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Friday 6th March, 2015
Hi
Last night I was intending to bottle the pears we picked last week but Harry's brother came to stay the night and after a couple of Chardonnays the thought of peeling a banana box load of pears wasn't that appealing..... no pun intended.
I did start early this morning though, peeling all those pears and ended up with 17 large jars full which is very rewarding to look at now the task is done and dusted. I did suggest to Harry that he help to which his retort was that he wasn't that fussed on pears, but I know that if the boot was on the other foot I'd be helping him ... LOL.
Harry even suggested to the old boy (Pete) that he came over and help but by that point all the peeling , coring and chopping had been done and it was just the cooking in syrup and then into the bottles.. Dad (Pete) did offer the tip of buttering the rings so that they come off better once the seals have gone down and proceeded to do just this. He then said Oh well! its now a one person job and off he went...
Plants that climb
Plants that climb are kind of fascinating as they all have their own way of being able to climb. I had to wrack my brain trying desperately to remember my studies of some 20/30 years ago (omg reality check) on the specialised stem structures that climbing plants use to climb. Modified leaf petioles (leaf stalk) actual tendrils specialised for climbing and aerial roots make up some of the amazing diversity of change within the plant world. A classic example of this is the small aerial roots that allow the existance of a climbing hydrangeas. I think a hydrangea that climbs is pretty neat and we are luck enough to have some Hydrangea petiolaris in again. We also have a close relative still available schizophragma hydrangoides. I have to say that the only common name I know is climbing hydrangea.
I Googled Boston ivy and they described its cling method as small branched tendrils with cups.. A pretty classic plant that you will recognise I'm sure with it's stunning autumn colours in bright vibrant red and so easy to grow. Kept in its place it looks amazing and will easily hide an ugly shed or fence.
Ficus pumila minima is a climbing fig and also attaches itself with little suction cups looking pretty neat trimmed on walls of houses and courtyard wallings. Part of the trimming done yesterday was cutting back the ivy on our garden walls, I have posted some great pics of these on facebook. Grapes have tendrils that twirl and twist around anything they can get there tendrils on and
Wisteria is a climbing vine that manages to twist itself around and up.
Up at the home there is this massive pergola and the
wisteria and grapes that have been planted there have had no attention for some time so I am going to be harsh and cut them back really hard and then make them regrow where I want them to be. The area is a really neat space and I am going to train the grape along the sides so that next year we will have grapes at picking level and the
wisteria over the top to create shade.
We have a couple of ornamental grapes just arrived, one being Alocante Bouchet and the other is Coignetiae and these both do amazing autumn colours as well. Train these along wires or on chains so that you can still maintain the building.
Callicarpa Dichotoma or Chinese Beauty berry is grown for its rows of lilac-violet, round, glossy, tiny fruit, purple beauty berry is a small, deciduous shrub native to China, Korea, and Japan. Its long, arching branches often touch the ground, giving it an elegant shape. The small pink flowers in summer are followed by the small fruits that ripen in September and last through October. It has good yellow autumn colour as well. For those who do floral work you will love this.
Lapergeria rosea is the national flower of Chile. It grows there in cool mountain areas so find a cool shady spot for it and in Chilie the waxy pinkish red blooms of this climber are pollinated by hummingbirds, we will just have to settle for something else doing it here as I don't know that our bees will be up to the job.
Viburnum burkwoodii has gorgeously scented flowers which are pinky white, borne in spring, and followed later in the season by red fruits ripening to black. We have it as a small standard which will make an excellent accent plant or go great in a pot.
Newsflash, there are still heaps of gorgeous roses out there at 25% off. I know you have a place in your garden needing the colour burst that will come next spring after you put these in. There are also plenty of perennials marked down to clear. These aren't available online but for those of you who can get here they are worth checking out.
Stevia
In response to our article last week we received this comment from another person that uses Stevia
"Thanks for forwarding the Wairere article. Miles put Louise onto Stevia about two years ago. He had been growing it for years as his daughter, my cousin is diabetic.
I have it in my herb garden under the eves as the frost kills it. I put into dishes ratio 1 tsp stevia equals 1 tsp sugar. Louise loves it or put in fresh 2 leaves = 1tsp sugar.
Cook up stewed fruit etc. with it."
NUTS!!
We have been busy moving plants around at Wairere making room for all the new seasons stock which is arriving and I noticed how good the Macadamia trees were looking. There should be good supplies of
fruit and nut trees in July. If you would like some different fruits or nuts at your place then please check out the website.
At last the rain has come...
We have been waiting for the rain to arrive and at last it is here. I can almost hear the sigh as the plants open their branches to the cleansing, quenching water as it pours upon them. So enjoy this much needed rain and have a great weekend everyone.
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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2015 Newsletters...
We're back (8th January, 2015)
Settling In (29th January, 2015)
Summer colour (30th January, 2015)
Fabulous Feb (6th February, 2015)
Roses on sale (16th February, 2015)
stevia (20th February, 2015)
..... Cheeky Climbers
Michelias and Camellias (11th March, 2015)
Living fences (20th March, 2015)
Easter is nearly here (25th March, 2015)
Mourning the end of summer? (2nd April, 2015)
SALE NOW ON!!! (8th April, 2015)
Autumn Harvest (17th April, 2015)
What to do with all those leaves. (22nd April, 2015)
Autumn Flowers (1st May, 2015)
Sunday Mothers Day (8th May, 2015)
Colours of Autumn (15th May, 2015)
Always a project (22nd May, 2015)
Rose potting (23rd May, 2015)
Clip n Snip (4th June, 2015)
Roses Galore (14th June, 2015)
Rose Climbers (19th June, 2015)
Its Time to prune (3rd July, 2015)
Like a candy shop (11th July, 2015)
The pruning session (16th July, 2015)
Red and white stems (24th July, 2015)
Rose pruning Thur and Fri (24th July, 2015)
Winter Colour (31st July, 2015)
Time to feed (9th August, 2015)
Magnolias (20th August, 2015)
Gardeners work is never done (25th August, 2015)
Till the cows come home, or get shoooood away! (28th August, 2015)
Topiary Art (11th September, 2015)
Tosca in spring (19th September, 2015)
An extra hour (25th September, 2015)
The first Friday in October (2nd October, 2015)
Pretties Galore (9th October, 2015)
Frantic Fridays (16th October, 2015)
geraniums are in (20th October, 2015)
November events (31st October, 2015)
Movember (9th November, 2015)
Christmas is coming (20th November, 2015)
Harry was blowing in the wind (26th November, 2015)
December (3rd December, 2015)
Chilli out for Christmas (18th December, 2015)
HL Nurseries Limited t/a Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email:
