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Saturday 2nd December, 2023
Hi
Garden is about being clever and coarser mulches are needed
Weeding is not really my most favourite task in the garden but sometimes it just has to be done. The other day Tony and I were weeding the garden on our bank, and it was just horrible. Hardly any topsoil... and the top 10cm had all but dried out... and it was dusty with lots of small weeds... and in a nut shell, it was hard going. This was the inspiration for this week's email for the shout out to our gardens best friend... of compost, organic matter and mulch layers, as I planned to get some mega mulch onto the said bank.
How does it all work then
A reasonable layer of 5 to 10cm of mega mulch or shredded bark on the garden (and we are not talking the vege garden which is a tad different) acts in many ways. It provides a coarse layer on top of the soil which doesn't suit all weed seeds for germination. Mulch and compost hold moisture and so there are water conservation benefits through a dry summer. Coarser mulches decompose with the help of micro-organisms and earthworms to form a humus layer between the soil and the mulch which in turn helps condition and improve soil structure and of course the top suppresses weed growth. It's worth noting here also that soil needs a balanced diet and organic matter is an important part as well as adding trace element and nutrients in the form of proprietary fetilisers.
So, if you were to plant a new camellia hedge for example then you would lose the turf and make a garden approx 70cm wide and however long you need. Plant the Camellias or whatever hedging choice slightly proud and at 70cm spacing. Then use shredded bark to cover the soil to a depth of approx 7cm but the plant you choose must end up at the same height in the garden as it was in the pot!!! No need for weed cloth because once the hedge has grown then it will cover the entire 70 cm wide space and once covered no light and no weeds will germinate (well not many) as in the meantime the mulch will do the job, well, for around the first 6 to 8 months. And here is the other trick, spot spray the weeds that do grow and don't disturb the soil surface as disturbing the mulch layer will expose weed seeds to the light. You could reapply the mulch the following year to continue the process until the hedge covers the entire space.
Of course, this technique doesn't just apply just to a hedge but any garden or shrubbery or even a new rose garden but there a few more tips needed here. We also need to discuss the types of mulch that could be used. Anything from chipped trees to untreated sawdust to commercial shredded bark but one needs to know that the larger and woodier that the green matter is, the longer that it will take to break down and will steal available nitrogen in the process. Hence when using these mulches you will need to apply fert regularly to counter the nitrogen drawdown otherwise your plants will go hungry. The other extreme is that already composted matter will give nutrients quite quickly but the fine nature of this material will not suppress weeds.
The other big trick I can offer, so that you can avoid weed cloth in gardens, is "plant to cover" and basically that means that once the area is covered by plants, that excludes the light and again minimum weed seeds will germinate. That is why mass planting of plants, like hellebores or agapanthus or whatever, need very little weeding once established. It is however really important to keep those tough perennial weeds out until these have covered, especially in liriope and mondo grass situations as its difficult to weed once they have.
With garden that you actually garden, like the vege patch or perennial garden, then the style of organic matter is more about one that gives food rather than weed prevention. Example of these would be home made compost that is well broken down and more like soil, sheep pellets, rooster booster, Bioboost and the like. But take it from me that any garden that is is mulched and fed is ten times easier to weed than one that is not.
Moral is, mulch and feed all of the time with organic matter!
Have you sorted your Christmas tree, lilies etc
It may hard to believe but we are on that slippery slope to Christmas for yet another year now we've hit the first days of December and the official beginning of summer. It's time to get that Christmas tree out and dusted off for another year but if you like to have a live one that doesn't need dusting then these have just arrived in for this year. It's a known fact that conifers make for great container plants as they are generally hardy, tolerant of hot and sunny positions, cope with being on the dry side (tongue in cheek they still need water). Other pluses are that they look fab all year around, structural and with good form. I have many conifers of different types at home in pots as i do love their form and they always look good.
The plan is to have them looking great outside in the patio or courtyard all year around and then use them for the Christmas tree for the season. If you trim them from time to time, then this will keep them more bushy, otherwise they will show a more natural form. If you bring them inside make sure it is well lit and that you do keep them watered with a saucer underneath, and for short time as they are not really inside plants.
