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Thursday 11th April, 2013

 

True Love and Large Hips

Hi

True Love...

This will be my last newsletter under L&H’s 3 strikes and you’re out policy! You’ll be pleased to know that the loquacious Lloyd will be back on deck for the next Wairere epistle. After being a little concerned about what I would write about each week I quickly realized that there are so many wonderful plants and great products to tell you about it is hard to know when to stop. Anyway, this week I will try and keep it fairly brief as with the drought breaking rain you’ll all be busy getting those last minute autumn jobs completed.

Angela has been buying up some irresistibles to tempt you, one of which is Gardenia True Love. This truly is a beautiful Gardenia that you will love! Large, double, creamy-white blooms with a heady fragrance off set nicely by glossy dark green foliage. A perfect plant for a container as you can place it near a door-way or window to make the most of the fragrance. Equally happy in the garden as long as it is in a sheltered spot. Now while this is a beautiful plant it has a not so beautiful habit in that it is known as a “gross feeder”. Don’t worry it is not as bad as it sounds, it simply means this plant likes lots of tucker and often. I can relate!

To get the best out of any Gardenia it pays to feed them every 6 weeks or so and the perfect product to keep your Gardenia happy is not a Deep Fried Moro Bar or a Chocolate Cheese-Cake it is Sequestron. Sequestron is a liquid fertilizer that contains organic sugar chelate plus iron and trace elements. It is commonly known as “Yellow-leaf Plant Tonic”. The chelate solution allows the nutrients in the fertilizer to be immediately available to the plant and quickly balances out any deficiencies in the soil. Sequestron is especially good for acid loving plants such as Gardenias. It is also great for Citrus, Rhododendrons, Camellias and Daphnes which leads me to our other new arrival, Daphne Eternal Fragrance. This delightful 'must have' will grow in sun or part shade. It has neat and tidy grey-green foliage and dainty white flowers that open from tight pink buds. The flowers are fragrant and appear from spring right through to autumn.

Daffadowndilly

While stocks last we’ve got big boxes of daffodils (approximately 500 bulbs more or less) @ only $80.00 per box. Perfect for mass planting or naturalizing. Maybe an idea for a school Daffodil Day Project or perhaps just to bring out the Wordsworth in you?

And to finish let’s talk about the Rose that just about anyone can grow anywhere, the rugged, reliable, robust and ravishing……………………….

Rugosa

The Rugosa Rose is native to Japan, D.O.B. unknown. Introduced to Europe in the late 1700’s, the Rugosa hybrids are prized for ease of cultivation, large fragrant blooms and highly ornamental large hips which are full of Vitamin C. Rugosa roses will tolerate salt laden winds, extremes of heat and cold and are so robust that in some countries they are used for hedging on farms and barrier planting on motorways! Talk about tough.

Rugosa roses are also used for Standard Rose Root-stocks and will quickly take over if the grafted rose is neglected or weak. It is important to note though, the one thing they don’t particularly tolerate, is modern chemical spray as it damages the foliage but as these roses are disease resistant this is seldom a problem.

Characteristics of Rugosa Roses

• Almost indestructible
• Rough textured leaves
• Stiff thorny short stems
• Showy hips, ornamental and edible, rich in Vitamin C
• Mainly summer flowering
• Fragrant
• Disease Resistant
• Little if any pruning required

Rugosa Roses are deservedly popular and sell out quickly for all the right reasons. Some of our best sellers are Roseraie de l’Hay, Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’, Parfum de l’Hay, Blanc double de Coubert, Fimbriata and Frau Dagmar Hastrup

Rose Hip Syrup

For those of you who are better skilled, or more patient than me in the kitchen here is a recipe for Rose Hip Syrup which has long been used as a winter remedy for colds and ‘flu as it is so rich in Vitamin C.

1kg Rose Hips, stalks removed, washed and chopped
1kg caster sugar

Put two litres of water in a large pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling put in the chopped Rose Hips, bring back to the boil, then remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for half an hour, stirring from time to time.
Strain the mixture through muslin, a pair of clean tights or a clean tea towel. Set the strained juice aside and transfer the Rose Hip pulp back to the saucepan, add another litre of boiling water and repeat the process. Combine the two lots of strained juice in a clean pan.
Bring to the boil, and boil until the volume has decreased by half. Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil again and boil ‘hard’ for five minutes. Pour into warmed, sterilized jars or bottles and seal.

Cheers
Chris E and the Wairere Team

Make it a Wairere weekend where gardening's not a drag

Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, RD 1, Hamilton
07 824 34 30
www.wairere.co.nz

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archived by year 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |

2013 Newsletters...

New Year and Crepe Myrtles (8th February, 2013)

clivias and Roses (15th February, 2013)

Roses in the beginning (22nd February, 2013)

The Albas (1st March, 2013)

St Patricks day (9th March, 2013)

Cabbage Roses (15th March, 2013)

Hirsute Roses (22nd March, 2013)

Portland Roses (28th March, 2013)

Bourbon Roses (4th April, 2013)

Big boots to fill ... (11th April, 2013)

..... True Love and Large Hips

Happy Birthday (10th May, 2013)

Tea Roses (17th May, 2013)

Hybrid Perpetuals (24th May, 2013)

Planting and caring for your new roses (29th May, 2013)

Polyanthas (31st May, 2013)

Hybrid Teas (8th June, 2013)

Floribundas (14th June, 2013)

Austin Roses =?utf-8?Q?e298bc?= (23rd June, 2013)

Different Coppers (29th June, 2013)

Pendula or weeping (5th July, 2013)

All in a days work (19th July, 2013)

Daphne (26th July, 2013)

Hydrangea Secrets (2nd August, 2013)

Maples high worked (9th August, 2013)

Magnificent Mags (16th August, 2013)

Mags Part two (23rd August, 2013)

Hedges (30th August, 2013)

The fluffy stuff (12th September, 2013)

Fluff and Stuff (12th September, 2013)

PC Irises (20th September, 2013)

Beardless Irises (27th September, 2013)

Lavender (4th October, 2013)

The Ilams (12th October, 2013)

Maples (17th October, 2013)

Maples (18th October, 2013)

Maples Part two (24th October, 2013)

Maples Part three (1st November, 2013)

It's Rained (8th November, 2013)

Busy week (15th November, 2013)

Hydrangeas (29th November, 2013)

Its rained some more (6th December, 2013)

Who's pinching my Peaches (13th December, 2013)

Merry Xmas (24th December, 2013)

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