Saturday 1st April, 2023
Hi
Well I think both Cecilia and Blair dobbed me in for being away on holidays, but I thought they both wrote an awesome piece each while I was away especially when they both have been so busy. Just imagine writing that clever piece about all the new roses with English not being your first language and I know that there was a lot of effort to bring in all those new seasons
Camellias and
Rhodos.
I almost felt slightly guilty for not being here, well just for a moment, but hey we all have to have some time out. It was a fun time and some of the highlights for me was being on a cycle trail from Wellingtons east coast bays through the the old Rimutaka rail trail to Greytown. Then we cycled to the nearby Martinborough, with of course some time in the wineries. Then there was a road cycle from Lake Ferry to Cape Palliser and the scenery was stunning.
Coming home to lawns that hadn't been cut for three weeks (where was Buster, on holiday too!!) and gardens that needed weeding was high on the priority over the past few days. Thankfully got the lawns sorted last night and the gardens are on the way and so the place is looking tidy again.
Enough about me and onto some meaningful plant stuff. Think that we have now past the autumn equinox of the 21st of march and I have to say that Autumn is all on in the plant world. Yesterday was very cool and some trees have already lost all their leaves like my horizontal elm at home is now virtually all but naked of foliage. Hopefully we will get some more cool nights so that the temps drop and we get to see some really vibrant autumn colour here in the Waikato.
Having said all of that it's the best planting time with the ground still warm, plenty of moisture and hopefully more moisture to come. The ideal time to get hedges and shelters into the ground. Planting of fruit trees and ornamentals is ideal as plants can get all important root growth done over the winter and come spring they are just going to go for it.
Autumn garden projects
If you are going to put a new lawn in then now is the time to get onto this by spraying the area off and preparing the soil and sow the seed. Don't mow it too early and get the lawn to establish before that first trim. Once established spray with lawn specific spray to eliminate all the broad leaf weeds that will want to take over.
Going to plant a hedge. Good prep, organisation and maintenance will give the best results. I always mark out an area approx 70 cm wide and skim the turf off. Take your spade and make an edge so that when you mulch, it can fall in a nice line to the lawn. Take a string line to the middle of your bed and mark the centres of all your holes. Usually for a hedge growing to 1.2 metres high or more the spacing's will be 70 cm to 100 cm apart. No further apart than one metre. Plant slightly proud so that when you mulch, your plants will still be at the same level they were in the pots. You can't mulch up the stems of your new plants.
Mulching will serve many purposes from conserving moisture, improving the soil structure and organisms, but one of the best is reducing weeding. I have seen hedges that have been weed eated around that just ring barked all their new plants. Spot spray carefully with round up will eliminate weed when the hedge is young and the least soil disturbance will reduce weeds from growing.
Camellias especially
sasanqua species make for one of the best hardy long term hedges and will give decades of privacy and the best range around is now in the Autumn.
Roses should almost be in the last flush and so you want them to pretend that they are going to set hips and go to seed. So that means no cutting back or even dead heading as this will just promote another growth flush and there isn't really enough time before winter to get this in. It does mean that they will look a tad scruffy until you prune which in the Waikato should be as late as possible being late august and prior to bud burst.
All our
roses are still 25% off and they are still looking good and its great planting weather. It's also the time to pre-order and put on your wait list new selections that will be available in the Winter.
Latest Arrivals and of note are
Luculia Fragrant pearl and
Rosea. Luculias are gorgeous! Perhaps somewhat an old fashioned shrub. Aren't all the oldies the best ? Ill take that. Both are largish shrubs with large heads of very fragrant flowers . Rosea is the classic one in pink and Fragrant pearl is a new one to us with white blushed pink flowers. Luculias are a tad frost tender and whilst cope when established with perhaps light frost will suit a microclimate area of warm and sun.
Edgeworthia grandiflora or yellow Daphne. When I checked with Ang we didn't seem to be getting any winter stock of these and so when I saw these were available we grabbed some. Not a true Daphne but has flowers in the same form and are fragrant just like Daphne. That's where the similarity stops and these cool plants flower on the ends of naked stems (like ET I think, or am I showing my age) and then the strappy leaves come.
Rondeletia Amoena. I don't know any common name but like Luculia is another oldie. A tallish shrub that has heads of tiny fragrant pink flowers looking all very pretty. A tough and drought tolerant plant but like Luculia can be frost tender so choose the spot with some protection in mind.
Physocarpus Shady Lady Woody shrub producing gorgeous burgundy/mahogany foliage in the spring and which retains its colour throughout the summer. Leaves are borne on red stems and the undersides are a contrasting olive green. Flowers are pom pom heads of small cream florets. A great contrast plant which is not fussy and low maintenance.
Kalmias or
Icing sugar bush (flower buds look like icing sugar flowers), Calico bush. We haven't had these for absolutely ages and they are way cool as a shrub in the woodland garden or where you would plant Camellias and Rhodos etc. This selection is called Tawa glen and grown by them so is a must have. Clusters of Lolly pink icing sugar flower buds open out into sauce shaped blooms.
Arrived whilst I was away. As I see them all in the fridge, Prepack
Peonies . One for the cooler gardens with amazing double flowers for picking. Plant now in the winter for your spring display.
Put this one in your calendar Floral Art Exhibition
Venue being Southwell School 200 Peachgrove road, Chartwell, Hamilton. Admission $10 Adults Children u/16 free
Friday 14th April 23 10.00 am to 4pm Saturday 15th April 23 9.30 am to 12.30am,
Plan a party night cause you get an extra hour in bed
It's so dark in the mornings these days and even at 7am, but that brings me to the point that 7am is about to become 6am and we all need to put our clocks back an hour Sat night (when we go to bed). A great night to go out and party because you get an extra hour lie in bed.
The following weekend is another long break for most being Easter and while many will be packing up and going away. Just want to mention that we will be closed Good Friday but otherwise open the entire weekend including Easter Sunday and the stat day of Monday. Normal hours of 8.30 to 5pm. Not long after that will be another stat holiday being Anzac day which is observed on the day being Tuesday 25th of April. We will be closed for the morning and will open at 1pm until 5pm. I guess many will take an annual leave day and make it another 4 day weekend of gardening or holiday.
School holidays are looming too as term one finishes for 23. Fingers crossed that we get a lovely autumn after the summer that we never had.
After being away the weeds were nearly as high as my celery and leek plants and so my first task in the garden has to been to rescue them. I have to say that they all seem to be doing really well so maybe this year we will have decent sized leeks in Winter. Maybe I will even manage to get some decent brussel's as well seeing as I planted them all early. This gardening, no matter how good you think you are there is always a learning curve there. The joys of dealing with a living product.
Jan asked me to write a piece on citrus but this is long enough and so something for next week. Planting care and the virtues of growing your own oranges lemons grapefruit and so on.
Another weekend, they come around so fast.
Have an awesome weekend!
Cheers Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
PS. The
Feijoa season is upon us again and for the lover of this easy to grow fruit, new seasons plants arrived just yesterday. All good fruiting varieties.
