BEAUTIFUL TAURANGA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 11044, 18 February 1933, Page 2

BEAUTIFUL TAURANGA

A VISITOR’S TRIBUTE.

A week or two ago the writer renewed acquaintance with Tauranga and surrounding districts, and found many items of Interest horticulturally (says “Nikau” in the Waikato Times). A number of very fine private gardens were visited, as wdll as the public gardens. To a visitor from any province with severe frosts it Is really wonderful to find, so many tropical and sub-tropical plants flourishing in the open—not coddled In hot-houses as with us. One of the first of these is the banana tree with its broad .wind-torn leaves. Several specimens were fruiting, but probably no good fruit is to be gathered. Then figs, guavas, avocado pears, (Feijoa sellowiana), oranges and lemons (no bells, but a clock that rings out the time), grape-fruit, polnciana (red and yellow flowers), palms of many kinds, Bougainvillea (climber with purple flowers seen to advantage near the Motorists' Camp) Jacaranda (the feathery-leaved tree with blue tubular flowers), Solanum wendlandii (climber with great bunches of blue, hydrangea-like flowers), Tacsonio( passion vine with deep pink flowers and banana-shaped fruit), Bignonias and Tecomas (all tubular .flowers, pink, red, orange, yellow and cream varieties), Cobea (climber with cream and purple flowers shaped like double Canterbury bells) Lantanas (shrubs with leaves like those of heliotrope and flowers like those of verbena, some cream, some scarlet, etc.), scarlet! Hibiscus (like those seen by visitors to Suva or Honolulu) , Waratah, various Banksias (with flowers shaped like a pine apple and nearly as large as one), scarlet gums thirty feet high and perhaps fifty feet in diameter), Moreton Bay fig (huge trees in Devonport Road and in the Domain, with large leathery leaves), “greenhouse climbers (such> as Hoya, Thunbergia and Rhyncospermum), a long row of Poinsettias, Luculia, Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise flower, seen to advantage in spring in Albert Park, Auckland), Bouvardias, Duranta plumierl (shrub often used in Tauranga as hedge-plant, bears small blue flowers), Lasiandra (plant with soft leaves and huge violet flowers), Brugmansia (tree with huge white bell flowers, often called “angel’s trumpets”), Leucodendron (the silver tree). Besides these are many native trees which will not flourish where frosts are heavy. Perhaps the most noticeable of these is the “puka” (Meryta sinclairii), with leathery leaves more than a fobt long and about nine inches wide. Then there are the Whau trees (Entelea) growing in the trench at the Redoubt. These greatly resemble bulberry trees, but have burrs and not berries fo!r fruits. Next comes the puriri with beautiful blossoms 'a,nd fruit borne at the same time. Nikau palms are found here and there about the town, and in some cases they are fruiting well, Pohutakawas, too, show well in January, and compete very successfully with an early scarlet gum or two. The karakas seem to fruit wondefully well .and are a source; of joy to many of the birds. In referring to Tauranga gardens the writer says first amongsit these is the splendid fernery of Mr Cameron, on Cameron Road. Here are to be seen all classes of native ferns—indeed, Mr Cameron claims to have every known variety. Part of the fernery is an open garden with rockeries and rock-pool, the necessary shade and shelter being provided by tall growing pungas. , Frequent sprinklings supply the requisite moisture. (Incidentally it may be remarked that this beautiful and simple arrangement will not suit the Waikato, with its heavy frosts. Overhead .protection must be! afforded otherwise than by growing pungas). In the open fernery were numerous specimens of two Prince of Wales’ Feather ferns —formerly called Todea, but only the less curly one is to be so called now. The new name for the true Prince of Wales Feather fern is Leptopteris superba. The main fernery is sunk in the gound about four feet, and enclosed at the sides and at the top by, dead punga stems .and 1 tea-tree branches. Natural conditions have been attained, with the result that the banks at the sides are being covered with tiny ferns from spores which have fallen there. It comes as a great surprise to anyone hut a fern expert to see Prince of Wales* feathers, kidney ferns and other prized ferns coming up profusely In this natural way. Native clematis trailing over the roof; orchids on punga stems and baskets of our native lycopodiums (trailing club mosses) keep up the illusion of this being the real bush. But Mr Cameron does not leave the propagation of ferns to chance; he grows many kinds from spores- sown in small tins and kept covered with glass. The soil is always moist, and yet not sodden. In conclusion, it may be remarked that Mr Cameron la the president of the New Zealand Fern . Society, and has written an excellent pamphlet on the establishment of a fernery.

Another garden visited was Mr Tebbs,’ near the Gate Pa. Though perhaps primarily a commercial, garden, it had many unexpected features. An orchard (with, lemons, oranges, plums, apples, etc.), vegetable gardens, great masses of hybrid and other gerberas, a vinery, a fernery and green house, rockeries, borders, etc., made a fine garden. The most noticeable feature was the freedom from weeds; this was partly secured by the use of a motor cultivator, with a low benzine-consump-tion which would turn a motorist green with envy. In the greenhouse Mr Tebbs is growing Gloxinia, Streptocarpus, Archimenes, Primula and Begonia from seeds and ferns from spores. In the garden the following were noticed: Polncfana (a tropical tree), a hedge of buckthorn (Rhamnus), the new Cascade chrysanthemums (trained to lean at an angle of 45 degrees and then letting the flowers droop like a cascade). A strange thing noted was the fact that the birds were eating the Golden Delicious apple before the middle of January, though this is a winter apple; what finer tribute to its flavour could be found? (In another garden the birds were eating the oranges, but these were ripe.) A third garden visited was Mrs Chambers at Judea visitors to Tauranga will find this locality next

to Bethlehem! In this garden md nursery combined were so many na-' usual features that It Is hßrd;|to> select the most Interesting, Thoat* ands of Dacbenaiias and perhaps fa many Iris tingitana must certalrtr be mentioned. Then came long uc broad plantings of hybrid gerbsni' nearly three feet high. In the atf* able group were tree tomatoes Mi two trees which made the Tlate really envious—one with > spied* grapefruit and another with PM*;; man oranges of a wonderful flavwr, like of that of grapefruit and await orange combined. In the flower ft** ders the following were noticed; Ttt-year-old tubers of cyclamen neerfr* foot in diameter; a row of PotaaK* tias; a species of red-flowered ait* lyptus (probably E. raacrocarp), with capsules nearly an inch end • half in diameter and flowers thM* inches in diameter), great Pf*** of Lllium auratura and L hWKP (eight feet high), variois Bankilat (giant bottle-brushes), and- Juste*(a shrub with clusters of flowtnl There was also a native section with, kauris and many other flue trtt* There was also specimens of the bW' catching tree (Plsonia bruntmisesh though not old enough to bear ft* sticky, bird-catching fluid. Mention should be made of ft* beautiful grounds of the TauMP South: Bowling Club. Foliage flowering shrubs, beds of hertaew ous plants in full flower and fln*Uf' rather rare climbers make theaettW a very fine one. Good use has Me* made of dwarf bedding dahlias, * pecielly Coltness Gem and Star dft* lias. A border of the new deMf* yellow nasturtium, named OoM** Gleam, should also be mentioned. M unusual, feature was a hedge *f Buddleia in full flower; heavy cutting suifk this, as the bloom ft W*J on new wood. Plenty of lilies a** clumps of hydrangea. Salvias, Jflft* aelmas ’daisy, Agapanthus, tlana aned perennial phlox made ft* almost a flowery paradise. Mr Davidson’s citrus farm *** also re-visited. Here about" I** acres of lemon trees and one of orange trees were seen growißf * perfection. There were about-B trees, many of them 14 years F The sweet oranges, of the WasWtf' || ton Navel and Thompson’s IMP*! g ed varieties were surprisingly Finally mention should be Js of Norris and Bell’s nursery In g vonport Road. Besides many of * || plants mentioned above, there *■* l| beautiful Statice dlcksonfi, H pink flowers. It is quite dUWJ* || from the common species of SUM* 1 u and is more like Kalmia,