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Saturday 27th June, 2026

Hi

Yay... it's official! My husband and I, Tracy, are moving from the town of trees to the town of cows (well, sort of). After months of being in limbo we are going to be unpacking the boxes at a new address and planning our NEW garden. Exciting. There's nothing like a new project to get you enthusiastic about all the amazing variety of plants which are available. Trouble is, both my husband and I are plant nerds, so we will have to curtail our wish-list a little while we get to grips with the soil, climate and other trees currently at our new place. People say a change is as good as a holiday and I am definitely looking forward to pastures new...
Moving on ... from roses to trees
Don't get me wrong I love roses, but I will also be happy to move on to the deciduous fruit/nut and ornamental trees which are starting to arrive this week. After 4 weeks of rose root pruning and potting we are all looking forward to a little change. Main benefits: no thorns and plenty of variety. There is a plethora of fruit and ornamental trees about to descend on the nursery, so watch this space for some gems which are eagerly anticipated. We are still not quite done with the Roses because the wet weather down south has delayed some of the standards and other roses. We hope to have these in store by mid July. So currently the potting team is full noise into our second tree delivery of ten varieties or so. As I mentioned above, it can be a little overwhelming when you are faced with "a whole bunch of sticks" when shopping for deciduous trees. You have to use a good dose of imagination, and the internet helps too, to get an idea of how amazing they will look in spring, summer and autumn.
Probably if I could do a top ten of ornamentals it would include the following:
Top Ten Ornamental trees Part One

 
1. Prunus Shirotae Starting the countdown is one of my fav's which makes a pretty show of double white fragrant pendulous flowers in mid spring. At 5m by 5m it is a great specimen for a shade tree or for gardens, driveways and as a lawn feature. 2. Weeping silver pear: Narrow silver foliage covered is soft down with gorgeous white flowers in spring. This makes a stunning feature plant especially against a darker background. Growing 3m high by 2m wide it can be accommodated easily in most urban gardens. 3. Magnolia Vulcan was bred by Taranaki stalwarts the Jury Family. I have had one of these trees at all the properties I have owned because it is drop-dead gorgeous. The flowers are deep wine-pink and beautifully cupped. Will perform its best when protected from harsh wind. Expected height (in 7-10 years) is 5m.
4. Acer Rubrum I saw some of these recently when out walking with a friend. They were just losing the last of their fiery red leaves to the winter wind (the trees...not the friend). It's a brilliant tree for cooler areas where you can appreciate the spectacular colour at its finest. At a stately 10m tall this is one for larger properties, but you will be the talk of the neighborhood once they reach full maturity. 5. Liquidambar Gumball: If you have seen these used as a feature, drawing the eye on a driveway or as a focal point in a garden, you will know why they are so popular. Easy to grow on on standards of 90 cm, 1.2m, 1.5m  or 1.8m they feature unusual stems with corky bark and large three-lobed leaves. These change to scintillating colours of crimson, vivid orange and gold in autumn. Top ten continued next week...but in the meantime check out these recent arrivals:                                


 
Top Ten Deciduous Fruit Trees (Part 1)
And while on the theme of recommendations ...we get asked a lot "what is the best..." (fill this space with the appropriate Fruit Tree such as peach, apple, pear, nectarine etc.). The problem with this question is that (luckily) everyone is different and has different preferences for taste and texture. I, for example, will not eat peaches because of the "fuzz"- ask me my favourite nectarine and you are laughing but don't ask my favourite peach because there isn't one! So, bearing this in mind, I thought I would put together a list of varieties which are reliable and suitable for growing in Waikato conditions. Apologies for those readers in other areas, but I am sure locals will tell you what suits the climate where you are. Spoiler alert - Waikato is similar to Auckland, Taranaki and Tauranga - with the main difference being the degree of humidity and some temperature fluctuations.
Peaches: I had to ask everyone else, but here's the top 2 peaches which are recommended as being tolerant of our high humidity: Blackboy and Golden Queen. Unless you were born under a rock, you have probably heard of these two because they have been around for donkey's years and are still going strong. Blackboy has recently had a name change in some places to Sanguine, but it's still the same thing just a bit more PC. It has a dark-wine-fleshed juicy peach which, if it makes it past everyone's mouth, can be successfully bottled. It also doesn't need a lot of chilling, making it suitable for many areas. Golden Queen is of a similar ilk in that it has firm golden flesh and can be eaten or bottled; plus it can cope with low chill requirements. Nectarines, now you are talking - the best ones in my opinion are probably Theo Ching and Fantasia. These are both self-fertile and disease resistant so make life easier for home gardeners. 

