Thursday 3rd July, 2014
Hi
I missed an email update last week in case you wondered where it was. It was such a busy time with all the trees that arrived that needed to be potted. The old boy in the gate house who does all the town chores was away sunning himself on a boat cruise and I spent some evening time with one of my favourite Aunts. Time has just flown by and here we are with another week gone. Hopefully this week will see the end of the plants to be potted and the weeks can return to normal.
Now that yakking on the potting bench hasn't abated much if at all, and I will apologize now if I'm putting my neck out but it begs the question do men yak more than women...? I did overhear some of it and it's not all just rubbish but I did hear Harry yell out to me "Hey what's allelopathic mean" and as I shook my head he yells back "Steve knows more than you"? And that's OK!!
When he reminded of what it meant, well.... I had just forgotten the fancy name as I had learnt what allelopathy meant probably close to 30 years ago. Now I know that you must be just busting to know.... LOL but it's when certain plants inhibit the growth of other plants. If I recollect properly, an example I learnt years ago are pine forests and the dropped needles leach a chemical that inhibits the growth of other plants.
Now Wikipedia had several examples and a couple are: the Black Walnut produces an alleochemical called Juglone which affect some species from growing. I think that we had a problem area of these out the back block where we had a sea of Black Walnut seedlings that were taking over. Another quick example are Eucalyptus trees where the leaf litter and roots exude and can prevent some plants from growing.
So Much Colour In Winter, You Just Have To Look For It
Can you imagine a container jammed pack full of bare root trees sitting at the back of the nursery all waiting to be potted. Well if you are into fruit trees, ornamental trees and a wide variety of shrubs, it's a bit like being in a candy store. I just love unpacking that container, looking at all the different stems and roots as they come out, all different colours, shapes and sizes.
There were these gorgeous red and yellow stemmed Dogwoods (Cornus Alba Sibirica and Cornus Stolonifera Flaviramea) with their vibrant colours that just seem to glow in the grey days that we seem to have had of late. In the winter garden they just look stunning but through the summer you could be excused for missing them as they blend into the greens of the leafy season. Then there is
Winter Sweet (
Chimonanthus Praecox) one of my favourite flowers that just never disappoints, flowering it's heart out around the shortest day of the year with delicate, waxy, lemonish yellow coloured flowers with a fragrance that just knocks your socks off! Truly every garden must have one as it's one of Winter's Highlights!
I have to mention ET, LOL! Well a plant that could be commonly called
Yellow Daphne as it's flowers are of the same form as the real pink and white
Daphne but are carried on long naked stems. Hence why it always reminds me of ET. But seriously it has one of those wheel barrow names being
Edgeworthia grandiflora and just looks so cool when in flower at this time of the year. They are even fragrant too!
These are just some of my favs that I look out for but there is always something new to be seen and here are a few more highlights that caught the eye of Steve and myself.
Another tree that we have never had before and would have to be a must have for the garden. An incredible form that is both vigorous and extremely weeping in it's habit. Believed to be of German origin. Ginkgo Little Weeper is still little known and as such is a rare plant. Should make a medium sized shrub or even a small tree, forming a dense mound-like structure.
Not often around, this is the slow growing
weeping copper beech that has that amazing dark purple coloured foliage and a weeping habit. Stunning as a feature plant in the garden. I have placed three of these in our garden. They are going to cascade down towards the pond and be a feature against all the green trees behind.
This one caught Steve's eye as he was potting the trees, being such nice plants with amazing golden stems,
Golden Stemmed Birch. Lime green coloured foliage in summer, turning to gold in autumn. Stunning gold branches, that turn a pink-red colour in winter. Forms a white trunk as it matures. Plant in full sun to part shade. Deciduous.
Another new maple to me but the stems of this plant when we potted them were a lovely lime green. The foliage looks stunning when I goggled images of this small growing Japanese maple. The leaves are green in summer and change to yellow in autumn. A great tree for a small garden. It's needs a sheltered site in part shade. Deciduous.
New Release. This hellebore is just stunning, with masses of deep burgundy red flowers on red stems from winter through to mid spring. This is the first red hellebore with dark green marbled leaves. Forms a compact clump. Plant in full to part shade. Prefers well drained soil. Evergreen. Perennial.
"Penny's Pink" produces masses of beautiful bright pink cup shaped flowers with yellow stamens from winter and into early spring. The foliage is dark green and marbled and the plant forms a tidy clump.Plant in full to part shade. Prefers well drained soil. Evergreen. Perennial.
Rose Pruning..... Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway...... LOL It's still been too warm to prune those
roses yet, well here in Gordonton anyways, but soon we will all have to get onto it as spring is just around the corner lol! well 6 to 8 weeks to go yet. To that end I will have some classes for those that are interested.
Saturday 12/07/2014 at 3.30pm Sunday 13/07/2014 at 10am
Saturday 19/07/2014 at 10am Sunday 20/07/2014 at 3.30pm with me and the Hamilton Rose Society
Please register your interest by return email so that I have some idea of numbers.
Its been a pretty shabby week weather wise and goodness the school hols are upon us again..... that came around quick or is it that we have been just so busy!
Have a great weekend!
Lloyd, Harry and the Wairere Team
Make it a Wairere weekend where even GNOMES know that gardening's not a drag.
