been 50 mls plus. 
It would seem that every year once we get to potting all the ornamental and fruit trees that the winter rains come and off course, they, the trees are too large to pot under cover. To be fair it's perfect weather for potting trees as their roots don't get a chance to dry out but of course its not so comfortable for us that are doing the work. I must quickly add here that it's been pretty warm and of course we don't melt and with some good wet weathers on its all good. The other plus is that we don't even have to water the trees in if we are getting a good 50 mls from the skies.

On that note, we are furiously potting the trees as fast as we can, managing somewhere between 200 to 400 per person per day depending on the bag size. So, it will take us a good three weeks to get most of the trees into stock and be able to put together orders. My advice would be that if you get emailed regarding a tree that you have on order then grab it as quickly as possible as it may not be practical to wait for other plants.
Just note that all new season's trees have been root pruned and wont have made many new roots yet. When you go to plant them all the potting mix will fall away. Use this mix in the planting hole as it is full of good nutrients. Plant them to where you can see that they have been in the ground beforehand which may be different from what you see in the planter bag. All new season's trees will need to be staked to stop the tree moving in the soil and breaking the new developing roots. Don't use too much compost (unless you have very sandy or porous soil) as this can hold too much water and cause the new roots to rot. Otherwise, this is the season of a variety of trees and fab planting times.
Blue roses?  as blue as they get.. as in a silvery lilac.
True blue is not a common colour for many flowers. Of course, as far as I know that it's not a gene that exists in roses though over the years I'm sure that many breeders have tried their darndest to get a blue rose or as close as possible. For me personally a true blue rose would seem well just a tad weird but then we all have different tastes. The closest to blue in roses would probably be a bluey kind of lilac or mauve colour and there are quite a few that are in this blue shade. Interestingly enough most lilac roses are actually fragrant, though there are exceptions.
To kick our blue rose piece off and its been around as long as I can remember and that's a while now, like some almost 40 years that I have been in the plant trade. In fact I bet that most will know Blue moon as a rose that has been in their mothers or even grandmothers garden. I had to check when it was bred and apparently in 1964, so that's makes it around 58 years old. Blue moon is a classic hybrid tea rose in a very pretty shade of silvery lilac blue.
There are quite a few roses in this silvery lilac pseudo blue shade and Heaven Scent is a more modern version dating just approx 20 years ago in 2001. This one is also a Hybrid tea and so therefore is good for picking too with long stems.  Lush green foliage few thorns and as its name suggests a powerful fragrance.
Moody Blues is a floribunda bred in 1991 by Sam McGredy, again beautifully formed blooms in moody shades of lilac and blue, light fragrance, strong growing bush and a rose that repeats well.
Another lilac blue hybrid tea that may not be so well known is Starlight, well shaped blooms that have again a great fragrance, dark green foliage  and this one dates back to 1986.
Hi ho silver is a pretty cool rose from 2010 Hybrid Tea. Now this is something just a little bit special. Beautifully formed flowers that have a hint of pink in the bud but open to reveal blooms of silvery lilac-grey. This rose has a delicious fragrance and healthy disease resistant foliage. It also repeats well throughout the season
From 2005 we get Memorial Day. Hybrid Tea. An award winning rose with exquisite clear pink blooms washed with soft lavender. The fragrance of the blooms is so strong that is said that just one stem will perfume a room. Strong disease resistant growth and very few thorns add to the desirability.
If you have a hankering for a "blue" climbing rose then check out Azubis which has clusters of large, strongly fragrant, fully double, high-centred, mauve to lavender flowers smothering the bush with many repeats from summer into autumn.
Rhapsody in blue is more purple when the flowers opens but fades to a slate blue. A really pretty rose that has continuous clusters of semi-double soft purple blooms that fade out to a smoky, slate blue. The nice fragrance adds extra enhancement. The foliage is a soft matt green. Can be group planted as a landscape shrub or hedge.
Just for good measure and super fragrant
Double delight has been around since 1977. Everyone must know this rose named for its double delights of colours and fragrance. Not sure if it refers to the fact that it is a beautiful two tone rose and has a fragrance or the fact that its a pretty cool bi colour, or both. Creamy coloured perfect hybrid tea blooms that have a raspberry pink edge.
Fragrant cloud is the same generation as Blue moon bred in 1964 lol, nearly my vintage and you can totally conclude from its name that its superbly fragrant having perfect high centred buds being an hybrid tea, in vermillion red.
Fragrant delight  from 1978 is a bit more recent being a floribunda. An award winning rose with large loose blooms in tones of salmon, copper and raspberry red. This rose is generally healthy and easy care with a very generous amount of bloom from summer to autumn and of course it has a delightful sumptuous scent.
Love me do is really healthy, fragrant and pretty  and form just 2007  Oh this is just gorgeous. The ivory white  blooms open to reveal soft peach centres. Flowers appear with generous abundance and carry an intense sweet fragrance.  There is no doubt  that you will indeed 'love me do'. Healthy glossy green foliage is an added bonus.
Multi international award winning from 2009 is Absolutely fabulous Floribunda.  You'll just love this rose darling as it's absolutely fabulous.  Healthy, dark green, disease resistant foliage and stems of showy golden blooms that are produced in abundance.  Nice strong fragrance and all together a must have. 
Some House keeping Stuff
Truck deliveries to Auckland. Sadly Frank, who used to back load our Auckland truck deliveries has retired and this handy contact up to the big smoke is no longer. He always had deliveries in the Tron and was happy to take something back on his return trip. We are now on the look out for someone or company that travels between Auckland and Hamilton that may deliver door to door some of our product, mostly the plants that we find difficult to pack into boxes for the courier company.. 
Freight of fruit trees and trees to RD addresses. All courier freight to a rural delivery address is subcontracted out to the local rural delivery guys and has a maximum freight height of 1.4 metres. Fruit trees can be cut back as these usually need trimming to start the process of developing a particular form of tree. otherwise provide us with a town address as we can send 2.4 metres there. Over 2.4 metres then it has to be a truck delivery and often we can send approximately 4 trees for the one delivery cost so more is better if we have to use trucks.
We are on the look out for a knowledgeable garden centre person to help us in our busy garden centre. Plant know-how, the usual stuff as in retail sales, plant maintenance and merchandising, great phone manner and more. Putting it out there but otherwise its listed on Seek and Trade me for anyone that may be interested. 
Here is hoping that the weather for the school holidays isn't as bad as forecast and that you are spending some fun quality time with the kids. Maybe get them into the gardening bug so that we have a new generation of gardeners coming through. Come on out and check out the garden centre with them. If it's too wet then check out the website for plants, that online 24/7.
Otherwise have an awesome weekend and school holidays 
Cheers Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team

Archived by year 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |

2022 Newsletters...

Autumn already 22 (5th March, 2022)

New Season Camellias (12th March, 2022)

Little Flowered Camellias (19th March, 2022)

Feijoas (26th March, 2022)

Michelia Magnolias (2nd April, 2022)

Infections (9th April, 2022)

Rhododendrons (15th April, 2022)

Cone bush and Crete pottery (23rd April, 2022)

Wax Scale (29th April, 2022)

Living Fashion (7th May, 2022)

Plants for Hedging (14th May, 2022)

Pumpkin Soup (29th May, 2022)

Banksia names (4th June, 2022)

Reveg project (18th June, 2022)

Hybrid Tea or Floribunda (2nd July, 2022)

..... Blue roses

Red Roses (30th July, 2022)

Thank you, Muchas Gracias (7th August, 2022)

Busy Time (27th August, 2022)

Spring time... or not? (3rd September, 2022)

Flower addiction (10th September, 2022)

Prunus persica are our peaches (17th September, 2022)

Prunus Armeniaca are our Apricots (24th September, 2022)

Prunus domestica are our Plums (1st October, 2022)

An apple a day ..... (8th October, 2022)

Codlin moth traps (15th October, 2022)

Labour Day Monday (22nd October, 2022)

Pots galore in store (29th October, 2022)

Old Rose, Tea, Myrrh, Fruit or Musk? (5th November, 2022)

Full Moon (12th November, 2022)

Winning roses (19th November, 2022)

Christmas trees (26th November, 2022)

Trim, Cut and Lift (3rd December, 2022)

22 done and dusted (10th December, 2022)



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