Wednesday 3rd December, 2014
Hi *FIRSTNAME
20 Days to Christmas OMG
Its that count down to Xmas and I have a hundred and one projects to get done before the big day, mine are mostly work and garden orientated as I don't buy any Christmas presents but rather we have a hearty
champagne brunch for all of the families and who ever they want to bring. Christmas day can be quite a lonely day for those that have no family or those elderly relatives so we have an open home policy and often have friends of friends to brekky. Brunch is such a cool time as well as it means that we get to see everyone and then they can all go to the in-laws and outlaws as is usually the deal on Xmas day.
Instead of presents its more about what we are going for have for the brunch. normally we would be having along with the champers LOL barbecued bacon and sausages, huge frittatas made with kumara, asparagus red onions and salmon to name drop a few ideas and heaps of herbs from the garden. Fresh fruit salsa with plenty of coriander and a hint of chilli but this year I think that I might get out a few recipe books to see if I can come up with a new menu....... maybe spiced meatballs and sweetcorn fritters.
I think that I forgot to mention last week about the mop head and lacecap hydrangeas and their little idiosyncrasy of responding to soil acidity / alkalinity. Put simply, flower colour of hydrangeas will change with the PH of the soil. A good example of a true sky blue mop head Hydrangea would be Renate Steiniger which requires an acid soil to maintain that gorgeous sky blue colour. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Raspberry crush which is perhaps as red as a Hydrangea will get. Lime will keep this beauty its stunning true colour. Now in the garden centre plants are grown in potting mix which is usually pretty average in ph and thus often the flowers aren't quite the true colour. We do usually try to adjust this by adding lime or aluminium sulphate in the winter so that they do flower correctly.
So commit to memory, Lime for pink and red hydrangeas and Aluminium sulphate or often called Blue-ing tonic to keep them blue other wise the resulting flower colour will be various shades of mauve and purples which are also quite pretty if it doesn't matter to you. I will add that for a plant that flowers once a year hydrangeas just give so much from when the flowers are initiated to the correct coloured bloom but as they age they are still stunning ranging in shade of green mauves etc. Some even pick and dry them and I know those that do floral art will even spray them for additional creativity.
We have all done it, pruned our hydrangeas and they haven't flowered for us. The problem is that they flower on older wood and we have cut off all the flowering wood. The secret is to prune them after they have flowered in late summer so that the wood has time to age. If you prune them too hard in the winter then you may remove all of the wood that should be flowering.
The latest or hottest thing in and we have them in now Pink Iberis. Candytuft is its common name and I have only ever seen the white one and so pink is quite a break for this quite hardy perennial. I guess that its a little bit like its name little tufts of Candy and it will only loook more delicious in its new shade of pink. A sun lover and good garden loam will suit this little beauty. proudly released by one of our favourite suppliers.
Dahlias
Daisies
Peanut seedlings rise out of the soil about 10 days after planting. They grow into a green oval-leafed plant about 18 inches tall. The really interesting thing is that unlike most plants, the peanut plant flowers above the ground, but fruits below ground. Yellow flowers emerge around the lower portion of the plant about 40 days after planting. When the flowers pollinate themselves, the petals fall off as the peanut ovary begins to form. This budding ovary is called a “peg.” The peg enlarges and grows down and away from the plant forming a small stem which extends to the soil. The peanut embryo is in the tip of the peg, which penetrates the soil. The embryo turns horizontal to the soil surface and begins to mature taking the form of a peanut. The plant continues to grow and flower, eventually producing some 40 or more pods. From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle of a peanut takes 4 to 5 months, depending on the type and variety.
Peanuts contain up to 50 percent moisture when first dug and must be dried to 10 percent or less so they can be stored. They are usually left in windrows for two or three days to cure, and dry. This is very important.
Baby bougies Now these are cute and so suited to growing in pots for those really sun baked dry hot spots and will bring a very real touch of the tropics to your place just remember that they need protection through the winter if you are in a cooler clime like us here in the Tron. Bambino bougainvilleas are tough and hardy and will tolerate being quite dry in the pots and will delight with their colourful bracts.
Cornus Greenvale look at ours on the roadside in their full glory
A gorgeous Xmas ideas for those needing a little help with what to get your favourite mother, sister, aunty, cousin or friend.
Roses are always an excellent option and a few of the ones with names that mean something are
Mum in a millions which you can get as a standard or a bush
All my love is a climber
best wishes
and if you are still having trouble deciding take the option that stops you having to.
Vouchers let your loved make the decision for you.
Wairere is open all Christmas break 8.30 to 5pm except for Christmas day so if you want to come on out to have a wander or cruise through the garden with friends then its all good. Someone has to do the watering LOL
Mail orders The week of the 15th will be our last week for nation wide dispatch, and mail order and courier will resume again Monday the 12th of January after the holiday period.
Well the weekend is well on the way now and there are a few brief showers hanging around but hey thats all good for the plants and as one of the newer staff member says, "I'm not made of sugar" so there you go!
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.
