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Thursday 2nd April, 2026

Hi

We have a couple of traditions associated with Easter in our family. It's Family lunch on Good Friday and a delicious baked treat called "Festive Wreath" which you can find published in Alison Holst's Bread Book. It's reasonably complicated but once you have made it a couple of times you will get lots of happy and enthusiastic "helpers" when it comes around again. Here is a link to the recipe published on Stuff some years ago. The thing about traditions is that it's part of the glue which binds together the generations from the past, the present, and into the future. Hopefully, when I am old and doddery (no not there yet!) my kids will carry on the tradition and I will get to eat rather than make. Traditions are important and it's not that hard to start one, just find something fun and you will get others coming along for the ride. 
Coming from the bottom of the world makes some things a bit mixed up and one of these is Easter. In the northern hemisphere it is all about spring, as well as celebrating the Christian festival, so that is why there are many symbols of fertility and renewal like eggs and bunnies. Since Anglo Saxons times there have been traditions of Easter being a time of holidays and a break from work. This has led to some dubious traditions including rolling hard boiled eggs down a hill (England), throwing cold water over women dressed in traditional clothing (Hungary) and hanging cigarettes and tobacco on the trees (Papua New Guinea). I will take a Lindt chocolate bunny and delicious hot cross bun covered in butter anytime over that thanks! A long weekend at Waihi beach or Raglan is just the ticket to unwind and face the reality of the approaching colder months. We have a lot to be grateful for in this part of the world and one of those things is a fair bit of distance from where the problems of the world are knocking on the door. 
Dogwoods/Cornus
Regular readers of this newsletter will be well aware that at the end of summer we took out our aging Awanui Cherry Trees from the "avenue" at the nursery. Yes, it has been bare for a fair while, and yes the plants underneath don't love being scorched by the sun, but never fear "a change is a-coming". We are just getting ready to plant some large grade Cornus Greenvale in the space left vacant and hope in years to come these will give the same WOW effect that the cherries once did. The Dogwood genus (Cornus) is one of my personal favourites because it has something for every season, well not just something, a cool something. 
In spring you will be treated to a display of red, pink or white flowers which cover the tree and look like a swarm of delicate butterflies have landed for a rest. Summer time you can choose from a range of coloured or just green foliage with a neat pleated leaf on a compact and easy-to-manage-sized tree and sometimes colourful fruit to follow the flowers. Added to this is a brilliant autumn display of gold, orange, red and scarlet. Gorgeous! Our full range of Dogwoods will be arriving from July onwards and we have a good range of varieties in stock  now too. 

 
Citrus
Citrus are one of those plants that you really can't do without. How many times have you wanted a dash of Lemon to add to a fish dish, or were hanging out for a slice of Lime to go with your drink? For those with kids, or grandkids, you have a guaranteed source of happiness with a couple of easy-peel Mandarins. Sports teams love the guy or gal who brings in fresh-from-the-tree Orange quarters. 
Timing is important for citrus because they are really from the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They were introduced to the West as European explorers discovered the East and returned with fruit that had never been seen there before. We grow them here without much thought, but occasionally an unsuspecting gardener can find a young tree has been hammered by a frost. Fertilising at the wrong time can lead to a burst of fresh soft growth which will be damaged by the frost - which we still get on a regular basis in many regions of New Zealand. I reckon March and April are still a good time to feed your citrus, as the frosts will hopefully not really kick in until later in the year. It helps to feed them now to help them to "green up" as the green pigment of chlorophyll is critical in converting sunshine energy into energy for growth. After a summer of watering, many citrus are starting to look a little on the yellow side. 
Here are some of your different options as Citrus food: Bio Citrus Food, Premium Fruit and Citrus Fertiliser, Citrus and Fruit Quick Release or Liquid Citrus Fruit Food.

 
If you are a bit canny you can organise your planting so as to spread your citrus crops throughout the year: maximising the time you have fresh citrus available. There are early and late ripening Lemons, Oranges, Mandarins and Grapefruit so that if you plant carefully you will be covering as much of the year as possible to ensure (almost) year round variety. The Satsuma Mandarins are the sweet easy peel ones: some of the other sorts can be a bit of a sod to get into, but many people find the effort worthwhile and love the flavour of the Clementine Mandarins such as Bay sweetie and Corsica No. 2. Richards Special is another easy peel variety that is neither a Satsuma nor a Clementine. 
Mandarin varieties to cover the year: Mandarin Satsuma Miho (April/May), Satsuma Miya Gawa Wase, Satsuma Okitsu Wase, and Satsuma Kawano (May/June), Satsuma Silverhill (June/July), Bay Sweetie (July/August), Richards Special, Afourer (August- October), Encore (November- February).

