Tilba Nursery

Sunday November 8th

We still have some beautiful roses in flower in the nursery - and more plants arriving this week. Drop down for a look if you're after some new additions to your rose garden. Keith. #newsSpring colour in Tilba Tilba with roses starting to flower at Tilba Nursery - images by Silverdory Productions ... #spring #tilbatilba #bringyourcamera ... See MoreSee Less

Wednesday October 28th

Today is the third anniversary of our re-opening as Tilba Nursery in our new Tilba Tilba location! A big thanks to everyone who's dropped in over the years - we've been so lucky to have received such wonderful support and friendship from our amazing customers! Thanks again - and hope to see you soon 🙂 Keith and Desiree. #news ... See MoreSee Less

Monday October 12th

Just a reminder that the nursery is closed today - Monday Oct 12 - but we will be back on board again from Tuesday. If you're looking for fruit trees to add to your home orchard we still have a range of potted plants available - including 'Cripp's Pink' apples, currently flowering in the nursery. Keith. #news #spring #apples ... See MoreSee Less

Wednesday October 7th

No Thursday Talk again this month but here are a few handy tips for selecting fruit trees for your garden.

The Home Orchard (from my 'Gardening Gabble' column in the Triangle Community News - October 2020)

With the increasing need for self-sustainability and a move back to the home orchard, there are many things that should be taken into consideration to be successful with this project.

Fruit trees come in many shapes, forms and varieties and their individual requirements are important to successfully grow them and produce great crops and a personal satisfaction that you are being self-sufficient.

Firstly, the need for sunlight and adequate space to grow in is of paramount importance when making your selection of what to grow. Many trees like apples and pears are large growing and take up considerable space in the orchard. They are, when in full leaf, large shade throwers - so the consideration of where to plant them in the orchard needs good planning. They can severely shade other plants around them - particularly if you want to share the space with herbs and vegetables.

Secondly, you need to ask what are the requirements that a tree might need to produce good crops? Does it need another variety of tree to cross pollinate, will it require more water than other trees in the orchard or can it handle stronger prevailing winds than other trees? These are just some of the considerations that need to be thought about in the layout.

Another important factor not often thought about is that many trees require a prolonged period of winter chill for proper maturation of flowering buds - with 1000-2000 hours of temperatures below 10 degrees C the usual requirement. Given this, many coastal gardeners often have poor results with apples, pears, cherries and nut trees that all require winter chill.

There has been a lot of work done in recent times by plant breeders to develop smaller growing varieties of trees that fit into a smaller sites and are ‘self-pollinating’. This allows more trees to be used in the space available - with many of these compact forms well suited to be planted as an espalier. This allows the use of fences to create garden ‘rooms’ within the orchard to add another dimension to the space.

Evergreen fruit trees like citrus, olives and avocados also throw a shade, but all year around. Many of these are grown on dwarfing root stock so they can adapt well to pot culture and smaller sites. Dwarf forms are well suited to large pots with a premium potting mix - just make sure you fertilise and water regularly.

Finally, it must be remembered that all fruit trees require regular ongoing maintenance - including pruning at the correct time of the year, fertilising regularly to keep them thrifty and preventative pest and disease control. As with all garden plants it is best to prevent the pest or disease from initially occurring than to control it once identified.

Your local nursery person can guide you in your selection of trees for your orchard. If you have missed out on the winter bare-root stock, fruit trees will also be available later in the season as container grown plants.

Keith Mundy - Tilba Nursery

From ‘The Triangle’ - October 2020 #news #spring ... See MoreSee Less

Sunday October 4th

We're open 10am to 3pm right across the long weekend - drop in for a browse if you're after some fresh spring colours for your garden! Keith. #news #spring ... See MoreSee Less