It was a hum dinger, that frost that we had here the other night. I know that the Waikato is not a particularly cold climate and the winters have seemed more mild than ever. I often say that in a cold climate like those in the South Island, the plants seem to set up shop and stop growing but here it's all go and the new growth seems to just keep rocking on. That is until we get a minus 2 or 3 and then it's a different story. The team here spent quite a bit of time in the garden centre covering all the daisies and other plants that are quite sensitive. Not a mean feat in the gale winds that were happening here in the afternoon and quite typically the wind must have dropped in the early hours of the morning and the temps dropped dramatically. It must have been more than just a straight frost on the ground as the air temp must have dropped below Zero as well. I have to say the days of me trotting out to the nursery in the dark of the night in my slippers and dressing gown when the wind has died down are long gone.

Things got burnt that we wouldn't have normally thought of being burnt like the new leaves on our hydrangeas. Then I looked at the grape vine on the pergola at home and all the new growth was burnt and I was thinking that all the initiating flowers as well. The persimmon tree in our home orchard had fried new growth. Then I think how fragile all this pollination situation is. One humdinger frost and no fruit! Just nature and bad timing. Just as well that the orchardist and grape growers have frost protection to save their crops, or we would be without fruit and wine! I believe that the Waikato Asparagus growers had a few days that they had to pick and destroy, luckily Asparagus being a perennial will still crop for some weeks yet.

Pepinos or Solanum muricatum common name for me is Pepino but others may know them as sweet cucumber or melon pear. These belong to the solanum family which as we all know these days include potatoes, tomatoes  and looking at the flower you can guess this is so. Another addition to the foodie garden and these produce sweet melon like flavoured fruit. A good one to plant now that the frost is past but put in the right spot will produce for several years. We have 3 cultivars in stock El Camino, Incredible blush and Ruby.

Cherry Guavas with those tangy sweet red and yellow fruits. This one is an evergreen shrub that will contribute to a shrubbery or even make a hedge. but will have masses of fruit to pick and nibble while working in the garden. Pick enough fruits for jam or just stew them and have it over ice cream. Choose from the yellow or red fruits, both are very good.

Ice cream bean. This one is not a plant that I know at all but I adore ice cream and so it certainly got my attention. For the technical Inga edulis is it's common name and it belongs to the family of legumes slash peas. On reading further its has a tree habit and obviously grows long pods up to a metre long that contain a sweet juicy flesh that tastes of vanilla ice cream. Lol, Ice cream on a tree! The seeds can be cooked or roasted and eaten as well!

Bananas. Well we are all pretty familiar with these but oh, to grow your own and if you dont know, will need a warm sunny disposition away from the frost. This cultivar is Misi luki with tight bunches of delicious lady finger bananas, short and fat and very sweet. Easy to grow but frost tender.

Blueberries, are flowering right now, with their classic Erica like flowers shrubby in habit and I reckon that they would make a great informal hedge. There are three main types being Rabbit eyes, Southern and Northern highbush, the former two being suited to warmer climates like ours here in the Waikato. Choose different varieties of the same type for pollination.

Gooseberries, Worcesterberry, we often get asked for gooseberries and there are plenty to be had right now. We used to get gooseberry pie as kids and its a classic pudding with these tart tangy tasty fruits and off course lashings of whipped or runny cream. Invicta has the typical green fruit that I recall and Pax has dark red fruit when ripe. Along the same lines Worcesterberries are a cross between black currants and gooseberries and voila, we have a small tangy tasty dark red fruit for stewed fruit and pies. All pretty easy to grow and just love a cold climate. 

Peas, Broad beans and Asparagus. Time to get these in right now. See if you can get a harvest before xmas time. Broad beans and Asparagus are favourite veges of mine and so it's fun to grow them fresh and have straight from the garden. Alex has been making compost as we try to recycle our organic waste from the garden centre and all of the gardens. I have managed to snaffle a good trailer load for my vege garden as the compost looks amazing and I'm sure that it will improve my raised gardens.

