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Saturday 24th September, 2022

Hi

We often get feedback from our readers and I thought I would share these. The first being especially poignant as this client has shopped here for years and I know her well and also the passion she has for roses and plants in general. Elsie is often in here looking for the latest rose or plants to pop in her garden and often with her daughter who must have a similar passion. My recollections of her daughter was that every winter on Gypsy day she dug up her collection of roses and moved them all to the next farm. I often told that story to those that were share milkers and had a love for roses. Just take them with you! Incidentally the rose here are looking pretty amazing and just starting to bud. A few more weeks and there will be a heap of colour.
"Hi LLoyd, I just have to reply to your newsletter.  I too wonder where all the years have gone and like you always had a passion for the garden.  I still remember  going outside to empty the tea leaves and forgetting to come back inside, until I heard a bang on the window from my Mother.  Just got so absorbed in the garden. I was a Shorthand typist but my best working days were after my two children went to School and I went to Nga Rakau Nurseries in Massey Henderson for 3 days weeding and was still there 21 years later working part time. At 93 I am still going strong!!  (Have to have someone to help with the low weeding now). All Good and I am so thankful for my good health.  Kind Regards Elsie"
This story I wasn't so keen to hear but as of yet the rabbits haven't jumped up to eat my veges but I am watching. I have to admit to the fact that I am out there almost daily throwing blood and bone around my new roses to deter the rabbits and possums so that the poor plants at least get into leaf.
"I smiled at your description of not wanting to share your garden with your rabbits so you have built raised beds.  Well let me tell you a wee story."
"I recently had my 89 year old mum live with us while she was recuperating after a significant skin graft.  As I was sitting on her bed talking something caught the corner of my eye in my (close by) potager raised beds 4 planks high.  To my utter amazement, there was a rabbit eating the tops off my carrots.  I had noticed the carrots were missing the tops and had just presumed it was the birds.  So obviously the rabbits can jump up the different levels of raised beds until they reached their prized breakfast.  So now all my beds are covered in bird - or shall we call it "rabbit" netting.  And now my carrots are growing tops!  And the birds are leaving my veges alone too and there is plenty for our dinners."
The rose Family continued 
It's interesting but often those in the know often don't know the botanical name of a plant due to it really never being used that often. I for one had to look up the Latin name of our domestic apricots as in my head they are Apricots but correctly are Prunus armeniaca or commonly Armenian plum. Of course like Peaches last week, these yum stone fruit belong to the Rose (Rosaceae) family.
As usual for this time of the year we have a great range of these fruits suitable for the home orchard.  Apricots mostly require winter chill to set flower but there are quite a few that are listed for a warmer climate like the Waikato. Some Apricots are self-fertile and others may benefit from a pollinator, so if you are in doubt the follow this link to the how to and apricot pollinators. 
Royal rosa.  This self fertile apricot is a vigorous grower and shows good disease resistance. The tree bears heavy crops from a young age and the fruit is sweet, low acid and delicious. Suitable for all NZ regions, plant in a sunny sheltered position with good drainage. Freestone.
Fitzroy Bred in Taranaki this Apricot has consistent crops of medium sized golden fruit that ripen around February. The fruit are sweet and juicy and the tree is self fertile. Happiest in the sun with good drainage. We recommend  pruning in summer after harvesting, only prune on a warm dry day.
Sundrop. Excellent producer with sweet, juicy, yellow fruit with a firm flesh. Prune only during summer on a warm dry day. Apricots do best in a sunny position with good drainage. Ripens mid season.  Suitable for most NZ regions pollinate with Trevatt.
Trevatt.  Large, sweet, juicy, golden fruit with lots of flavour. Perfect for picking straight off the tree and straight into your mouth! We recommend pruning in summer after harvesting, only prune on a warm dry day. Suitable for warmer areas of NZ, self fertile but grow with Sundrop for a larger harvest.
This list is not all of the Apricots by any stretch, so if you want to check out the others or live in a cooler climate than us here in the Tron then follow this link to all the Apricots that we have in stock.
The arrival of the fluff, you know all the pretties or perennials
Delphiniums. We all know these and they are quite a fav with me in the garden. Its those tall spires in the garden that look quite spectacular usually available in shade of whites of white, blues, purples and pinks. This seed range is from the renown Dowdeswell stable famous for the the very tall spires and quality of plant. Keep the slugs away from these and they will reward you for years, in fact the second season the stems will be higher than their first and you may be pleasantly surprised how often they will flower.
Chinese ground orchid or Bletilla Striata is one for the collector or enthusiast looking for something a tad different. Relatively easy to grow in the garden or a pot, dormant in the winter and then rises every spring with tall flowering stalks arising to display their gorgeous detailed, striped violet-pink flowers in early summer.
