Thanks to Cecilia for last weeks email. Lol no secrets now and also thanks for the coveted recipe to a fabulous yum cake, well worth taking the time to make. I know from a previous years birthday exactly how good it is, especially with my sweet tooth and I guess that this year I am making my own. We had a great week away with the highlight being WOW or the Wearable arts awards in Welly which we had planned to attend three years ago and this was its first year back since all the lock downs. Its a spectacular event and off course being in the capital city is always fun. There are so many talented people out there from the designers to all those that were part of choreographing the entire event. If you haven't been there this is one for for bucket list!

We have to round off our visit to the rose family with the genus of Malus which you may or may not know are our domestic apples or Malus domestica. There are so many apple cultivars. I think that google suggested some 7500 different cultivars bred over the generations for many uses from eating cooking and drinking (as in making cider).

Apples have been around for centuries just like roses. Religion, Greek, Celtic and Scandavians have some surrounding mythologies, folklores and traditions,  and too much to write all about here. Here are a few from google that were familiar or I liked but if you want to read more then google apple and mythology and read away.

Its interesting over my lifetime how the tastes of apple has changed and todays generations seem to like them much sweeter than when we were kids. Cox's or Kids orange, Sturmer and Granny smith were the apple that mum used to buy in those days, we also had Golden delicious and Red Delicious which were the sweeter apple in the day.

Some of classics would have to  be Braeburn, Bred in Motueka around 1952 'Braeburn' has become a firm favourite in the Kiwi orchard. Crisp, firm and juicy with yellowish green skin that is broadly striped with red. Sweet flavour balanced with a moderate tartness for just a little zing. Fuji, A Japanese variety with large fruit and a smooth red-shaded skin. The creamy white flesh is firm, juicy and sweet with a satisfying crunch when eaten fresh. Stores exceptionally well, for months if refrigerated.  Splendour, probably the best feature of this well known apple is the fact that it keeps so well over winter.  Beautiful, large carmine red apple with creamy, very crisp flesh. Sweet tasting and very low acid. 

Ballerina apples are apple that grow as a column which look really cool from a design point of view or for even those that have compromised space in the garden. There's no excuse not to plant an apple tree with this narrow columnar variety that takes up a minimum of space. You could even grow it in a container. There are a few to choose from, so check out Bolero has shiny green eating apples with a golden blush. 'Polka' has medium sized fruit with green skin blushed red. The flesh is crisp and juicy with a very good flavour.  Flamenco In summer masses of red over green fruit apples decorate the tree and if processed make lovely 'jelly'.  Waltz The fruit are green with a red blush, crisp and juicy flesh with a slight tang.

Heritage apples or those that are of a more vintage nature and all seem to have mostly cute names. Just note that many heritage apples are triploids and so pollination is a tad more tricky sometimes requiring a couple of other apples to be around for the deed.  Bramleys seedling, A quintessentially English Heritage Apple being the first choice cooking apple in the UK since the 1800's. The fruit is large, flattish and green/flushed red. Firm light yellow flesh that is full of flavour. Cameusa de llObregrate, A large and attractive apple with yellow-green skin strongly over-laid with red. The flesh is particularly nice for use in desserts. Irish peach, Originating from Ireland in 1820, 'Irish Peach' (yes an apple called Peach!) ripens early in summer. The skin is green with faint red stripes and the flesh is high quality with a very good flavour. Kentish fillabasket, Don't you just love the name which refers to the size of this large English cooking apple. The skin is pale green and streaked with red. A vigorous disease resistant variety that has been around since 1820.

Cider apples seem to have gained some popularity over the past few years as more of us must be out there making this quite fashionable drink. In my head these apples must have a sharp taste but I wonder how they would combine with other apples for cooking and sauce making. I know that Bev who once worked here was famous for her apple pie and it involved three or four different apples for the fruit, probably not a cider apple but then you never know. It might just add the necessary apple zing. Check out Mother in law, Tom putt,  Slack ma girdle,  Sweet Alford.

There are so many apples and so if you want to go through them all them click on the link and see them all for yourself. At the top of the page there are tabs that will link you through to the cider, dwarfs, dble grafted and so on.

Kaiks, our beautiful native stand of these handsome trees will be loving all this rain and having their feet wet for a time and I plan to augment them. Kahikatea are a tad slow initially and so a big plants are a good head start. These are beautiful and big and in that juvenile shade of brownish green which is very typical of young trees.

Rewarewa, NZ native member of the protea family or Knightia excelsa. I do like this tree and its is very pretty in flower which also attracts the birds. Also famous for its distinctive grain wood that has been used over the years particularly in decorative pieces.

Totara Matapouri blue. A selected form of our native totara in the most handsome blue shade as you would guess from its name. A great plant for hedging as I have seen several hedges around (Wellingtons botanical gardens and also in Parnell, Auckland) or just as a magnificent specimen tree.

Podocarpus Gracilor, Belonging to the totara family but with long needle like leaves in a pretty lime green. This one will slowly grow to form a beautiful specimen tree and or will; equally suit being hedged or used in fancy topiary and if you look around you will see examples of both.

New Zealand Oak, Titoki or Alectryon excelsus is another NZ native with pretty handsome foliage and again a good tree to buy with some size as like many NZ natives. They can be a tad frost tender when young.

Swan river daisy, I think is the common name for Brachyscome, and there are some pretty neat new cultivars with improved flowers. There low growing daisy like flowers are almost always in bloom and worth a place in the garden. Brasco Candy, Purple and Violet.

Dianthus or pinks have started their spring debut, A few cultivars in stock right now, Candy Floss, Sugar plum, Memories, Passion, Waterloo sunset, Pinball wizard.

Diascia have always been a favourite and are excellent for pots hanging baskets and of course in the garden. There seems to be always more improved selections and these are no different. Genta Orange, Pink, Ruby and White and from another series, Trinity rose and Sunset.

It would be really cool if someone turned off the tap and we get some fine weather for the weekend and well a couple of weeks would be nice. I think that our display garden pond has joined hands with the creek for about the fifth time.. and wow have you looked at the Waikato river, it seems really high.

My Broad beans and peas are up  and I even managed to harvest about 6 Asparagus spears  from my new plants which was just enough for a feed for my mother.. of course she said they were delicious. There is just enough space to add another few plants to make the bed just a bit bigger. I was thinking that it could be a good activity to do with the kids these school holidays.. Plant Asparagus crowns and sow some beans and peas or just gardening in general. I think that our industry could do with a new generation of young gardening or plant enthusiasts.

Its great to grow your own food and there is always something to eat from our vege patch every night for dinner, even if its just silverbeet or spinach and should I add from the orchard.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the school holidays with family and friends.

Cheers Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team