Saturday 9th May, 2026
Hi
A Sunday to remember
There are many ways to say I love you, or I appreciate you, for that special person in your life who you celebrate on Mother's Day. Many Mums just enjoy an acknowledgement of them, but everyone is different and there are specific things which tick the box for different people. Spending quality time is one of the love languages that most people will relate to, especially in this fast-paced world with its many demands on our time. Acts of service are another universal signal that you are loved and appreciated. Physical touch is not always possible when you don't live near your loved one but words of affirmation can bridge any distance - saying "I love you" can be hard for some. Gift giving is the way which modern society seems to judge our thoughtfulness on special days and that is often an obvious sign that you are thinking about how you can make their day better.
Another way to show appreciation is to combine some of the above and get out in nature to a beautiful spot together. Our display garden and boardwalk is one such destination; if you and your mum are so inclined, then you will be most welcome. We open our gardens up for everyone to enjoy, so please make the most of them.
Pollarding trees
Our Platanus trees during and after pruning/pollarding
Our gardeners try their best to keep our gardens looking great and you will see them out in all weather: pruning, mulching, weeding, planting, fertilising, spraying, planning and watering. Recently they got stuck into our avenue of
Plane trees (Platanus), which have been cut with a technique called pollarding to keep them contained. Plane trees can grow to be enormous at 20m plus high and wide, but by cutting them hard before they reach these heights, they can be annually pruned to restrict their growth. The resulting knobbly limbs are commonly seen in European cities where space is at a premium and large trees which drop a lot of leaves can be problematic. Other trees that can be pollarded are shown in the images below.
While the large leaves of the Plane trees look lovely in Summer, they are one of the reasons that we have cut them back now, even though it is a bit on the early side (it's more usual to do it in winter). Our new season's roses are arriving very soon and we don't want loads of leaves falling all over the plants set aside for customers to collect. On that note, we will shortly be sending out our link to those who have waitlisted roses so that you can be first in line when they arrive. It will take us about 4 weeks to pot-up all 18,000 roses which we have on order, so please be patient - we will be going as fast as we can to get them ready for you. The
Roses should all be in stock by the end of June. Not long now!
We have made a new list on our website of the most fragrant roses which you can check out
here. Make sure you put these on your waitlist as they are usually our most popular. Fragrant new season's roses arriving soon include:
Everyone's favourites
Wisterias
Something else which is fragrant, and in store or arriving shortly, are the
Wisterias. Loved by many as a sign that spring is sprung, they can be both spectacular and softly delicate.
Lilacs
Lilacs (Syringa) are often one of the plants people remember with fondness from their childhood as fragrance is such a powerful memory stimulant. As well as an unforgettable scent they also boast very pretty flowers in shades of white, cream, pink, purple or lavender. Lilacs are full of essential oils which are good for your skin as well as delighting your nose. If you want to give it a go they are also edible and lilac sugar is a "thing". Here's a
link to a recipe you can use to make for baking or even a body scrub!
Lilacs are easy to grow. They prefer full sun and good drainage but are reasonably adaptable to different garden situations. Plant them where you can enjoy the heady scent in spring. The best way to keep a picked lilac flower fresh for the vase is to make sure that the stem can absorb as much water as possible. To do this cut the stem on an angle and split it so the maximum amount of the centre is exposed. Thirsty lilacs will suck up the water to keep their blooms fresh for longer.
Strawberries are coming
Strawberry Camarosa is a variety which is particularly suitable for warmer climates such as we have in Waikato and surrounding areas. It is what we call a "short day" type of strawberry, which is one that needs the winter season to have 12 (or fewer) hours of daylight to kick-start the bud forming process. This will typically result in a small crop in spring and then a bigger crop in summer, usually peaking around Christmas time. That's the reason we have them available at this time of year; well before some of the other retailers get them.
If you want to get yourself prepared for summer yum, then the way to go is to make yourself a dedicated strawberry bed. To do this a raised garden is ideal as it typically heats up faster to encourage the little darlings to fatten up and it's also usually easier to cover. If there's one thing we can guarantee it's that the birds will notice your strawberries ripening before you do. Site your bed in a sunny spot and use good quality soil or garden mix to make the bed. Plant the strawberries on a slight mound with the crown (where leaves join onto the roots) above the soil to ensure they don't rot. They should be spaced about 35-40cm apart with about 70cm between rows. Spread a layer of straw or fine mulch to prevent weeds and stop the strawberries drying out in the summer. Feed with a fertiliser high in potassium for maximum yield. Don't forget the slug pellets to keep your babies safe.
Garlic Printanor
Where does the year go? Unbelievably, the shortest day is not too far off (21st of June). That means it is time to plant your
Garlic. Last year, we had a surplus of
Elephant garlic and the boss decided to give all the staff a free 5-pack, and have a friendly competition to see who could grow the largest bulb. Lloyd was confident of taking home the prize himself, and his 180g bulb was in the lead for a while, despite some people bringing in their bulbs with roots, soil and even some stem still attached (every little bit might help!). In the end though, Liz brought in a whopping great bulb that weighted in at 210g, and stole the prize out from under him. There's a target for you; can you do better?
The key to growing large, plump garlic bulbs is lots of sun and well drained soil (or potting mix if you want to grow in a container). This should be enriched with well-rotted compost or some other source of organic matter. Plant your cloves no deeper than 2x their length, and with the sharper/narrower end facing upwards. Keep water levels consistent throughout the Summer and don't harvest until the plants have finished flowering and leaves have started to die back. You want all the goodness in the leaves to be sucked-back into your bulbs before you gently dig them up around the longest day (just before Christmas).
This newsletter is a joint effort between Tracy, Jane and Lloyd: so that's two of us who are Mothers in need of spoiling on Sunday, and one with a Mother to be spoiled. Whichever camp you are in (and perhaps you're in both!) hope you have a great weekend.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
