This weeks email is really last weeks that got started but ran out of time as there were so many plants to put away and of course we fitted in Harry's Birthday celebration , well that really meant a glass or two to celebrate and that was the end of last weeks email...
Its officially Spring now being September, the mornings are heaps lighter and the days are way longer which means that we all have stacks more time to do stuff. I guess that the long mornings are soon going to turn into long evenings when daylight saving begins just a couple of weeks away now.
If you happen to have a nursery and a garden centre then the pace just gets faster as we move into the prettiest or should I say sexiest phase of the year. Too bad if you have a birthday as there is no time to pamper yourself for the day like have the day off, If you are lucky you might get your favourite brekky cooked of bacon and eggs and dinner out with friends and thats H's day today (last Fri) as he edges closer to that next big decade birthday..... and there has been a few LOL..
I remissly thought that H was closer to that big birthday than he is in reality which made me feel really good as I had thought I was older than what I really was going to be shortly....
There is no time to worry about birthdays and there are a few here this month but more about getting all this weeks plants away before the weekend and there has been truck load literally.
I'm sure that we have labelled and put down some few thousand and I have to say that we have finally managed to get some
Leucospermums and its the first time that we have ever had these. I really like these brightly coloured pin cushion like flowers and they are just awesome on a sunny sandy bank. Another plant that we haven't ever had much selection of, are the
Banksias and there are a few of these candlestick like flowers and lastly the
Proteas and I never realized that there was such a range and we even have a few of the red warotah...
Telopea seciosissima.
There are a few points to remember with those of the Protaceace family and they are best cut back after flowering to keep the shrub in shape and looking its best and the other quite important point is that you can't feed them with normal general ferts. You must use one that is low in phosphates. Generally all of these Aussie and Sth African plants like well drained and sunny dispositions, Id even go as far as to say hot spots in the garden and they generally reward you with bright flower that you can pick.
New Boys on the Block .....Time for some different plants.
I hardly even know these plants that we have bought in and the names look foreign and while I kinda have some idea about them I have to do some home work to share them here in this email newsletter
Berzelia lanuginosa Button Bush is the common name and probably the one that you are all going to remember... we have had these before and they are really cute in flower with their cream white clusters of round button like flowers. Wiry green foliage this one needs adequate moisture, full sun and a good light soil
A great cut flower.
Acmadenia Pink Butterflies, Now this one is a cutie with masses of starry pink flowers, I reckon would suit a small narrow sunny garden or rockery as they say its a good one for coastal areas. Means that it will like full sun and good drainage too. A good plant to attract the bees to your garden.
Actinodium Cunninghamii ... a quick look at Google and I find this one is called Albany daisy and find that it belongs to the Myrtaceae (Myrtle) family.. Native to across the ditch and also known as swamp daisy as the plant naturalises on the swamp plains of the Fitzgerald river of southwest
Aussie. A compact plant of around 50cm with pretty pink flowers and is tolerant of being wet at times as like in a flood plain. Micromyrtus Ciliata..... Goodness another one from our neighbours and as its names suggests
a garden plant that has the tiniest foliage and flowers and wow are they ever tiny, but masses of them. This one also belongs to the myrtle family and has quite arching growth and can respond well to a light trimming. Full sun and can be quite tolerant of being drier but will respond with fresh growth with adequate water
Dessert must include a good ole
PavlovaWe had a bit of a family gathering the other night and my niece made this pav the other night using her great grandmas recipe and it was delicious. I reckon that she made a stunning effort on the decoration with lots of colour and well thought out design and it went down a treat with all the family.
Great Grandmas Pav recipe as made by Emily..
5 egg whites
1 teasp malt vinegar
1/2 teasp Vanilla essence
10 oz of Castor sugar
2 teasp cornflour
Preheat oven to 100 degrees place baking paper on an oven tray,
Beat whites until stiff, gradually beat in the sugar until the mix is thick and glossy. Beat in the vinegar cornflour and Vanilla essence. Spoon mixture onto paper and swirl with a knife to make a pavlova case
Cook on bottom shelf of oven for 2 hours. Once its cooked leave in the oven to cool then place on a serving plate carefully remove the baking paper.
Decorate with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
We often get asked for
Luculia and this week Harry and Angela spotted the pink form so they grabbed a few so if you have a hankering for this old fashioned pink fragrant shrub... be in quick
OMG goodness another weekend just ahead, the weeks just roll at this time of year for us. Elections are not that far away and that you are ready to cast your vote in the not too distant future. Happy Birthday to Angela for yesterday as she also clocked over another year too. Lol there has been a few morning teas around here of late for which Ang made a stunning choccy cake!
Hope that your week has been good one.
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.
