Sunday 3rd March, 2024
Hi
Play time in the garden
I seem to always write to remind about the timely tasks to make gardening perhaps less work and to jog memories about what needs to be done for the season in hand. Evening before last we had a little soiree in the nursery display garden to celebrate Tony's debut into the world of art. It reminded me why we create these beautiful spaces: that is to look at and enjoy our own works of gardening art, but to also to entertain and just have fun.
Anita and the team all zipped around the garden and the surrounds, to have all the hedges retrimmed and everything looking spic and span for an evening of bubbles and canapes in the garden for family and close, dear friends. A couple of pop-up marquees, tables and umbrellas, champagne flutes and a stunning autumn afternoon set the scene for a fabulous event.. It's an amazing feeling as the garden comes alive with all the activity.
It's going to all happen again in May as we plan to have an afternoon luncheon in the garden at home for a big catch up with all of my cousins .. not that we are a very large family. Unless you make the time to connect it doesn't happen and as we all age it becomes increasingly important to make the time.
On that note I find that a garden of rooms, or should I call these spaces, makes for a great venue for events. It's the way that these areas bring small medium or larger groups of people together to mingle. The nursery display garden is a bit like a series of rooms and mostly we just use the larger space, though you could go down the steps and be in a smaller area that overlooks the pond. Interestingly enough, people wander in and out of the spaces for curiosity or congregate as smaller satellite groups to have a chat.
How do we make these spaces? Well, we have used gardens, hedges and borders to separate out different lawns. We are also lucky to have different levels and, of course, a view always enhances the layout.
More On Hedges
I know that I often write about hedges, but they are a great way of separating areas. Whether it be a solid hedge or a pleached one (like one on stilts), gardens always look fab with a bit of structure. Hedges give definition and if they are kept trimmed and lawns are done, then they are always looking good.
Hedges can be of varying heights and give the illusion of a room but if shorter, you can see into the next space. Hedges/borders can be of quite different plants to close in an area. For instance we have used the rose
Sally Holmes underplanted with a grey
Hosta but any
Floribunda/shrub rose would do. Just need to use your imagination.
Iceberg is popular in white,
Trumpeter in red or I bet
Ink spots would be a doozey being almost always covered in blooms with that trademark ink spot centre.
Of course we are all familiar with
Buxus, and
Euonymus is another great choice for a small formal hedge.
Liriopes and dwarf
Agapanthus make for pretty hardy and informal borders needing little in the way of work and care.
We have discussed the the sasanqua Camellias in the past couple of newsletters, and how handy they are as boundary hedges where you don't want to see over, but do need to make a complete room with entrance and exits. The potager display garden boasts a pleached hedge created with standard sasanqua Camellias, which are under planted with the purple flowered liriopes and it forms another room in itself.
Beech and hornbeams are both really tough and hardy and are great choices for boundary or external hedges though could equally be used as a lower version at around 1.2m. These will both give you that English classic look, not to mention they give a lovely, changing display through the seasons as their spring foliage is just a delight to see, they remain vibrant green throughout the summer then they have handsome autumn colours until they will loose their leaves in the late winter.
Photinia red robin has been a fav throughout the time I have worked in the industry, with its bright red new growth that will appear in the spring or anytime after you have trimmed it.
The NZ native
Corokia Geentys Green is also popular, probably because of the attractive green of the foliage. It makes for a hedge with quite a tight knit look due to its smaller leaves. One for a sunny and well drained position.
Michelia Figo or port wine magnolia is another goodie with its fresh lime green leaves and also that almost overpowering fragrance of Port wine, or perhaps do you smell juicy fruit chewing gum?
Osmanthus fragrans is something a bit different with attractive large dark green spikey leaves and fragrant white flowers. I have seen this one as a hedges and it does a great job... one for the full sun.
Viburnum (evergreen cultivars).
Dense fence is kinda new in NZ but is gaining popularity with its attractive, medium-sized, rounded, olive green leaves and white flowers which it produces in the spring.
Eve price is a compact shrub with quite coarse green foliage and carmine red buds that appear in late winter and open to white blooms tinged pink. Flowers are lightly perfumed and are followed by dark blue berries. Easy to grow in sun or light shade. Responds well to pruning.
Time to clear some plants and make some space
Big grade Hydrangeas. These large grade Hydrangeas are quite substantial and so will be an instant gap filler in the garden. Sadly however, they are too heavy and bulky for the courier and so best to collect. Once destined for the cut flower market these now need to get into the ground. All four cultivars are macrophylla mopheads with the traditional flower-shape. Remember: apply Aluminium Sulphate to keep them blue or lime if you prefer pinks and reds.
Sale tree area
I know that the guys had a bit of clear out in the fruit trees and ornamental trees for plants that need to be planted this year. I had a quick look and I saw some apples, plums and peaches. These are not in stock on the website, so you have to come and browse for yourselves. The fruit trees have been reduced from $59.99 to $30 and I see we have a range of maples that are now priced to clear at $40 each.
Lavenders don't keep and so these must go. Probably one to come and see for yourself, but all remaining plants are half price.
Azaleas of the evergreen kind, all reduced by 25% and now that it's Autumn a great time to plant, especially as we have recently had rain. There are quite a few to choose from, so check them out by following this
link. They love dappled light and a moist position (but not wet) and will look great mass planted.
Grevilleas all remaining stock are also discounted by 25%. A new season is about to start and we want to clear the way and make space for new stock.
Waitlists
Many thanks to all those that have rung or emailed for helping to ensure your waitlists are up-to-date and accurate.
On that note of Waitlists, we currently are doing our best to go through them to advise if we are unable to get stock or to offer substitutes. You could really help us with this by revising your Waitlists if your circumstances have changed or you no longer need items that may be on them.
If you put any roses on your waitlist prior to September 1st 2023, you should have received an email from us asking you to confirm if you still want them. Please get back to us about that within the week, as otherwise, once the deadline passes these old requests will be removed from your waitlist. We are ordering our new roses for 2024 and we want to get the numbers right so that, as far as possible, people don't miss out.
Sorry I'm late this week guys. It's been a busy week. Enjoy the rest of this beautiful Autumn weekend.
All the very best from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