Hostas, I love these deciduous perennials that have emerged for this year, they have the sexiest of foliage and attractive tall spires of flowers as well.  Just remember though that the slug and snails love these too so make sure that you have bait out. There are just so many different leaf shapes and size not to mention colour to choose from. Hostas in general like semi shade although they can be more tolerant of higher light than some give them credit for. They also like moist rich soil that doesn't dry out too much. Check these out online and I will remember to high light some next week.

Leptospermums or tea tree call them what you will, are in stock right now and there are some pretty cool colours out there. Not the usual ones that that I used to propagate when I worked at a native nursery but with bigger flowers, Have a gander at Andromeda, Cynus, Outrageous and Pageant but of course there are many more including scoparium our classic native one.

Day lilies Full sun and as tough as old boots these all have come back to life for the season.

Cannas always fab for that look in the sub tropical style garden with large fleshy leaves and brightly coloured flowers. Again generally a full sun plant and tough and hardy and easily grown. In stock right now Canna Ambassadour, Felix Ragout and Orange King Hambert.

New season Avocados have just arrived! Available now in four varieties, Bacon, Fuerte, Reed and everyone's favourite Hass!

Just arrived Peonies!, A beautiful upright bush with impressive fragrant blooms that come out in spring. They look amazing as cut flowers for a vase.

Bleeding hearts or Dicentra spectabilis. I just had to mention this cool perennial that is worth special spot in your garden. It has flowers along a stem just as its names suggests Bleeding hearts in of course pinkish red and for those that like a bit different it also comes as white hearts along an arching stem.

Setsugekka is a classic sasanqua with traditional dark green leaves and largish white flower with the yellow centre. This one makes for an awesome hedge with a long life span and responds well to constant trimming as do all Camellias. Plenty of small grade plants at $19.99 and still some larger grades at $39.99. Plant at 70 cm to 1 metre but no further than a metre apart for a great hedge.

Early pearly is very popular choice with its formal double white flowers in the Autumn. There are still some left in a couple of grades being $29.99 and $39.99. Again plant for a hedge at no further apart than 1 metre.

Silver column is another cool camellia hedge variety. This one is a hybrid and has a distinctive dark green leaf that has a very slight ruffle. Single white flowers on the smaller side with the yellow stamens not unlike setsugekka  but way smaller. Awesome plants one grade only $39.99 each.

The evergreen Azaleas have been amazing colour this year and we still have a tidy range of these left. But I need the space to get all of the new seasons hostas into place. These like semi shade to more sun, though not all day sun. Moist soil that is rich with peat and compost. There are some numbers of Mrs Kint, Princess Maud, Mrs Kint red, Splendens and Kirin  and of course there are others and so clink the link to see all that are available of the evergreen choices.

Codlin Moth traps Hmm, I got told off after last weeks email about the apple trees, well in a polite way as I forgot to mention the all in important step of putting your Codlin moth traps out this year. It's now the time to do this and we have the traps and the refills in stock right now. If you need yours then come on out and get them or off course we can courier.

Labour weekend is looming fast and yes another long weekend and in saying such, if you need plants by courier beforehand we need to have these in our system now. Last dispatch day before Labour day will be Wednesday the 19th. On that note the following week will be a short week for dispatch just being Tue and Wed, then things will get back to normal and dare I say Christmas is also fast approaching. Where has this year gone.

New Zealand Rose of the year 10 - 13 November 2022.. Go to their website for more details and entrance fee  www.pacificrosebowlfestival.co.nz

Last weekend of the school holidays and then we are all back at it for the last leg of this year. I was looking at my white board yesterday and have November on there and thinking Omg where has this year gone. It just seems to have flown past as probably the next big thing on everyone's agenda is Christmas. As I have mentioned already Monday week is labour day and is the traditional time to get all those frost tender tomatoes and summer vegetables into the garden as its now supposed to be warm enough. I have known there to be a frost in November in my early years here in Gordonton, though hopefully now unlikely, we have had our big one!

If you are coming out to the nursery, the roses are looking amazing and while there is colour there I reckon that we are a week to ten days away from a blaze of colour. I know how some like to choose on colour. The maples are also looking pretty special with all their spectacular foliage out in the spring again well worth a look just to see for yourself.

Enjoy the last school holiday weekend with the kids and family and whatever your plans, have a great weekend!

Cheers Lloyd Tony and the Wairere team