Thursday 7th September, 2017
Hi
You never think that its going to come around but the years, unmercifully, tick past and it was one of those birthdays (Harry's) ending in a zero that initiated the making of Yvonnes Never fail chocolate cake. A small soiree was planned with a group of friends, some good champagne to toast the passing of years. My faithful lasagne recipe that I always seem to make when we have a crowd..... after all one has to enjoy the party as well. Then there was a whole salmon topped with a caper and parsley crumb complemented by some large salads.
But it was the making of the chocolate cake that proved yet again that it was indeed foolproof as at the last minute Anthony decided that he was going to surprise Harry with a chocolate cake after the dinner. The recipe was printed off the website and all the ingredients were found in the cupboard. We decided that 23 inch tin should have been a 23 cm tin and for some reason I thought that the cake was a small one so in our wisdom we doubled the mixture.
Batter was made and the cake shoved into the oven at which point Anthony looked around and noticed he had left one of the ingredients out. "Quick" I say "get that cake out of the oven before it starts to cook" so back into the bowl it went. The cup of cold coffee added, cake remixed and back into the oven.
As it turns out, doubling the mix wasn't such a smart idea as we ended up with the equivalent of another cake on the oven floor and raw mix oozing out of the oven door but hey the cake that was left in the tin was cooked to perfection.
Then the comedy of errors continued as I added way too much cream to the chocolate ganache and so the cake was served with chocolate sauce flowing over the edges of the cake and was just delicious.
Its been a time for reflection as well, as its some 30 years that I first met Harry and that means the beginnings of Wairere Nursery some 25 years ago. Some of our clients from the early days may remember a
house truck sitting on a scruffy but bare 3 acres of land. Then came a
house and the
large garden that was started around it.
Herbs were the theme in the day and sold from a roadside stall and to the local garden centres. Next we specialised in
old world roses and some of you may find it hard to believe that the actual nursery in its infancy was 3 or so metres
lower than the now existing carpark.
Some of the changes over the years have been major like the addition of the new carpark, the cottage that Pete lived in and the villa that was moved onto the property. The nursery grew and grew and then surrounded Petes cottage and has stretched all the way to the villa. I am putting pics on facebook to represent the changes over the years, I'll post these over the next few weeks.
Our philosphy has always been to have the best product poissible and the best choice so that there is something for everyone and been able to ship the product almost anywhere in NZ.
Today the product range include a comprehensive range of ornamental trees like Magnolias, flowering cherries, all kind of maples, elms beeches probably most of anything that you could think off as I am such a plant enthusiast. Fruit trees abound from plums peaches apples pears to berries and even more berries and our range has ever increased as the need for growing you own has grown.
Roses are still a mainstay though these days the range in all encompassing having grown from just old roses to all roses of all types. Specializing in Camellias was an easy choice for us as these are evergreen and basically flower at an opposite time to roses.
September is the season of the pretties, my slang for perennials. Horticulture is always a bit vague around its terms and a perennial tends to be a plant that may or may not die down but does grow back every year. Often perennials prefer a more sunny disposition but there obvious ones like Hostas that prefer shade and moisture
delphiniums are a true perennial in that they do die down for the winter months but they do start growing back in the beginning of spring and each year the clump will get bigger and the flowers larger and better.
Astilbes (False goats beard) are another perennial that dies down for the winter and then the foliage appears each spring followed by attractive plumy like flowers. Astilbe (is thename that I know) are pretty easy perennials to grow tolerating full sun to partial shade but prfering a more moist spot in the garden. These are ofte used near ponds but equally at home in a well composted border garden.
New in this week
Viburnums macrocelphalum, like a snow ball tree, well this could be said of many of the Viburnum. Opulus sterile is the one I would get you if asked for a snowball tree but macrocephalum is very similar but with a different leaf. I have a couple of these in the villa garden and they are just stunning when in full flower.
pilcatum roseace plicatum summer snowflake are both have flat shaped flowers of the viburnum genus and the plicatum species have a more layered shrub look wirth all those gorgeous flowers kind of sitting on the layers... Roseace has a pink blush and summe snowflake is obviously white.
Trilobum has been given the common name Cranberry Viburnum because those flat shaped flowers are followed by bright red berries that persist intyo the winter giving more interest throughout the year.
Vib
rhaphiolepsis fergusonii, umbellata, enchantress
Rhubarb glaskins perpetual
azaleas
Magnolias
My magnolia Iolanthe
Have a wonderful weekend everyone and Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's out there from
Lloyd, Harry and the Wairere Team
Make it a Wairere weekend where even GNOMES know that gardening's not a drag.