Welcome to Subtropica
Subtropical plant nursery and online store
We provide Subtropical fruit trees that have proven to be reliable in New Zealand's temperate/subtropical climate, plus a few of a more experimental nature, for the adventurous! We grow most of our plants ourselves, in organic potting mix, which contains organic slow-release fertiliser. Any treatment for pests or diseases is done with organically acceptable sprays, such as Eco oil, garlic and pyrethrum. Any subsequent fertiliser is also organic. A few plants may be bought in, and these may not have been organically grown. The right time to plant subtropicals is when the ground is warm and they can get established. This will vary from region to region, and even from garden to garden, but the best time is from spring to late summer/early autumn. .
Plants are ordered via our on-line catalogue and payment made by credit card or online banking. Orders are delivered by courier within New Zealand or pick up from Gisborne, by arrangement
Rare plants in small quantities are sold via auction through Trade Me. Search in 'members' for 'Subtropica1' on Trade Me for our listings.
THE NURSERY IS WITHIN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE AND IS NOT OPEN FOR VISITORS.
Happy eating and planting - Kelsey & Simon
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About us
Subtropica is now based out of Gisborne, and run by Kelsey and Simon. They took over from Mel and Carey in March 2022, but maintain a close relationship with the Subtropica Waipu family.
Kelsey and Simon are plant lovers, who are passionate about growing food and leaving a positive impact on the environment. Their love of the sun, ocean and plants brought them to the sunny East Coast of New Zealand where they settled on a beautiful site along side the Waimata River. It is here that they are establishing their subtropical food forest and running the Subtropica nursery. The original Subtropica orchard in Waipu still remains a key component of the nursery providing access to some of Subtropica's rare and unique plants.
They are always on the lookout for rare and unusual plants that can grow in NZ. If you have something that they might be interested in, please get in contact!