We have a couple of the more traditional species this year for our Christmas tree selection and the first to note is Picea Abies or the Norway spruce. These have quite short needles on branchlets and are very cool in a bluey green shade. Then there are the Cedrus deodara again with short blue needles and quite a pendulous habit. I believe that these have had a few clips in their time to make them more bushy as a Christmas tree subject.
Check out the other Conifers as they are all suited to pots just may not be that classic shape.. Thuja Smaragd for example is quite columnar and looks fab in a traditional Doppio Italian pot around pools and in courtyards etc and could quite easily double as a tree for the day with a few baubles. A Norfolk pine that could become a paddock tree later. I did also see out there some others like Abies Koreana and Picea skylands which are both smaller specimens now but could be entertained as a table top pot plant for some years and then planted out in the future.
If you are after something more New Zealand and also fab for growing in a container then look no further that our own Pohutakawa or Metrosiderous. We do have currently a large grade of Vibrance but there are also a few smaller grades and cultivars to check out by following the link.
You also know that the longest day and Christmas day are imminent when the liliums start to flower and of course the reason that they are called the Christams Lily, Absolutely beautiful inside and the fragrance is to die for!
New arrivals and summer colour
We had sold out and had to get some more and so there is a new selection of Water lilies just arrived in again this week.
More pots and containers including the ever popular antique finish range. some new additions to the glazed pot range. We don't courier these and so you will have to make a trip to check these out.
Dahlias are another perennial that are awfully easy to grow and give a fabulous display. These grow from tubers in the ground every year and tend to come up and flower after the spring and through the early summer or well from now on. These new arrivals are in flower now and will grow into quite decent clumps. This collection is the Mystic series bred by Dr Keith Hammett and have the most impressive black dissected foliage and brightly coloured flowers. Again follow the link and check them out.
Salvias of the Sallyfun series will give flowers through the summer months, technically a perennial they do need to be sheltered through the winter The Sallyfun are all in shades of blue to light blue and white and could be the perfect plant to dress ups some pots or to provide colour in the border garden.
Daylilies or for the tech inclined Hemerocallis. This plant is one that I am not familiar with the actual species or family and tends to be a plant that most use just the genus name followed by the cultivar name. I can say that they are not a lily but rather a clump forming herbaceous perennial that grows from rhizomes and have fibrous contractile roots. Day lily because the flowers typically last a day.
Daylilies are pretty hardy and will almost grow anywhere though I daresay that their preference is for a sunny and well drained position, but i have seen them every where from wet and shady to full sun and dry. Of course they will do their best, as do all plants, in the more correct spot for their disposition.
We have a good range of the usual suspect and so check them out but there is a newbie on board that looks pretty gorgeous called Border music.. on checking there are a few more of the stella's and its Stella Bella that I know with a fab compact form and fine leaves and yellow flowers. But check out Stella Citron, Stella Tangerine and Stella Rouge as all new to us, or click the link and see them all.
One thing about Daylilies is if they look scruffy, just cut all their foliage off and they will grow fresh new leaves and look good again. They are that hardy and tolerant!
It's another weekend. I can't believe how quick they come, lol before I know it it's another email due out. However, having said all that, if I have an idea in my head the email can roll out quite quickly. Many thanks to all those that reply saying that they enjoy them and look forward to them as it makes it so worthwhile to spend the time. On the whole it's quite easy to share as plants really are my thing. I guess that I must look at the plant world out there with different eyes from many as I look at everything thinking what it's going to grow into or become. Nothing with what we do with plants is cut and dried as many might think. It's totally another living thing that will respond and behave accordingly in the place and conditions in which its grown.
It's the beginning of December so I guess many will be getting their garden tidy and up to scratch for their Christmas day and Tony and I are no exception. The plan is to break it down into sections or an area at a time so that it's not too daunting. We have started on the Buxus hedges around the home which is our project for today but have already completed the Ficus on the walls. Probably the hornbeam hedge will be next on the agenda.
Have a great weekend what ever your plans, gardening or Christmas shopping!
Cheers Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team
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..... Mulch is a must
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Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: