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Saturday 9th November, 2024

Hi

The Taranaki festival 
It's become a bit of an annual trek to Taranaki with some fab friends to enjoy the garden festival. For me, I love not only the gardens but the stories of the owners that go with them. These people are just so passionate about plants and their personal space that they so willingly share for the 10 days of the festival. I have the utmost admiration for those that are of quite some age, the ones who make me look like a spring chicken though I still have a few years before I get that gold card that they ask me for at the supermarket.
I just had to visit the garden of a chappie whose name I recognized from years ago when we used to buy plants from what was then called 'Duncan and Davies'. Then there was Shirley, who appeared on 7 sharp a while back if I recollect. By contrast, we also visited the Pukeiti National Park and totally enjoyed a wander round there even though the day that we went was a tad cool...think there may have been some fresh snow the night before. 
Some gardens seemed just massive and I had to wonder how they managed to get them looking so good. There were gardens with great designs and others were a collection of interesting and collectible plants. Some gardens represented a life-long achievement to be where they are today. Whatever the rational or reason, all those involved had a love of plants and growing them and were prepared to share their private life with the public.
Wairere has been a part of my life since my early twenties and the original intent, when we bought three acres in an area that then seemed a long way from town, was for it to be an investment property. Plants and gardening have always been a passion of mine too, and after over three decades the garden and nursery have evolved into what you see today. The original display garden has been through much manipulation over the years and is looking very beautiful right now, if you have a desire to come out for a wander. 

The rose hedge pictured above is Sally Holmes which at this time of years is quite apricot in bud and even opening apricot as it fades to white. The second flush may be more dominantly white. Below is a planting or border of Hostas which fills the shaded space below.
There are quite a few garden events on at the moment (some advertised at the end of this newsletter) and they are a great opportunity to look at what other people do, for your own inspiration. Also a great chance to see how different plants perform in different situations as observation is the way to learn. I suggest enjoying this time to look, as once the spring flush has finished then we will all be grabbing the tools and getting the structure of hedges and the like back into shape. Roses will need dead-heading right now but again, once the flush is over, a good cut back will bring them into flower in approx. 7 wks.
Pink Climbing roses 
I have to say that the Roses in the garden centre are now in full flush. This one pictured is the climber All my Love and is particularly beautiful, Lol they all are!!! But this is the best time to see the actual shades of colour and it's a pretty good time to plant as well as they are in active growth. All my love was 2017 Winner Pacific Rose Bowl Festival Best Climber. This rose received excellent reviews from The New Zealand Rose Society in 2010 with comments such as "picks well", "great form" and "masses of blooms".

Cornelia is a small climbing rose being a hybrid musk. When I first started growing roses this was one of my favourites. The small double flowers are produced in large clusters and are a blend of apricot, buff and pink. Nice bronze tones to the foliage and a good musky fragrance. A goodie for an obelisk or where you don't want anything too huge.
Bantry Bay is a classic  Climber - Cluster Flowered. A very popular free flowering rose with large semi-double blooms of warm pink which are offset by showy golden stamens. Nice light fragrance. Robust, tolerant of wet weather and easily grown. A real pleasure to have in the garden.
City of London  Climber - Floribunda. This rose has it all. Clusters of very fragrant, large, cupped, semi-double blooms in delicate blush pink fading to white with age. Strong vigorous growth habit and few thorns. Can be grown as a large shrub or small climber. Multi award winner.

 
Other climbing plants also in flower and looking great
Want to transform an ugly fence or boundary wall into a lovely garden feature? How about covering it with a flower-covered Climber or Vine? Or maybe you have a pagoda or archway that adds interest to your garden and you want to blanket it in something pretty and fragrant. Climbing roses are a good option, but there are others. Lots of our climbing plants are currently in flower, so it's a great time to look at our climbers either online Here, or in the nursery. 

 
Sollya Heterophylla Blue also known as Blue Bell Climber is a twiggy climber that will climb or mound as a shrub or trail down a hillside displaying its gorgeous bluebell flowers as it goes. Although it may look fragile it is really quite tough. Low maintenance, versatile plant. Frost hardy once established. 
Lonicera or Honeysuckle  Aah the sweet scent of Honeysuckle fills the air and tells you it must be summer (or almost...). We have several varieties available. They are all fast-growing and have fabulously fragrant flowers. Most are climbers e.g. Lonicera Belgica, but Lonicera Nitida or Box Honeysuckle is a bushy, evergreen shrub.
And finally, there's good old Star Jasmine or Trachelospermum Asiaticum. We stock a compact and well-behaved version of this reliable favourite. Small, glossy, dark green leaves with dainty creamy white flowers appearing in summer.  The fragrance is strong and sensual.  Can be used as a climber or left to trail along the ground as a loose ground-cover.  
Know your limes 
Limes are a bit like Lemons in that all gardens should have one as they are invaluable for some culinary zest or if you just need a slice for your G and T, or maybe a squeeze on some fish. They are pretty easy to grow in the garden and generally don't take up a huge space. Perhaps allow 2 metres square and, of course, you could always do some pruning. Full sun, good drainage and some good mulch around the tree. Most don't, I know, but an application of copper and oil 3 to 4 times a year will keep scale, sooty mould and citrus virus at bay.
So what lime do you need? Or perhaps you have room for one of them all? 
Kaffir Lime has quite the distinctive leaf, not only for its shape but also for its delicious scent. These leaves are invaluable in Thai and Indonesian cooking. I know that my brother comes and pinches the leaves from my plants for his cooking. Kaffir lime fruit is unusual in that it is green and knobbly and does not have much juice, but again, it is great for cuisine. I just push them into a chicken cavity and then roast and the flavour permeates the whole chicken, or equally, just finely chop the leaves and use as you wish.

 
Lime Tahitian and Lime Bearrs (which is also a form of Tahitian lime) are really what I would call your classic limes, though compared to those from the supermarket they become yellow as they get more ripe. I reckon all garden should have both limes and lemons as they are so useful for all things culinary and can almost be used in exchange for each other. Other than my G and T, they are great for desserts, dressings meat dishes, really all things cooking whether it be zest or juice. Great in the garden but equally at home as a pot plant if you don't have the space... just remember only potting mix in the pot.
Limequats are really just small limes being a cross between Kumquats and limes. They not only have great lime flavour but are also very decorative in their diminutive size. An awesome plant for a pot but again, just as at home in the garden. 
Some specials 
Camellias and Rhodos at just $25 each. These are great plants but we just cant carry them any longer as they need to get into the garden. Sadly I can't tell you what is there as we have taken them out of stock and so you will just have to come and ferret through them.
Camellias standards are all still 20% discounted. Again, great plants but just need to be planted as we can't carry then any longer. This is the last of the top-quality standards that we used to be able to get. Sadly, that grower is no longer growing.

  
There are quite a few Yuletide, which in my opinion is one of the best sasanquas for this purpose, as they have a tight dense form that clips really really well. As its name suggests, yuletide has pretty red flowers with a yellow centre. Silver Column is another goodie but with single white flowers and yellow centres and with a distinctive leaf shape.
Large grades of all Camellias have also been discounted 20%. These are the ones priced at $79.99 and up. Generally, all larger in size and so much more advanced than the others. Great for screening out a bad view or the neighbours more quickly. Varieties with large grade plants on sale include Ecclefield, Nuccios Jewel and Leonora Novick. 
Just arrived in
Telopea or Waratah  Many of these were ordered, but there are still some available so be in quick! If you ordered these and haven't been contacted then do get in touch. Stunning tall-growing plant with pin cushion like flowers and awesome for floral work. Typical Australian: needs full sun and sharp drainage.
Limonium Perezii Blue or Statice We haven't had this plant for a few years, so it's nice to have this goodie available again. A perennial Statice that has a rosette of large leathery leaves topped off in summer with stems of dainty deep mauve flowers. Lovely to pick and excellent for drying. Happiest in a sunny well drained spot and perfect for coastal gardens.

 
Ice Cream Bean  Something different. More suitable for warmer climates but may tolerate light frosts. Can be an attractive tree with rich dark green and bronze foliage. Pods up to 1m long contain sweet, juicy, white pulp with a soft candy-floss-like flesh that tastes of vanilla ice-cream. Self-fertile.  
Passionfruit Everyone knows this one and it's the best time to plant right now. New plants just arrived in and so if you missed out on the last lot, be in!!
Banana Misi Luki  Beautiful green foliage and is highly disease resistant. Flowers in autumn and harvest in spring. Tight bunches of delicious lady finger bananas, short and fat and very sweet. Easy to grow but frost tender depending on your location. Fast growing.
Mountain Paw Paw Quick growing round-headed small tree with large, deeply lobed, evergreen leaves. Bright yellow, delicious fruit about the size of a small apple are produced, usually within 2 years if both male and female are present (best to have at least 2 plants). Needs protection from the wind.

 
Events this weekend and the next 
This weekend Daltons Waikato Rose Society Spring Show held in the Hamilton Gardens  Pavilion, Saturday 9th November 12.30 to 5pm & Sunday 10th November 10am to 4.30pm.
Lions Club of Waihi Garden Ramble  9-10th November, 9am to 4 pm.  Tickets from Country Dog and Aeroview Garden Centre amongst other places,  or contact Jennifer on 027 7204 0488 or Liz on 021 0231 7833.
The Franklin Hospice Barfoot & Thompson Garden Ramble will take place on 16 & 17th November this year.  This year the Garden Ramble will feature 17 gardens in the Runciman, Bombay, Paerata and Harrisville areas. 
Purchase your ticket from Eventbrite at https://garden-ramble.eventbrite.co.nz
National Rose Show 2024  16 & 17th November  Sat 12.30-5.00pm & Sun 10.00am-4.00pm
PIA Event Centre, 55 Ward St, Pukekohe, Hosted by Franklin Rose Society Door sales: Public $5.00, Gold card $4.00, Under 16 free Come and see some of the best blooms from top exhibitors around the country. Enjoy the stalls both days and on Sunday the vintage cars. Website www.nationalroseshow.nz
It's a busy spring time with plenty to look at and see!!  Enjoy this lull because once the spring flush is over then it will be time to get the garden back into order with all the hedges trimmed ready for Christmas. Timely trims, when the growth has finished expanding and is still soft, are the easiest. It's when the growth gets more woody that it takes more time and effort.
Another weekend rolls in. Hopefully it will be fine and fun, though dare I say it, we could do with some rain and at least 20 mms would be grand.
Have a great weekend.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.

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Last 25 Newsletters...

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Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: