December is really that kind of month, every month has it's own flavour but December is the month that everything hypes up to culminate in the big day of festivities, food and I had better not leave out presents. It feels like it should be upon us earlier than it is this year but maybe that is due to the hotter than normal temps that November has been, making it feel like summer has arrived early. Then there are all the pre Xmas do's and events and I have to confess that we have been to a few already. Our Bank Manager invited us to a few drinks at the local branch which was fun. Always nice to mix, meet and mingle with new faces, not to mention a drink or two. Wairere ourselves have had a pre xmas get together and I have to say no mean feat to organise with those that work either part time, or somewhere across a seven day roster.

Now back to those warmer than normal temps and  this amazing rain that we have had today means that the growth here in the Waikato will be phenomenal. I look around at our garden and the nursery yesterday and there just seemed to be so much growth around and especially with all weight of the rain. The branches on the trees all seemed so much lower and the hedges all looked like they were having a bad hair day. But the day of rain was just brilliant, soft, slow, gentle rain and all day which would have soaked in nicely. I guess that the farmers will be happy as it will keep the grass growing and the maize crops will certainly romp and we can all keep planting LOL.

 

I have cut back all the roses in the garden centre as the flowers had finished. We have fed them too, so  they will be back in flower in 7 weeks. I should really get a spray on the roses after all that rain, remember it's wet and warm weather that allows those fungal spores to grow on your rose leaves. At this time of the year it's likely to be black spot with the wet weather but a couple of sprays with shield or super shield should halt it but again spray before and after rain should do the trick.

Nows it's also been really hot and dry until today so watch out for mites on your roses. They suck the green out of your rose leaves from the underside making the leaf look yellowish and speckled with it. I used to be able to see the little blighters under the leaves (without my reading glasses) but now can only see the damage from the top. Cattle drench at the rate of 1m per litre will take care of the mites and you will probably need a couple of sprays close together. If you don't use drench you will need a proper miticide as normal rose sprays won't deal with mites. Wetting the undersides of the leaves will help deter them but I don't have time for that and spraying with conqueror oil will help but you have to aim for the underside of the leaves as it will only kill what it covers.

Tidy the garden for Xmas

Now that the growth flush has peaked, cut back all those hedges and it will instantly make the garden look tidy again. I have always said to my team, to be tough on the hedges for every 1cm left every growth flush may mean that your hedge will grow an inch a year. Not so good when you are trying to keep a buxus hedge to 30 to 40cm high.

 

 

Deals on at the moment

Seed potatoes, half price to clear them out as they need to get into the soil, we have a few bags of these left, great for getting in those extra couple of rows for later in the season harvest.

Fruit trees from $20, we have started moving some older fruit trees into the sales area, mostly peaches and nectarines at this stage and they are half price. Still quite good plants, but not online so if interested call out to the nursery and check them out.

Dwarf peaches $10 off.

1.8 std weeping roses. Also on special at the moment are the 1.8m standard roses, $15 off the normal retail price.  These make for a stunning feature or centre piece in the garden.

 

What to give for Xmas

Vouchers would make a wonderful xmas present for the special people in your life who love gardening.  Give a gift that will grow and just keep growing, lol.  Pop into the nursery and pick up a voucher or they can be purchased online from the our website here. If you send us an email we can even deliver your voucher to wherever in New Zealand you would like it to go. 

We have a huge range of pots and gardenware available in the nursery right now, and they would also make great xmas gifts, so come in and check them out for yourselves.  We have some wonderful little antiqued pots contained in wireholders available with one, two or three pots per set.  The antiqued red stone pots are hand thrown and fired in traditional kilns, giving them a rustic, textured finish and contained in a wire basket with a little handle, making them portable. They look great planted up in groups with herbs, geraniums, annuals or just about anything.

           

Easter Island Heads, these garden statues are just a little bit different, and would make an awesome xmas present for someone. A striking and interesting piece of garden art, imagine seeing a couple of these guys watching over someone's garden.

Decorative Stone Fish, there are another great xmas gift idea. Perfect if you know someone with a coastal garden or deck, but they would add some interest to any garden or patio.  Perhaps even give them a whole school of fish, lol.

Parlour Pots, these chunky little parlour pots would make a great xmas gift.  Finished with the Atlantis rustic "relic from the sea" appearance and texture, they are a good manageable size, standing at just under half a metre high.

Calla Lilies is quite an unsexy name for the Zantedeschia lilies that make for such an awesome cut flower inside or just a grand show in the garden. These plants are just coming up to bloom right now. They prefer a sunny spot that is well drained in the garden.

    

Liliums are a pretty cool addition to the gardens at this time of year flowering away with vibrant colours. They are a great addition to a summer border garden and again like a sunny position that doesn't get wet.

Abutilons make for great colour with their lantern like flowers. These are pretty easy to grow and make a medium size shrub in the garden. These respond well to being kept clipped so that it keeps the bush full. They nearly always seem to be in flower and like the sun too.

Cannas, we have been asked for some small growing ones and the new series that have come in are called the Kneehigh range. These have just arrived in and when I went out there to check them out they did look awfully cute, just like a miniature Canna. Cannas are notoriously hardy so whilst they like the sun, they are pretty hardy.

I have to say that we are on that countdown to xmas, whatever you have planned for the weekend, make sure that its a good one. Dont forget that you can check us out on facebook, here is the link Click here or garden graphix  Click here

Have fun!!!!

Take care and have a great weekend.

Cheers

Make it a Wairere weekend where even GNOMES know that gardening's not a drag.