Every season there seems to be a new collection of Spanish lavender or what I would called those of the stoechus species. I describe them as the ones with the rabbit ears out the top of the flower. I looked at these on the way home last night and they are all quite cool. Have a gander at the Bandera pink purple and white for a sunny spot in the garden.  
Armerias or common name thrift and these days there are a myriad of fancy hybrids with wider than usual leaves taller than tall flower stems and pom pom like blooms.  Easy to grow in the garden, likes a sunny spot and will look neat as a border or even an informal mat. Quite a few to view so click the link and see them all.
Daisy is so much easier than the Latin name of Argyranthemum frutescens, I am not sure that I can even get my tongue around that word and there is a grand selection of these Federation daisies. I counted 14 different cultivars and so link to the web to see what ones you like the best as too many to list here.
Daisies make for great fillers in the garden, with almost continuous colour.. best in a sunny disposition, trim to keep them bushy and this will bring on a new flush of flowers. If I remember correctly its around 6 to 7 week from a cut back to a full flush of blooms again. Cutting too hard back into brown wood may not regenerate particularly well, so make it regular and keep it to the green soft wood. Below are a few examples but click to see them all.
Daisy Purity. White flowers are always popular and if you are looking for an outstanding pure white double daisy look no further than Federation Daisy 'Purity'. Blooms over an extended period. Grow in full sun and prune lightly after flowering. Feeding with a slow release fertilizer after flowering will enhance performance.
Daisy Honeycomb. Federation Daisy "Honeycomb" has a massive yellow-gold central eye with a star like outer ring of petals in pale cream. Striking and unusual, a flower bees will enjoy! Blooms over an extended period. Grow in full sun and prune lightly after flowering
Daisy Cherry Harmony. New to the collection of easy to grow Federation Daisies. 'Cherry Harmony' puts on a great show through the spring and summer of fully double flowers of brilliant deep pink making a brilliant show of colour.
Aquilegias or Grannys bonnet are quite neat and remind me of easier garden styles in my career. A great woodland plant that wil self seed happily for years to come and always delight with their bonnet like flowers.. easily grown and will suit nearly all positions
For the foodies and grower of their own produce
Peas are great cool season crop and time to get them in now. If you grow more than you can eat then freeze them for aa later date. Green feast is a main crop, Onwards is more dwarf and has long curved pods, Somerwood is reputed to be a high yield and suitable for freezing WF Massey sweet variety  and reliable.
Kumara Slips. We still don't have these in stock yet. We only take pre-orders for these as they have a short shelf life to maintain as good a quality slip as possible. If interested do order online or give us a call. Choose from classic red, orange and gold.
Broad beans. Coles dwarf for a smaller growing plant and early cropper,  Evergreen, Green seeded variety and excellent for freezing and Janet is popular with commercial growers, lovely taste, great texture good for freezing.
Actually picked a few spears from my new Asparagus plants last night and gosh just delicious, I look forward to a bigger harvest next year. There is space that could be tied up for a while and so thought that I would get some yams into the area. Thinking that the rabbits wont like the foliage of yams as they belong to the oxalis family and may be acidic? Don't forget to get a main crop of potatoes in and Ang tells me that we still have Agria. 
Remember that its still the cool side of the season and labour weekend is usually about the time that it get warm enough to plant tomatoes and all those more tender crops so get things ready and for now plant those that like this cooler spring weather.
If you are looking around at the cherries that are in flower then Felix Jury has done its dash for this year and is now in full leaf.. I am guess that Superba is the one in full flower right now with its pretty pink flowers. If you are out and about then you will see that Prunus Awanui is about to pop and be its usual stunning display of flowers. In approx another week the Waikato will be dotted every where with marshmallow like displays of pink blossoms just everywhere.
Its a long weekend with Monday off in due respect to our Monarch as we celebrate with a public holiday. If you are not taking advantage of it to go away then its a great opportunity to get into the garden. I did get my broad beans and peas in on my last day off and so I look forward to then coming up. I even threw in some rocket and mizuna seeds for salad greens that I pick for lunches. lol the leaves stay fresher on the plants than in the fridge.
I am not sure how you could forget but don't forget to put your clocks forward Sunday morning (well sat night for me) and thankfully Monday is a holiday and so it won't be so tough to get out of bed that first morning. It does take a few days to get up that hour earlier.
However you have planned the weekend enjoy, if you are out and about drive safe and take care. Till next week.
Have a great weekend!
Cheers Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team

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Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: