Saturday 16th August, 2025
Hi
Birds in gardens by Tracy
Wheeling and screeching, whistling and swooping, a native kākā has kept us entertained at the garden centre this morning. It's hanging out in the massive gum across the road at the marae. I love hearing and seeing native birds around the garden and there's definitely ways to entice them in by selecting the plants they like best. Tuis are a particular favourite with their glossy plumage with colours of midnight blue and deepest green fading to jet black. Their melodious trills are interspersed with weird coughs, grunts and whistles which adds to the interest!
A case in point to attract tuis to the garden are the Taiwanese Cherry trees or Prunus campanulata. In Latin, the campanulata part of the name means 'bell shaped' which describes their long, tube-shaped flowers. Originating in Taiwan, these bright pink flowering trees have been popping up in gardens since being introduced to New Zealand in the 1960's.
The down side with them though is that they produce a massive amount of fruit which is then distributed by birds all over the place including in bush areas where it can become a pest. This has led to them being banned in various areas of New Zealand including Northland, Auckland and Nelson. Waikato Regional Council status is "sustained control" of these trees if they are on your land. Happily, plant breeders including Mark Jury have bred alternatives to this tree which are sterile and therefore safe to plant while still attracting and feeding birds. One such is Prunus campanulata
Pink Cloud which has a lighter colour flower and flowers around September. We also stock
Prunus Felix Jury, which is closer in colour and flowering time to the original campanulata.
Other plants to attract birds
There are of course other plants which bring in the tuis including a lot of the Australian natives which are known for their nectar-filled flowers.
Banksia are a popular shrub as they have spectacular flowers and grow best in sunny well drained frost-free spots. A little less fussy and still full of flowers are the
Grevilleas, a genus which boasts a huge variety from ground covers to tree-sized plants. The unusual flowers, which can be described as a cross between a toothbrush and a spider, are found in bright colours of yellow, orange, red which make them stand out in your garden as they flower for much of the year.
Don't forget the
Bottlebrushes (Callistemons) too - hot colours of pink, red and sometimes white, they are full of the nectar that tuis love and with any luck the birds will be hanging around visiting the flowers all summer long.
What's interesting in store this week?
Daphne
Scent is such an underrated addition to garden planning, but it can be a real bonus when you open the door or window, or enjoy an outdoor beverage at the weekend.
Daphne are a favourite of many. Even though they are not large plants, they pack a punch with the heady fragrance of the flowers in late winter and early spring. Traditional pink
Daphne Leucanthe is in stock as well as the equally fragrant but white-flowered
Daphne Odora Alba. The Greek legend behind the name Daphne is equally romantic and dramatic. Daphne (a river nymph) was sought by the God Apollo as he was captivated by her beauty; her father (a river God) transformed her into a tree so that she could escape him.
Deciduous Azaleas
Deciduous Azaleas really do knock your socks off when you see them as they are a brilliant selection of vibrant colours on a medium sized shrub or small tree. Bright orange, yellow, red, icy white and pink are some of the colours on offer for these beauties. They are part of the rhododendron family so prefer soil on the acidic side. Adding a twice annual application of acid fertilizer will get your display of trumpet flowers popping and turning heads each spring. Check out our selection
here.
Potatoes
Also just arrived are our
seed potatoes. It seems a lot of people are itching to get their hands on them based on the inquiries we have received so far. It's still pretty early to plant them out as early shoots can get hammered by the frost. If you want to get a start on them now you can 'sprout' or 'chit' them by placing them in a well-lit, cool, dry and frost free spot (probably inside). Once sprouts have emerged to a good 2-3 centimetres and are compact and strong you can plant them out in rows which will allow you to mound them up as they grow. This will protect the potatoes from insect damage and potential frost or greening from exposure to the sun. See our website
here for more information about
potato varieties and
how to grow them.
We have been blessed by another week of gorgeous sunshine and chilly clear skies, so hopefully that has primed all our gardens for bursting into bloom once the soil temperature heats up a bit.
I'm catching up with family this weekend as we have a few of spring babies in the family. Cake for me! I hope you enjoy whatever the weekend brings you.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
