Friday 1st April, 2011

Awesome Autumn Weather

Another perfect week of beautiful sunny days, though they now have started with a distinct nip in the air.  Look around and you'll see that the claret ashes have just hinted at their autumn colour. All the deciduous trees with their leaves looking distinctly tired, getting ready for the big drop.  Fruit trees finishing their flowering cycle with the fruit that contain their seeds. 

We have had pears, apples, figs and I see that the Feijoas will be next up and ready. Other plants also fruit and roses are no exception and hey guess what, apples and roses belong to the same family. Rose hips for me are the hues and colours of Autumn and apart from being high in vitamin C they look absolutely stunning in a vase. I have a friend that grows some roses purely for their beautiful hips. Most roses will have some hips of some sort and the Rugosa roses like Rugosa Alba, Frau Dagmar and Corylus are renown for some of the best. Dont ignore others though I know some old fashioned climbers are pretty cool in hip like wedding day.

Writing of rose hips, the big questions is, Do you do it or not ????, dead head those scruffy roses. If you deadhead or cut them back now then you will force your roses into growth and they will re flower in seven weeks time which at this point in time will be around the last week in May. In my book it's a bit late for a last flowering. I have stopped dead heading or cutting back my roses and will just put up with them looking scruffy. The idea is to let the rose go to seed and make hips which is the final stage in the cycle of flowering. It's like making your rose bush go to sleep for the season and rest properly over the winter. In a few weeks time, I even go that next step and force the leaves off them by spraying them with a good couple of doses of lime sulphur. Be warned though, Lime sulphur stinks and I probably don't need to go there and it also stains so don't get it on the house or the boat. I have to add though, that I think that Lime suphur is one of the best for a winter clean up.  If you don't like using lime sulphur then use several doses of copper oxychloride and spraying oil.

 

Make rooms with hedges  Hedges are a great part of garden structure, they are always out there looking good, if you keep them trimmed that is.
It often doesn't matter if the garden behind them is messy as long as the hedge is trimmed and your lawns mown then it all looks quite good.  Hedges are economic to plant compared to the cost of building a fence. There are many reasons to having a hedge, wind break, privacy, security, boundary and garden definition to list a few.  The coolest looking garden can be park like, with beautiful expanse of lawn, majestic trees and a trimmed hedge.

Hedge things to think about. Quite often faster growing plants have a shorter life span. Slower growing plants can often mean not as many trims in a year. Small leaves can look denser and of course there is the shade of green. Some hedges have bonus flowers like Camellias and then Holly's will provide bright berries, well the girl plants will anyway. There is nearly a hedge for every purpose shape and size.

This week we start our APRIL SALE and we have some amazing deals on all kind of hedge plants not to mention a whole lot of other stuff, like perennials, trees, grasses and herbs.  Its worth a trip to check it out

Hedge plants

                             

Cuppressus Ovensii,   Huge plants $12.99 or 10 or more $10.00 each

Photinia Red Robin,   Xtra large too normally $18.99 mow just $10.00 each

Michelia Yunnanensis,  Lovely plants normally $24.99 now just $15.00

Camellia Setsugekka and Transnokensis,  Good grade at around 90cm $14.99 each 10 or more $10.00 each

Buxus green gem,  Many grades priced from $1.00

Coprosma Middlemore, Bushy plants, were,  $14.99 now $7.99

Bays or laurus Nobilis will make a great hedge,  Great value at only $7.00

Griselinia Broadway Mint,   Bushy and tall $16.99 Buy 10 and get them for $12.99 each other grades of Minty, $3.00 and $5.00 each

Feijoas Choose from Apollo, Mammoth, Unique and geminii $18.99 now $14.50

Pittosporum Wrinkle Blue,   $12.99 get them for $10.00 each

Lonicera Green,   $6.99 now $3.00 each and Lonicera lemon $3.00 now  $2.00

Lest we forget is a very good rose, healthy free flowering and the most gorgeous dark red flowers going. A very apt rose for its namesake. We have some excellent standards in flower available at the great price of $15.00 each, normally $39.99

Standard roses from  $15.00

If interested in the list below then please email us and we will check our stocks

                            

Amber Cover	1		Eldorado	2		Loving Memory	1
Amber Flush	8		Faithful Friend	2		Mary Rose	12
Andrea Jane	1		Flower Carpet Coral	3		Matawhero Magic	1
Anna Leese	1		Flower Carpet Gold	4		Mutabilis	1
Arthur Bell	3		Flower Carpet Red	3		Nina	2
Ballerina	3		Flower Carpet White	6		Pavarotti	2
Best Wishes	4		Frilly Jilly	3		Scentasia	1
Betty Harkness	1		Glorious	2		Silver Jubilee	2
Blueberry Hill	5		Gold Medal	11		Snow Carpet	2
Bonica	3		Graham Thomas	6		Starry Eyed	2
Butterflies	1		Grand Palace	0		Starship	15
Cascading White	1		Grand Prix	1		Such Sweet Memories	2
Chocolate Prince	3		Hamilton Gardens	6		Sunstruck	2
Colorbreak	1		Helena	9		Precious Pet	4
Cottage Maid	3		Hot Chocolate	1		The Fairy	4
Crimson Bouquet	2		Iceberg Brillant Pink	4		Tintinara	1
Diamonds Forever	1		Indian Ruby	1		Waimarie	9
Easy Going	8		Just For You	3		White Romance	3
Ebb Tide	2		Just Joey	1		Wise Woman	2
Elina	5		Lest We Forget	9		Wonderful	4

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

Cheers Lloyd and Harry