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Friday 16th December, 2016
Hi
It's nearly here!
Oh my goodness, just one last week before, I guess, most of the country will wind up for the Christmas holidays. I have to say many thanks to all those who sent in Xmas wishes and suggestions for my Christmas brunch. There were some really cool ideas... like lining muffin tins with streaky bacon and baking until cooked, frig until the morn, then crack an egg into each one, top with half a cherry tom, a sprig of parsley and cook in oven until done as liked. Such an easy way to do eggs for a lot all at once. Then there was Spicy Hoisin chicken balls with dipping sauce to oven baked Camembert wheels. All I have to do now is confirm my menu and get shopping for all the bits and pieces.
Its all go in the garden at the moment, I'm keen to get all the hedges completed, all roses deadheaded so that they will be back in flower in 7 weeks. I do like it to all look nice so when we have all the families here for brunch they go a wandering around the gardens with a Champers in their hands, well if we are lucky enough to have a nice day LOL
Our hard working team have got the nursery stocked up and looking great so they can enjoy some time with their families and friends and a well earned break over the holiday period.
Unravel the mysteries of Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are one of those plants whose common name is the same as their botanical name which does make life nice and easy..... There is no confusion about what we are all talking about, which can be a tad of a problem with different plants that don't have the same common name.
Why Hydrangeas this week, well they are looking stunning at the moment and making a grand show in the garden..
The Hydrangea that we are all probably most familiar with is the good old Mop head version, species being macrophylla.
Now quite often the names of plants will give us clues about the cultivar or species and in this case macrophylla means large or long leaf and in this case the leaves are relatively large being some 15cm long reasonably wide and usually serrated. Just while we are on this naming thing, Hydrangea quercifolia is another species name that tells us about the plant. If you know a few other plants Latin names, then you may know that Quercus is the genus name for Oak trees ... folia is foliage and you can rightfully conclude that we are talking about the Oak leaf Hydrangea whose leaves are similar in shape to those of Oak trees.
Back then to the classic hydrangeas of the macrophylla species of which their are a couple of flower forms that I have to address. The first being flowers that are full and and named mop head as they resemble a mop. The second form are what are commonly referred to as Lace caps. Lace caps have a central mass of true flowers and then an outer ring of flowers that have the larger decorative sepals that surround the fertile flower. I always think that lace caps look like there is a whole lot of small butterflies flitting around the outside of the flower.
I had better throw in here and now that there are a few doubles in the mop head styles and these have several layers of sepals giving the appearance of double. Trophy is one that springs to mind in white and then there are the YouMe Series and these have pretty pink double blooms.
Now you may have seen hydrangeas that are meant to be blue but they are flowering pink and this is all to do with soil pH as plants in acidic soils will tend towards the blue shades and those in alkali (above 7 pH) will flower in the pink shades. This is to do with a colour change in the flower pigments in the presence of aluminium ions which are taken up by hyper accumulating plants.
This all gets a bit tricky as I have seen a blue Hydrangea such as Blue diamond or even Renate Steiniger and in the correct pH for Blue are just stunning shades of true blue that you get in flowers but in the wrong pH they are still a very pretty pink. I can only conclude that they make for a better blue than pink but then that is purely in the eye of the beholder. Blue is an easier colour to get in Hydrangeas as its the accumulation of aluminium that turns the colour pigment. Pink is a tad harder as you have to prevent the hydrangea from taking up Aluminium and this is done in part by the addition of lime which helps prevent aluminium from being available. Using a fertiliser that is high in Phosphorus also helps prevent aluminium from being available to the hydrangea.
I often hear of Hydrangeas that don't flower and this is due largely to how they are being pruned. Pruning is a great technique to keeping the overall bush smaller as I only know of one truly dwarf Hydrangea and that this the cultivar called Piamina which is a very attractive pink form.
I have read that there are three methods of pruning macrophylla hydrangeas and LOL the first being to do nothing and you will find that the new seasons leaves and flowers will just push through and flower above the previous seasons old flower heads.
Second method is to take a chainsaw and remove two thirds of the bush (or like some husbands I hear of with their chainsaws at ground level) and of course you will probably have no flowers the following summer and it will take a second year for flowering wood to initiate. (I won't say I recommend this method)
The third method is to prune back to a pair of the fat buds as opposed to those smaller buds and I assume that these are flower buds versus leaf buds. I imagine that these fat buds will be on older wood and on a European site that I visited they described macrophylla hydrangea types as those that flower on old wood. They described older wood as stems that have been on the hydrangea bush since the summer before the current season.
There are several other species of Hydrangea that are available. Paniculata types form quite a large bush and each year they will grow a stem with a largish cone shaped flower at the end of the stem. These can be cut right back each winter and will regrow and flower again each year. This means that you can maintain the size of the overall bush. There are several paniculata cultivars. Limelight is one of the newer ones whose flowers start out as an attractive lime green ageing to a heavy cream, Paniculata grandiflora is the main one that I have always known.
Mostly they all have a similar form and there is variation in the flower, check out Tardiva, Levana and Kyushu.
Hydrangea quercifolia is the oakleaf species as I mentioned before, lovely cone shaped flowers and those oakleaves go amazing red hues in the Autumn!
Lastly I have to add Hydrangea aborescens Annabelle which has really attractive creamy flowers that age to Chartreuse green. An awesome hydrangea which can be cut back to ground level each winter. You really can get your husband to cut these back LOL maybe not with the chainsaw but certainly at ground level.
Last minute Gift ideas
Vouchers. Don't get stuck for something to give for Christmas, we have vouchers in any amount that you require and these are valid for an entire year. They can even be redeemed online. If you require them to be sent then don't forget that Tuesday next week is our cut off day.
ARS Tools. These are just the best secateurs, saws and shears for the serious gardener. Always Really Sharp and of great quality. We use these in the nursery and they are always fabulous to use.
Trees! shrubs! Camellias! Fruit trees! Roses! There is still a great range here in the nursery, call out and find something for that gardening friend or family member or shop online for those living away. Again remember the cut off for dispatch is Tuesday 20th so don't leave your online shopping till the last minute or you will miss out.
Pots. We have a lovely range of pots available to add a plant to as a living gift and we even have the potting mix to fill the pot with!
Lilium Snow Queen. AKA Xmas lilies will bloom at this time every year, they have the most delicious fragrance and are easy to grow.
A lovely range of herbs available. Plant them in our lovely hand thrown terracotta pots in wire baskets, which are at half price, for a lovely living gift. The sets come as 2 or 3 pot sets, just add plants.
Bird feeders or bird baths. We have a small range of bird baths and a number of copper look bird feeders for bird or garden enthusiasts.
Deluxe 2 piece stainless pruner sets are still available. These are a lovely set, easy to hold and great for jobs like the summer pruning of roses, picking hydrangea flowers for display indoors, keeping your patio shrubs in shape.
Digging potatoes for Xmas? got some empty space left?, we have main crop seed potatoes still available to fill that space and are also currently half price.
House keeping
Opening Hours... Wairere will only be closed for Xmas day otherwise we will be open all normal hours of 8.30 am to 5 pm LOL someone has to make sure that the watering has been done. The gardens will be open as well in case you have visitors and just want to come out for a browse over the holiday period. If you do have visitors and have a need for accommodation then don't forget that we have Kahikatea Homestead available. Its a three bedroom villa that is fully set up for self contained accommodation. If you need it for an extended period email us direct for a competitive rate. www.kahikateahomestead.nz
Mail order and deliveries Our last dispatch day will be noon Tues 20th which gives us an extra day for delivery as I imagine all the courier companies will be rushed off their feet. There will be no mail orders during the two short week holiday period. If orders are made then these will be held until the 10th of January.
This will me my last email for this year and I will take up the reins again sometime in the new year. I would like to wish you all the very best Christmas and a fabulous New year. Hopefully at some point summer will kick in and we can all enjoy some fun outdoor leisure time. It's that chaotic time of year so take care out there on the roads and look after yourselves, family and friends.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year wishing you all the very best from
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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2016 Newsletters...
Picnic....ing in the shade (28th January, 2016)
Wairere Newsletter 5th feb (3rd February, 2016)
To Run or Not to Run... (19th February, 2016)
Wairere Newsletter 02 Mar (1st March, 2016)
Camellia time (11th March, 2016)
Magnolia or Michelia (17th March, 2016)
Easter weekend (24th March, 2016)
HW or LW Trees (3rd April, 2016)
Evergreen Trees (13th May, 2016)
All about shrubs (20th May, 2016)
Rose Time (27th May, 2016)
Frosty Friday (3rd June, 2016)
Tiny Camellias (9th June, 2016)
Gorgeous Trees (24th June, 2016)
wet wet wet (1st July, 2016)
Burgundy foliage (8th July, 2016)
Fruit trees abound (15th July, 2016)
Fruit Tree Pruning and Flowering Cherries (21st July, 2016)
Cider apples (29th July, 2016)
August already (4th August, 2016)
wood pigeons (7th August, 2016)
Feed Time (19th August, 2016)
Magnolia's and Cider Apples (20th August, 2016)
its Official (2nd September, 2016)
Spring shrubs (7th September, 2016)
Spring Shrubs2 (7th September, 2016)
Spring Shrubs 2 (7th September, 2016)
Tricky Tasks (16th September, 2016)
climbers (23rd September, 2016)
Wairere Newsletter 23 Sep (23rd September, 2016)
Beards are in vogue (23rd September, 2016)
Gin Oclock (14th October, 2016)
????Kumaras are in (20th October, 2016)
summer is coming (27th October, 2016)
Plants for eating (2nd November, 2016)
November 11 (10th November, 2016)
Hamilton Gardens (17th November, 2016)
Xmas Trees (22nd November, 2016)
Holly (2nd December, 2016)
Xmas Brekkie (9th December, 2016)
..... Merry Xmas
HL Nurseries Limited t/a Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: