The National rose show held in the
Hamilton Gardens on 13th and 16th November
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Monday 3rd November, 2014
Hi
Wairere is ablaze.... with a riot of colour as it is now the time of the rose. Here is a wee taste of what we are delighted with each day as we walk to work through the nursery.
What do the leaves tell us today...
No this isn't a fortune tellers trick but for the health of your roses the following tricks/tips may bring good fortune to your rose plants. Now there are yellow leaves and more yellow leaves and all can be showing different symptoms of what is going on with the rose bush. Generally yellow leaves will drop off so watch the leaves as they often indicate the overall health of your rose bush. A healthy lush green leaf will be making lots of food from the sun feeding the plant well and its overall vigour will create lots of flowers, LOL which is why we all grow roses in the garden.
Yellow leaves in the centre of the rose bush and the leaf is quite a bright overall yellow and these leaves come away easily usually indicate that the rose bush has been short of water even if its for a very short time. Often a problem of roses in pots or bags when they can go short of water even for just a day. The longer that the rose goes without water the more yellow leaves occur.
A general yellowing or an overall lighter green cast of the entire rose bush usually indicates that the rose bush is short on food or more importantly nitrogen. Again plants in the ground have more of a buffer against shortage of food but roses grown in pots are entirely dependent on us to keep them fed. A quick note that you must only add proper tub or pot fertiliser to roses or any plant grown in containers. Another point to note here is that mulches of the least composted types like sawdust or wood chip actually use Nitrogen in their decomposition before they give it back and can effectively starve a plant. I have seen new roses planted with sawdust mulch actually die from not enough food.
Under watering Nitro deficiency Black spot
Partial yellow spots in combo with black spots on rose leaves and these leaves fall as well, usually indicate one of the black spot fungal infections. A healthy and well fed and watered rose bush with plenty of air movement may be quite resistant to fungal infections but this current weather pattern is certainly conducive to these annoying fungal infections. Water droplets bouncing off the ground bounce spores back up to reinfect the leaves. My secret weapon is to spray super shield two or three times quite closely together i.e. like a day or two apart which will break the spore cycle. Then spray with the weather patterns and spray before rains comes and then again when the rain clears. Long fine periods may mean that you don't have to spray at all.
There are other types of yellowing and these can be patterns of yellow and green and can indicate either trace element deficiency or leaf virus infections.
To cut or not to cut
I often get asked is now the time to trim my hedge but it could depend on what sort of hedge it is
all those hedges will just be expanding at the rate of knots right but if you trim them all back too soon then you will need to do them again. I have trimmed up my Lonicera hedge but that needs cutting all the time. For Buxus and Camellias, I reckon that its best to wait until all the new growth to finish expanding or when the colour starts to mature to normal shade of green that the plant is and then cut it back and hopefully you will get away with just two main cuts a year. My aim usually is to get all the edges done by Xmas time and that usually means that the growth is ready and the garden is all up to scratch for those Christmas and summer bar-b's.
Don't forget to cut hard, as I always say to those that cut my hedges that if they leave even a cm twice or three time a year that your hedge has gained an inch in statue, lol a bit like our waistlines when we overindulge in those treats like too many beers or that choccy nibble in the evening.
Roses will be starting to be in full flush but when they finish their main flowering cut them back like a winter prune and they will be back in flower in approximately 7 weeks. Don't forget to feed them again though as roses love lots of food of both the organic and inorganic kinds. A handy hint to remember if you want to flower your roses for as special occasion.
Something a tad different for the plant nut
Like orchids, Staghorn ferns (from the genus platycerium) used to be thought of as difficult plants, but are now gaining popularity. There are 17 species of platycerium, but only one (the bifurcatum) is truly common. These ferns are epiphytic, which means they grow well mounted on plaques or other substrates. There are some excellent videos clips that show you how to do this if you are interested. Staghorns have two distinct leaf forms. Small, flat leaves cover the root structure and take up water and nutrients becoming spongy as they age. Green, pronged fronds emerge from this base. These fronds can reach 3 feet in length. In certain circles, platycerium varieties are intensely sought-after collector's plants.
If youare after a dramatic effect and a tropical look in your garden, consider Philodendron ËœXanadu, one of the world's great landscaping plants.. This handy plant grows in pots or in the ground forming large, neat looking clumps. Native to Australia, Xanadu is an evergreen shrub that usually grows to about 2 or 3 feet. In recent years it has become the most popular Philodendron in Florida.
Phygelius I know that it sound like a disease but you can be rest assured that these are a very cool plant. The fantastic thing about Phygelius is it's versatility. It is commonly used in mixed borders, where it can reach a hight of 4 feet, but it also looks great in a hanging basket. In fact, the perfect height for really appreciating this plant is eye level, where the colourful throat of it's drooping, trumpet-shaped flowers can clearly be seen and appreciated. Phygelius tend to flower in flushes, and after each flush, plants can be cut back for another burst of colour.
Osteospermum aka Cape daisy is a native of South Africa.Osteospermum is an ideal plant for the early, cool season garden. The large single daisy flowers create a mass of big colour impact in the garden center and home gardens. From pastels to vivid hues of orange and purple, Osteospermum offers a range of colour options to the market for virtually every occasion.
Another event for your calender for all you rose buffs
Open to public
from 1.00 pm to 4.30 pm on Saturday and 10.00 am to 4.30 pm on Sunday. Cost is $5 per
adult. Gold Card holders $2.50.
good luck to all those that are showing their prize Rose blooms.
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.
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2014 Newsletters...
Lily of the valley 2014 (24th May, 2014)
New Year (23rd January, 2014)
Grapes dahlias and more (29th January, 2014)
Test (5th May, 2014)
Fabulous February (6th February, 2014)
Rosmarinus (14th February, 2014)
Bottlebrush (21st February, 2014)
Feijoas Feb (28th February, 2014)
Luculia (7th March, 2014)
Camellia debrief (14th March, 2014)
Autumn Planting (21st March, 2014)
Awesome Autumn Sale (21st March, 2014)
Autumn Sale update (28th March, 2014)
Roses Still to Go (4th April, 2014)
Heucheras (12th April, 2014)
Bracteata (18th April, 2014)
test 24th April (24th April, 2014)
Anzac Day (25th April, 2014)
Chefs Choice (2nd May, 2014)
Mothers Day (6th May, 2014)
Sasanquas (16th May, 2014)
and the pot goes on (13th June, 2014)
Strawberries and Daphne (13th June, 2014)
Winter Colour (3rd July, 2014)
Mid Winter (11th July, 2014)
Mid Winter (12th July, 2014)
Its time to prune!!! (18th July, 2014)
Marmalade and Witches (1st August, 2014)
Flowering Nude (5th August, 2014)
Asparagus and Spuddies (13th August, 2014)
Garden Coverings (22nd August, 2014)
Fluff and Stuff (29th August, 2014)
Officially spring (5th September, 2014)
Officially spring (5th September, 2014)
From where I sit (26th September, 2014)
October 3rd (3rd October, 2014)
leaves (5th October, 2014)
Lavender (15th October, 2014)
Its show time (31st October, 2014)
..... Roses are red pink yellow and more
Calibrachoa Surprise (13th November, 2014)
Roses In November (21st November, 2014)
Hydrangeaeous (28th November, 2014)
Peanuts (3rd December, 2014)
It's Christmas, Lets get Potty (12th December, 2014)
Its The big day (24th December, 2014)
Its The big day (24th December, 2014)
HL Nurseries Limited t/a Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: