A NOTED ROSE ENTHUSIAST

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21087, 12 February 1934, Page 8

A NOTED ROSE ENTHUSIAST

VISIT OF MR AND MRS ALISTER CLARK The guests of Sir R. Heaton Rhodes at "Otahuna," Mr and Mrs Alister Clark, of Bulla, which is about 16 miles from Melbourne, arrived in Chnstchurch yesterday morning by the Wahine. Mrs Clark is a sister of Sir R. Heaton Rhodes. In conversation with a reporter of "The Press" yesterday, Mr Clark, who is well known in horticultural circles as an enthusiastic rose grower, said that he and Mrs Clark would be staying a few weeks in New Zealand, and besides visiting some of the rose gardens in the South Island, he intended to enjoy some fishing. He had been coming to New Zealand practically every year since 1337, and he had never seen Canterbury looking as green as it was at present. Victoria had had a season very like that of New Zealand—a dry spring and then an abundance of rain.

After his arrival in New Zealand, Mr Clark went to Feilding to see a rose garden there, but the weather was wet. A thing that impressed itself upon him while in the north was the absence of roses. He saw thousands of beautiful verandahs without a rose on them. In Australia they would have been smothered with roses.

Christchurch, he said, was-very favourably situated for the growing of roses and many splendid specimens were to be seen. Mr Clark said he would, visit Dunedrn later to see ihs roses there.