Tag Archives: Abbie Jury

Plant Collector: Rhododendron ‘Pukeiti’

One of the big leafed rhododendrons, "Pukeiti" (otherwise known as R. protistum var. giganteum)

One of the big leafed rhododendrons, “Pukeiti” (otherwise known as R. protistum var. giganteum)

This is the iconic plant of Pukeiti, the rhododendron gardens set near Mount Taranaki. It is one of what is widely referred to as the big leafed rhodo group, grown in those gardens in the Valley of the Giants though this plant is on the cold hillside of our park here at Tikorangi. In the rhododendron world these are big – big leaves can be up to 50cm long and big flower trusses on large growing plants which, over time, can reach 5 metres tall by about 8 metres wide. These are not plants for the urban garden. While the plant itself is hardy, an untimely frost can turn the blooms to something resembling caramel icecream.

“Pukeiti” is a selection of R. protistum var. giganteum which itself a straight species. It was grown from seed collected by the intrepid plant hunter, Kingdon Ward, in the highlands of North Burma in 1953. It has a deeper colour than most of the other big leafed types we grow, with a big full truss of 30 individual blooms. These are described as funnel shaped and campanulate in form – slightly flattened, tubes which flare out to a frilly edge in non-technical language. The display this year is particularly good. We are hoping we don’t get a late frost.

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted here with their permission.

Garden lore

“What a pretty flower, I’ve never seen one like it; there’s no one like you, Oriane, for having such marvellous things in your house,” said the Princess de Parme, who, fearing the General de Monserfeuil might have overheard the Duchess, sought now to change to the conversation. I looked and recognized a plant of the sort that I had watched Elstir painting. “I am so glad that you like them; they are charming, do look at their little purple velvet collars; the only thing against them is – as may happen to people who are very pretty and nicely dressed – they have a hideous name and a horrid smell. In spite of which I am very proud of them. But what is rather sad is that they are dying.”

Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past (The Guermantes Way, 1920).

??????????????????????????????? Moving rhododendrons

While some plants put down huge, deep root systems, rhododendrons are surface rooting. This means they have a large, fibrous root system close to the surface which makes them relatively easy to move. This plant is getting on for twenty years old. Its root system is over a metre across but only 20 to 30cm deep. It has been moved on a large piece of weedmat to keep the roots and dirt intact. We will prune the top after replanting to compensate for the stress and shock, reducing it by at least 25%. Because it is going into a sheltered position, it should not need staking but it would if it was going into the open because it will take a year or two to anchor itself securely again. Mulching it with compost after planting will protect the roots from drying out and give a gentle feed to the plant.

Now is the time to move large plants so they can settle in before summer. Plants with a tap root – a strong central root which goes straight down into the ground – are usually impossible to move successfully unless they are wrenched well in advance.

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted here with their permission.

Garden lore

“Woman has no seductions for the man who cannot keep his eyes off the magnolias.”

Anonymous, from Up the Garden Path by Laura Stoddart.

Magnolias and lawn spray do not mix. This one is Sprengeri diva

Magnolias and lawn spray do not mix. This one is Sprengeri diva

Magnolia problems
If you insist on spraying your lawns, and many do, then get onto it straight away. Many of the common lawn sprays are hormone-based. If you delay any longer, you risk causing severe damage to deciduous plants just breaking dormancy. It doesn’t matter how careful you are – spray drifts invisibly and the slightest whiff can damage other plants at critical times. Kiwifruit are particularly sensitive and so are magnolias.

There are two common questions about deciduous magnolias we are asked repeatedly, year in and year out. The first is related to malformed leaves, or sometimes defoliation on one side of the tree. Almost invariably, we find the enquirer has sprayed their lawn for moss and flat weeds. Of course, magnolias are often used as lawn specimens. So if you must spray, get it on as soon as there is a fine, calm day. It should not affect your magnolia at this time of winter. If you leave it until spring is advanced, there will be damage and it can be severe and unsightly.

The second common question is about completely malformed flowers on magnolias. Possum damage. You just need one critter who develops a taste for them and it can take out pretty much an entire season of blooms. It nibbles in from the top to eat the bud so you can’t spot the damage from below.

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted here with their permission.

Plant Collector: vriesea

A vriesea, but we are not sure which one

A vriesea, but we are not sure which one

In the depths of winter, most of the bromeliads come into flower – an exotic counterpoint to wintery gloom. Bromeliads are a surprisingly diverse plant family. The best known brom is the pineapple but fewer realise that tillandsia or Spanish moss is also a member. The vast majority come from the warmer climes of Central America. This one is a vriesea. It will be a named cultivar but we lost the labels in the mists of time. Unlike many in the family, it is not prickly. Its foliage is just an anonymous looking green rosette, really, which holds water and also traps an abundance of falling leaves and debris. Then it puts up this flower which lasts for many weeks, stretching into a couple of months. The bloom is like a flat wax cast, almost two dimensional and of such heavy substance that it is unaffected by the weather.

Like many bromeliads, the vriesea is epiphytic and generally self sustaining. It draws all the sustenance it needs from the air and rain and will grow perched in the fork of a tree or on an old stump. This one is in the ground but it will never develop much of a root system.

We grow most of our bromeliads in protected woodland conditions with high shade from evergreen trees. It can get cold for them, but they never get any frost. We go through and pluck out debris and remove dead leaves from time to time and in return, they are totally undemanding and surprise us with the most wonderfully exotic blooms.

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted here with their permission.

Flower Carpet Roses

Flower Carpet Appleblosson - one of the prettiest of the series

Flower Carpet Appleblosson – one of the prettiest of the series

When I wrote about roses a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the Rose Flower Carpet series in passing at the end, noting their absence yet again from the Rose Review. One of the comments I received in reply acknowledged that absence and noted: “the Flower Carpet range is part of the rose scene here and overseas”.

For readers who don’t know the history, the Flower Carpet series of roses hit the retail scene with a roar close to two decades ago. Most roses in this country are grown by a handful of specialist nurseries and the production is tightly controlled because so many varieties can only be produced under licence. At a time when the market was starting to call out for easier care roses that could be grown without the usual recommended spraying routine, nurseries were slow to react. Their focus remained on more beautiful flowers, too often at the cost of good garden performance.

Flower Carpet Pink - rather bright but undeniably a fantastic performer which keeps wonderful foliage

Flower Carpet Pink – rather bright but undeniably a fantastic performer which keeps wonderful foliage

Flower Carpet Pink (the first of the series) was launched with an unusually strong marketing campaign and its production came through general nurseries rather than specialist growers. Sales were made through the big box stores as well as the usual retail garden centres. Gone was the traditional prestige of roses, the romance, mystique, fragrance and cut flower potential. This was a new generation of utility rose with a utility name. It was followed by the rest of the series, identified by colour, not by evocative names – Flower Carpets White, Appleblossom, Red, Yellow, Scarlet, Gold, Coral and now Amber.

The market place seized these roses with alacrity. They promised to be high health and require very little care. The purists sniffed and derided – and still do to some extent. Many looked for fault. But sales figures do not lie. While the initial spike could be attributed to an aggressive marketing campaign, the endurance of these varieties now should force a rethink from the doubters. There have been 2 million sold in NZ alone, 75 million internationally. They are here to stay and the reason is that people buy them because they make good garden plants. By now they have amassed goodly swag of international rose awards too.

Utility roses the Flower Carpets may be, but they deliver on health and performance and we all need some plants in our garden that are undemanding and reliable. Not that they are all equal. The first release, Pink, is a fantastic performer but a hard, somewhat garish colour. It creates a lovely bright spot if you situate it in a very green garden, but it lacks subtlety. It is a bit “look at me, look at me” when surrounded by other colours. With my inside info, I can tell you that it is much favoured in the UK where lower sunshine hours and lower light levels mean that people favour bright spots of colour.

Flower Carpet White growing growing through a dwarf maple

Flower Carpet White growing growing through a dwarf maple

White remains the best seller in New Zealand. I have it both grafted as standards and as a shrub rose. It flowers on and on and on. It still a few flowers right now in mid winter. It is a terrific performer and completely reliable, in my experience.

Appleblossom is arguably one of the prettiest in flower form and colour, but its flowering season is shorter and the one I have in partial shadow does tend to ball in heavy rain. If it wasn’t a big standard, I would move it because the shrub ones in full sun are much better.

I didn’t keep Red (but that may have been issues with the position I chose to plant it), and Yellow is a bit average in my experience, but Coral has been a surprise as a top performer. It is a single (just one row of petals) and the trouble with single flowers is that as soon as a petal drops, the whole flower falls apart quickly. Coral just has so many flowers that it doesn’t matter and I have found it more upright in growth than the yellow.

I am told both Amber and Scarlet are very good, but I haven’t found a place for them yet. These two are the first releases of the next generation of Flower Carpet roses. The initial six colours were all the work of the late Dr Werner Noack, a German rose breeder who started work over 30 years ago on breeding healthier garden roses. Now the mantle has fallen to his son. Look out for Pink Splash (the first bicolour and a sport of Pink) and Pink Supreme.

I would not only grow Flower Carpet roses. There are others I like too, especially for picking. But I would certainly miss them in the garden if they were removed. They are the best garden plants in terms of flowering season and health.

In the interests of disclosure, I should note that the company which manages the Flower Carpet series also manages some of our Jury plants internationally. In practical terms, what this means is that if I did not think the roses were good, I would remain silent.

White again, much favoured by New Zealanders

White again, much favoured by New Zealanders

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted here with their permission.