 
Apricots: Melt-in-the-mouth apricots are a winner in summer and can be challenging to grow in warmer climates because generally they prefer areas with a strong winter chill. Self-fertile varieties allow you to just plant one tree and the top of the list for me would be Sundrop. Another option is a Plumcot which is a cross between a plum and an apricot and the popular variety we sell is Spring Satin. This looks like a plum on the outside but inside it has orange melting flesh, so it's a winner. Self-fertile too but will produce more if another is nearby. Along a similar line are Peacherines which are popular with our staff. They combine the sweetness of a peach with the not-so-fuzziness of a nectarine. Yum. If Prunes are your fancy, check out Italian Plum as this one can be eaten fresh, bottled or dried. It is vigourous and hardy to the cold with a freestone to make bottling easier. 

 
New release Matthews roses
Bob Matthews has been at it again, breeding beautiful roses for New Zealand gardeners. We are lucky to have some of his latest releases on offer at Wairere this season. Some of these varieties are super popular and have sold out, others still have plants available. Check out your favourites below. Fruit salad – Floribunda. Deliciously different cream buds transform into brushed strawberry petals. Super compact, easy to grow plant with dense foliage. Repeat flowering clusters in a ripple of ruffle-formed blooms. Light fragrance.  Height 90cm. NZ Opera School – Hybrid Tea. Glistening pure white blooms, elegantly displayed in clusters owith a multi-petal and cupped form. The citrus scented flowers are perfect for picking, borne throughout the season on a robust growing plant with glossy foliage. Named in celebration of the New Zealand Opera School, Whanganui.  Height 1.2 m approx. Pride – Floribunda. Glowing tropical tones of warm cerise pink with a vibrant yellow reverse. Stands out from the crowd with each distinctive bloom. Sensational for picking with cupped form. Repeat flowering, bushy plant. Light fragrance. Height 1.1m. Iona is another new release. It has soft pretty-in-pink blooms of delightful cup-shaped form, repeat flowers in clusters above healthy green foliage. Easy care vigorous plant, well suited for growing in any garden situation. Named in celebration of the centenary of Iona College, Havelock North.

 
New at the Nursery
Chatham Island Forget-MeNots are only available at this time of year for a limited season. Savvy gardeners will appreciate that these are sought after for shady situations, especially under trees or on the south side of a house or fence. Planted en masse they make a lovely show with their bright blue flowers and deep green fleshy leaves. Make sure you put slug bait around to protect the plants, as they seem to love the soft foliage. 
Ceanothus Blue Sapphire is another which has a striking blue flower but this one is an intense deep blue which is offset by the tiny dark purple/green leaves. This one is a sun lover and thrives in wind and cold so its great for a bank or hot dry border where it can spread and suppress weeds. 
Let's keep with the blue flower theme and mention Rosemary because not only is it a useful ornamental shrub, but it also has a culinary bent. I like to add it to potato dishes and of course it's a favourite with lamb as well, where the fragrant aroma blends with the subtle flavour of the meat. Bees will thank you for growing it in the garden as it is almost always in flower too. Rosemary comes in several forms including upright-growing varieties (e.g. Tuscan blue) suitable for low hedges and ground covers (e.g. Lockwood de Forest) which will spread and hang over banks and walls.

 
STOP PRESS: BARE ROOT MONSTER TREES FOR SALE
Those generous January rains have caused trees from our local growers to shoot up, and the ones we have received are huge (3.5-4.5m tall). Our arms are getting tired just looking at them, so Lloyd has said we can special them off before potting and give you a bargain at the same time. Well-staked these big guys will take off and provide shade and great value. The varieties we have are some Plane trees, Poplars and Idesia (Wonder tree) seedlings. Plane trees $50, Populars $30 and Idesia $50. Grab them this weekend only. 


 

 

 
 
 
Larger-than-expected trees: Grab a bargain!

 
Wish me luck with the packing. I hope you enjoy another fine weekend in the garden, or wherever you are. Regards Tracy.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere Team.

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Last 25 Newsletters...

..... And now for the trees

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HL Nurseries Limited t/a Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: