Products of Forest Floor
Forest Floor is a Wholesale Tree Nursery in Maungatapere , 12 km West of Whangarei, that was established in 1993 and has produced millions of seedlings over the last 30+ years. We are experts in growing NZ native plants from seed for revegetation and
forest restoration. Since we are located in Northland most of our seed is locally eco-sourced from Auckland to Kaitaia. Our
most popular products are manuka and kanuka and forestry grade trees.
Most of these plants go directly to farmers and rural property owners
in Northland. We supply forestry companies with manuka, kanuka, totara and kahikatea, for timber and carbon credits. To nurseries we supply growing on lines and small seedlings. We have lots of plants for ETS (evapotranspiration effluent) fields and wetlands, such as Carex (sedges), Coprosma, Phormium ( flaxes) and Cordyline (cabbage trees) For landscaping and property beautification we grow native grasses and specimens such as nikau. For wind protection and privacy we grow natives along with several species of bamboo. We produce bamboo biochar and biochar from our own prunings and forestry waste. We provide consultancy services for ecosystem restoration, native forestry and plantations for honey production. We source manuka honey from throughout NZ for clients who want the best quality, and arrange exports. We seldom advertise as we have been in business for over 30 years and have built a solid reputation. Most of our business comes from repeat customers and through word of mouth. We are probably the oldest native plant nursery in Whangarei. Our plant quality is extremely high and those who have been here before keep coming back because our plants perform better.We are always very busy! The plants on the price list
below are not guaranteed to be in stock as we turn over plants very
quickly. We also have a lot of plants that are coming ready soon, our
plants grow very fast! Ask us if you are looking for something and it's
not on the list. To be sure to get your plants visit directly or email us for a quote. If you confirm the quote we can hold plants for you. |
To get the best plants, ready for planting in mid-winter when conditions are perfect , make an order early in the year. Where big numbers are required, order the year before to get the best price and guaranteed supply. Where special seed collecting is required and we do not have the seed already then we need 18 months to 2 years advance notice.
Some things can take many years to grow. If you visit the nursery and see something you like, get it on the spot (or reserve it) otherwise it may not be available next time you come. We cannot just order up more stock from China! Having said that, we always have lots of trees growing on out the back that will soon be ready.
Our Leptospermum (manuka) and Kunzea (kanuka) plants are the best quality in the country.
We have specialised in manuka for over 30 years and have grown
millions. Our plants grow faster and are less likely to blow over due
to out root pruning methods and our superior potting mix. We have
lots of different provenances available including high UMF selections,
cold climate selections, coloured flowering selections, high triketone
oil selections and disease resistant selections. We have always
believed in manuka as a superplant,
nature's answer to healing marginal land. Manuka
pioneers the way for native bush to come in of its own accord.
Manuka produces medicinal
honey to beat the antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains. It makes
superb firewood and also the best chips for smoking fish. The oil can
be extracted from the leaf and is also highly medicinal. Manuka
supports both types of myccorhizal fungi so is the ideal pioneer for
many forest trees, especially NZ natives but also fruit trees. We use
it to shelter
young avocado trees for example. They let through the ideal amount of
light and build up the soil with a network of fine roots, which is
especially important for soils that have had years of compaction by
stock, or subsoils exposed by erosion.
 | On the left is a manuka on a Forest Floor planting job, about 6 months after planting. It is nice and bushy, which will result in a profusion of flowers in another 12 months. The trunk is also very stocky and will resist blowing over in coastal gales that frequent much of NZ. This is why we prefer to supply bushy squat plants, with a proportionate bushy root system, as opposed to tall lanky plants with few roots and few growing tips |
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| These red manuka flowers were growing naturally on the roadside. We grow many different strains of manuka, mainly ones in the Northland eco-region. There are actually several distinct varieties of manuka recognised, and we can easily tell the difference between manuka plants from different parts of the country. Some individual plants like this one pictured are worth cultivating just for their unique beauty. We usually recommend local genetics should be used, since nature has perfected the species for many years. However the species itself is continually changing and evolving in response to environmental changes and selection pressures. The main thing for the species sake is to maintain a wide variety of genetics, preferably the local ones well represented, and certainly avoiding too much reliance on a narrow genetic range of cutting grown or cloned cultivars. |
| We especially like growing plants that are threatened in the wild, such as these Astelia chathamica and Astelia banksii. |
We spend much of our time gardening, creating landscapes for ourselves and others, using predominately native plants. We provide consultancy services including design and project implementation.
In the example below, the owner wished to reduce mowing while still be able to walk around the garden to admire the view.
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In this example we had to plant islands, to integrate man-made ponds with the wider environment
see how to reveg