CITY'S GARDENS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21387, 1 February 1935, Page 16

CITY'S GARDENS

NATIVE SHRUBS POPULAR IN CHRISTCHURCH ~ -—_ . ■ EXPERTS' ADVICE (JN ART OF COLLECTING That interest in the raising of native Irees and shrubs has been making steady growth in the city over the last few years was the opinion voiced yesterday by a number of Christchurch authorities on the subject of New Zealand flora. Commenting on the fact that the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, had recently offered prizes to the Paihia school children for a knowledge of indigenous trees, Mr L. W. McCaskill, lecturer in nature study at the Christchurch Training College, said that his Excellency had already given similar prizes in Canterbury, notably one for a collection of native leaves. During the present week Mr McCaskill is conducting a refresher course for teachers at the Training College, and those attending are being given the opportunity of identifying all the" common native trees, shrubs, and grasses likely to be met with in primary school nature study. To the primary school teacher of to-day, said Mr McCaskill, a knowledge of "natives" was essential, for before teachers could impart to scholars an understanding of what specimens to collect and the correct manner of collecting, they must be able to identify the indigenous trees in their various stages of growth. The native garden at the Training College had been established two years ago, as a help in this direction. At the present time the garden was doing excellently, and was well worth the attention of students and other enthusiasts, for it was representative of the flora of wide areas in the South Island.

Domains Board's Activities "The board is fully, alive to the rising 'feeling' for native plants and trees, and the rearrangement, of the New Zealand section- of the Christrhurch Botanic Gardens has been put, in hand by the curator, Mr J. A. Mcpherson," said Mr H. Kitson, chairman of the board. "There is not the slightest doubt that we must follow the example of Dunedin, that is, gather our New Zealand specimens in their correct orders and species. This has already been done in the dase of the olearias, and also in that of the celmisias, ranunculi, and hebes, which Mr McPherson and I collected on Mount Cheeseman two years ago. Just now Mr W. Brockie is collecting for us at Cass, an excellent district from our point of view, since the plant association—swamp, alpine, and sub-alpine—is confined to a comparatively small area; also, the Canterbury College field laboratory at Cass is of the utmost value to students and collectors." Mr Kitson added that today's interest in natives had been stimulated by the fact that train and automobile had brought mountain and bush districts within easy reach of Christchurch. People who saw shrubs and plants growing in their native environment could not but realise the beauty and wonder of our native flora, hence there was an increasing desire to cultivate specimens in private gardens. An idea had been prevalent for many years that all native trees were of slow growth, but now this had been proved a fallacy, and shel-ter-belts of hoheria (ribbonwood). panax ("five-fingered Jack"), /* nc * kowhai were becoming the rule rather than the exception in Christchurch gardens. As an instance of what rapid growth native trees could make under the proper conditions. Mr Kitson instanced a 10-year-old hinau which had lately burst into flower in a private garden at Riccarton. T' ie accepted age for the hinau's first flowering was 20 years.

Planting City Reserves The fact that in the city reserves considerable space was being accorded indigenous trees and shrubs was disclosed by Mr M. J. Barnett (superintendent of city parks and reserves). At Victoria Park, for example, thousands of natives had been successfully established, but unfortunately the dry weather was now having a serious effect V>n these, and some specimens which had been flourishing for years were showing distinct signs of distress. In the Barrington Street Park a border running the entire length of the park had been given over to natives, while at Beckenham Park a section of the rock garden was devoted to New Zealand alpines. Mr Barnett mentioned, also, the ribbonwood avenue in St. James's Park, and stated that the James McCombs Memorial Garden at Woolston Park was to contain nothing but natives. The suitability of alpines for purposes of rock gardening was stressed by Mrs M. Poulton, who for many years has made a study of these fascinating plants. According to her, until lately English gardeners were more interested in our alpines than were New Zealanders, but nowadays there was a new appreciation of natives which was extending itself to the flora of the river-beds and shinglefans of the high country. For example, it had been found that some of the raoulias (the cushion-plants) Were ideal for planting on crazy pavements, while many creeping plants (such as rubus parvus, a prostrate bush-lawyer) provided a most effective draping for bare banks. Mrs Poulton mentioned dozens of species, popularly supposed to be difficult of establishment, which she had successfully grown in her rock-garden. Edelweiss, some of the lesser-known ranunculi and celmisias, arthripodium candidum (the tiniest lily in the world), native forget-me-nots, irises, gentians, and groundsels—these were some of the alpines which she had managed to cultivate. Each species, no matter how tiny, has its own particular charm, as witness two plants which were pointed out to a representative of "The Press" —a creeping fuchsia with tiny, upstanding yellow and purple flowers, and large pink berries: and a miniature acfohylla, full-grown at three inches, like a dainty, small palm.

Collecting Native Plants One and sail, Christchurch enthusiasts deplored a habit, only too common in the casual collector—that of going into the bush or on to • some river bed and of digging up whatever took his fancy. They pointed out that the folly of this proceeding was demonstrated by the inability of many semi-grown bush plants to adapt themselves to a new garden environment. Obviously, a plant or shrub taken from the damp forest-floor of the Westland bush had little chance of surviving when transplanted to the dry, well-drained soil of a Christchurch city or hills garden; while a cushion-plant from a dry shingle-slide was not likely to appreciate a change to some damp bank beside the Avon. At the same time. New Zealand flora was adaptable to an extraordinary degree, as was proved by Pr. L. Cockayne in the experiment by which he took seeds of the thorny, almost leafless. "Wild Irishman" from a stony hillside, raised them in moist heat, and found the result to be soineless. leafy plants. If those collectors who were anxious to have native corners in their private gardens would leave spade and fork at home, and confine their field activities to gathering only the seeds, they would be well rewarded in the number of plants they would successfully rear: also, thev would find added interest in watching the plants develop through the various stages of growth, the kowhai, for instance, from its matted juvenile form into a glorious flowering tree, and the ribbonwood from an uglyduckling youth into a graceful princess of the garden. Then there would be no more talk of "difficulties" in raising natives, while the beautiful and unique flora of the bush and the high country would be preserved for future generations of nature-lovers.