 
The same can be said for Oranges, which are divided into different types based on the ripening time. The Navel oranges are usually ready around the middle of the year depending on the location and climate. These include Carters Navel, Fukumoto, Navelate and Washington Navel. If you are after a slightly later fruiting variety you could try Best Seedless and Newhall. The Valencia oranges tend to fruit over the summer months e.g. Lue Gim Gong, Harward Late and Valencia.

 
Here are some other tips for growing citrus. Keep an eye out for symptoms of verrucosis (citrus scab) which causes fruit to be knobbly and scabby looking - spray the fungal pathogen that causes this with Copper to keep it at bay. Black sooty mould is also common on fruit trees that are infested with scale or other sucking insects. You need a double whammy to treat this with the first step being to deal to the insects which are sucking the sap and pooing out gunk for the mould to grow on. Spray with Success, which can also deal with citrus leaf miner, or a horticultural oil like Conqueror Oil, Organic Super Spraying Oil or similar.

 
Exclusive New Release Rose: French Connection
It's not often that a rose breeder who is as prolific as Rob Somerfield uses the words "healthiest ever". So, when he does, you know it is something special. This year Wairere Nursery is privileged to be the only garden centre in New Zealand offering this new release rose: French Connection. Crisp pink blooms set among dark green foliage. It is extremely disease resistant and healthy. 
French Connection was also a winner of a Gold Medal and International rose trials in Baden Baden 2025. The rose trials are generally conducted over an extended period to judge how the rose will perform in different seasons and then judging takes place on key characteristics such as health, how much it flowers, novelty (how different it is to currently grown roses), and scent. Gold medal status is a reflection on how well this rose stacks up to the criteria as laid down by the World Federation of Rose societies (WFRS) which was founded in 1968 and includes 40 different members countries. Nice one Rob - being recognised in this way is an honour and will no doubt it will have been a nerve-wracking experience to put your product up for judging. We are very happy to showcase this rose this year. 
Azaleas (Evergreen)
Azaleas can be either Deciduous or Evergreen, and it is the latter that have just arrived in the nursery. Evergreen Azaleas are like small, compact Rhododendrons (the two groups are closely related) and they enjoy similar growing conditions such as rich soil with an acid pH. Most Azaleas prefer a little afternoon shade, but they can tolerate full sun as long as their surface roots don't dry out; mulching is your friend here. Evergreen Azaleas flower profusely for a long time (spring, summer and autumn for some varieties) and blooms come in a wide range of shades from white (e.g. Azalea Whitehouse), through every variation of pink (e.g. Azalea Kirin, Azalea Purple Glitters), and into true red (e.g. Azalea Wards Ruby). If you want Azaleas with yellow or orange flowers, then it's the Deciduous ones you want. While we don't yet have new season's stock of these, we still have plenty left from last spring (e.g. Azalea Dorothy Corston, Azalea Yellow Beauty).

 
New At the Nursery
Bottlebrush (Callistemons) are versatile and valuable garden plants which attract birds and bees to the garden with their fluffy, nectar filled flowers. Little John is a compact small-growing form which gets to about 1.5m high and 1 metre wide in 7-10 years. Sun-loving, it likes good drainage and is easy care requiring little (if anything) in the way of maintenance.
Not red but purple, with brilliant yellow flowers, are the super Acacia Baileyana Purpurea. These hardy and versatile trees have interesting feathery foliage and are covered with masses of bright yellow tiny puff balls in late winter/early spring. The unusual colouring make a really striking specimen for a mixed border or as a feature tree. 
If purple leaves aren't your thing, then how about the Peppercorn tree, Schinus Molle? This is an excellent choice for large parks or play areas, in courtyards or along long broad driveways. The trunk will become gnarled and fabulously interesting with age. The foliage is bright green and comprised of many narrow leaflets. The flowers are insignificant but the papery pink to red berries are wonderfully ornamental in autumn and winter.  
You can't go past Jacaranda as a show-stopping feature tree for your entrance or border. The ones in Garden Place have probably finished flowering by now but they will have left a carpet of intense blue/purple flowers carpeting the ground underneath. Seen from a distance, the whole plant just seems to glow. The feathery foliage gives them a graceful appearance too. 

 
Here's to the kiwi Easter long weekend. Hope it's relaxing and enjoyable for you all and you make some memories or traditions to carry you through the rest of the year. Kind regards from Tracy.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.

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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 (6th March, 2015)

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: