Subtropical Fruits & More
We have been working hard to bring you fruit trees for our warming climate. Despite pleas me and many others our Ministry of Primary Industries remain staunch in outdated and prohibitively expensive laws. The result is just four new species have legally come into NZ since 1993. Over that same thirty years we could from have been actively improving our food sources. Fortunately New Zealanders have a great history of importing plants and we have tapped into some of those earlier imports which are now very relevant.
Of course we haven’t been able to produce plants of everything in this short time, many fruit trees take several years to grow. Have a look at what we have and see what you would like in your garden.
Different citrus will bring you new flavours and uses, especially the finger limes. (citrus caviar). Custard apples and Casimiroas (sapotes) are simply some of the most enjoyable flavours on the planet. Grow your own tea for a cuppa, black, green or white. Local production (your garden!) is the trend of the future so start now. Don’t forget a few tropical looking ornamentals, good for your soul.
About Peter Cave
Peter Cave has been a nurseryman for over 40 years. Coming from a keen gardening family in Wanganui, Peter graduated Bachelor of Horticultural Science with Honours from Massey University. Experience was gained working at the huge Monrovia Nursery in Los Angeles, Lyndale Nursery in Auckland, running the Wanganui City Council Nursery, before opening Cave’s Tree Nursery near Hamilton in 1977.
Moving to Raglan in 2011 indulged Peter’s love of natives to develop fresh native forest on 60 acres of redundant farmland. Full circle came again with the opening of Peter Cave Nursery, specialist growers of the rare and unusual. His partner Annetta loves plants too, and provides much needed support in the nursery.
