CB Musings - whats happening in market ??

Welcome to 2019 from us all here -
We hope that everyone managed to get at least some quality time with family and friends, to replenish the batteries and appreciate life. My family and i got to spend some wonderful time in our beautiful outdoors and i even got to feed the adrenaline buzz on afew occassions , horse trekking and white water rafting on the mighty Rangitikei. For those of you who appreciate these pursuits check out River Valley Lodge in Pukeokahu (east of Taihape) - amazing people and spectacular scenery !!
Carrying on with that theme, i thought i would share an amazing image taken by a good mate of mine - Karl Bevin. The iconic Tui in full flight is one of the wonderful sights and distinctive sounds of a kiwi summer - enjoy . For more beautiful pics from Karl, check him out on FB, he's got real talent behind the camera.

Back to reality now, feels abit 'groundhog day' like which i'm sure everyone is feeling - but the weather has been good for growing and more rainfall on the cards, so planting is still moving along nicely for our landscaping clients.
This year with each of these blogs, we will be highlighting some of our growers and Landscaping clients to show you what they have on offer and how its been utilised in wonderful landscapes, throughout NZ.
First cab off the rank this week are a lovely couple who have been supporting our market for many years, growing large grade stock which are very sort after by our customers. One of the lines i would like to specifically highlight here is a rare beauty that is very seldom available, especially not in the grade that we have on offer -

Cephalotaxus harringtonia Fastigiata

This small tree or large shrub is not much used in the landscaping scene but it should be, as it is an excellent structural or accent plant. It isn't really a feature tree as such, but is great for focal points such as in pairs bordering an entrance way or gate.

This species of Cephalotaxus as the botanical name suggests, has an erect columnar growth habit and although they do go more bulbous with maturity (dont we all !!), it can almost reach 4 -5m in old age. They are mostly reasonably narrow and could be used for a formal hedge or screen.

Sometimes mistaken for the Yew they have a nickname of the 'Poor man's Irish Yew' . Unlike the true Yew species however, they are not at all poisonous and are very resistant to root rot, making them an ideal candidate for Auckland's climate and associated Phytophera issues. Cephalotaxus is an extremely easy conifer to grow in this region with no known problems.

It prefers some partial shade in the middle of summer but is not necessary if mulching or some watering is done.

They look best in spring when the new growth is a lighter lime green colour.

The seedlings start off their nursery life as year old plants in 5cm pots which are then grown on for up to 2yrs in 2 lt pots. Once big enough they are then transplanted into the ground in 50 lt root control bags and grown for approximately 7 to 8yrs. Once they reach a height of approximately 1.7m, they are then lifted and re bagged into 60 lt Easy lifts, which is the grade we offer them at. The price for these beautiful and unusal specimens is $87 plus gst - a steal!!