Friday 28th August, 2026
Hi
It's kind of ironic that after talking about the expert arborists who I had at my house in last week's newsletter, we have had the arborists from the power company cutting back the trees on our road frontage. Let's just say that aesthetically it isn't as nice as it was previously, as their main focus was to remove the danger of tree branches on the power lines. This demonstrates that you can give two different people the same job with a different focus and you definitely end up with a different outcome based on their experience, priorities and personal preference. I was reminded of this when listening to the tributes about Dolly Parton who wrote and performed the song "I will always love you" in 1973 which was subsequently taken and re-imagined by Whitney Houston, 19 years later for "The Bodyguard", and became a super-smash hit at the top of the charts for 14 weeks.
The same can be said for decisions in the garden. After all it's YOUR garden and YOU get to decide what you want to do with it. Coming in to a new property as we have, it's not really a blank canvas situation but it definitely makes you consider whether you like what a plant looks like or not. Some people would gasp in horror at us cutting down
Cabbage Trees, but we have done that for a few that were a pain in the proverbial - lots of leaves on the lawn which wrapped around the mower blade and got into the guttering Grrr. In the right place I like cabbage trees and we will still have some, but in a native area we have planned (not near the lawn!). Last weekend was a chance to work out where we are going to put all the plants we have bought to make the space our own.
Dogwoods
You probably get sick of me harping on about
Cornus, but it's true I do love them. In the spring and summer you get treated to a display of pretty flowers - quite often white - sometimes pink or red. In fact these are fake flowers; they are just modified leaves or bracts which have grown to look like flowers and the actual flowers are teeny and just at the centre of this collection. After this, the leaves emerge and these are special too as many have more than one colour - sometimes a swirl of pink and cream or yellow to give added interest. Finally in autumn the leaves turn gorgeous shades of vivid red, orange and yellow and the flowers turn into fruit.
For the
Cornus Kousa varieties these are edible pink or red fruit about the size of a small strawberry with bumpy nodules on the outside. On the inside they are custardy and creamy with a mild flavour a bit like mango, apricot or persimmon. A customer asked me which was the tastiest variety but its not something I have had experience with so if you know... do share.
Cornus Mas also produces fruit but these are bright red and like cherries - but with a tart flavour- you can use these for jams and syrups. You have to know your stuff though because other varieties of Cornus produce berries which are mildly toxic and don't taste nice (e.g.
Cornus Florida). You would have to eat a large quantity of these to cause harm though. Mostly they are enjoyed as food by the birds while humans enjoy looking at them through the seasons.
There are also distinct varieties which are grown as clumping forms for the brightly coloured bark. These can be coppiced - that is, cut down to base level to encourage new fresh growth each year. A further distinct group of Cornus have a strong layered effect of their branches leading to them being called the
Wedding Cake Trees (Cornus controversa). These are stunning standing alone as specimens and deserve plenty of space to show off. Perfect for the middle of a roundabout in a driveway or as a focal point in a large lawn.
Spring into action
Now that the weather is turning towards warmer days and nights, many of us are contemplating our vege and fruit gardens. Nice to see the sun for a bit longer every day. At the start of September it's roughly 11 hours a day and by the end of the month it will be about 13 hours, plus the bonus of daylight savings kicking in on the 27th. Yay!
Brambles (Blackberries, Raspberries, Boysenberries, Loganberries)
You know that
Blackberries grow literally on the sides of the roads everywhere, so that gives you an indication that generally speaking
Brambles are easy to grow in most places in New Zealand. In your garden you can make a special patch or area to grow them because it is a lot easier if you can provide a support structure of some kind, such as a trellis, or just a couple of wires stretched between some posts. In the wild, brambles thrive in the sunny spots on the edge of woodland areas so they prefer full sun in soil that is rich in organic matter and moist but not wet. In practice in the garden this means planting in sun, adding compost and ensuring regular watering in summer with a layer of mulch if possible. They do prefer soil on the acidic side so avoid adding lime if possible.
Some garden jargon here - primocanes (new season canes) and floricanes (canes which have overwintered and are ready to produce flowers and fruit). Apart from some varieties of
Raspberry (Heritage) which produce fruit in autumn on primocanes, most brambles produce on canes after the first year. When pruning an establishing plant you should select a primocane to train up and tip so that you can train it along some wires for next seasons fruiting. The old brown canes (floricanes) which have fruited can be removed at the start of spring when you are selecting the new cane to train along your support wires.
Here's a link to a
video on pruning blackberries.
Another easy fruit to grow around here are
Blueberries. Perfect for the peat (Gordonton locals, you are in to win) that is in many pockets of the Waikato. The main thing with blueberries is that you need to plant more than one of the same type to get good fruiting. The two sorts are
Rabbiteye (RE) and
Highbush (NH or SH). Rabbiteye blueberries require fewer chill hours so are perfect for areas with a mild climate. Rabbiteyes tend to grow a bit bigger and taller and generally have larger berries. These are a bit more tolerant of variations in conditions too. Southern Highbush (SH) blueberries are also suitable for northern areas of NZ. Northern Highbush (NH) are suited for colder areas and tend to ripen earlier, with slightly smaller berries. You will need to ensure the soil is on the acidic side for these. Feed regularly with a general or acid fertiliser and prune back after fruiting to encourage new growth. Rabbiteyes will need to be headed back to contain their growth.
Some Rabbiteye varieties are shown below:
Northern and Southern Highbush varieties include:
Currants and Elderberries, Gooseberries
If you like the taste of traditional pies and cooking then you could consider some of the other edibles we have on offer.
Gooseberries, while prickly, are easy to grow and are very hardy to the cold.
Invicta produces pale fruit and
Pax has the dark red berries when fully ripe. They fruit on older wood and like a layer of mulch around their base.
Currants grow in sun or semi shade and produce berries which are high in vitamin C. These fruit on one-year-old growth so some older growth needs to be pruned back hard each winter to encourage new fruiting wood.
Elderberries are attractive ornamental plants as well as producing lots of berries - elderberry wine anyone?
Another sure sign spring is approaching is the arrival of the
Evergreen Azaleas. These are plants which grow in sun or partial shade and flower in spring, or some varieties in autumn. Pretty shades of white, pink, red and purple make them add a touch of brightness to any space. Grow as individual plants or plant
en masse or even as a hedge for some varieties. Check out our large range... we have over 400 plants in store in over 80 varieties.
The official start of spring is next Tuesday and we can celebrate Daffodil Day on Friday August 28th because the soil is starting to heat up and blossoms and flowers are starting to appear. Time to polish off the forks (the digging kind I mean) and get into the garden. Regards Tracy.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
