GARDEN NOTES

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24624, 21 July 1945, Page 5

GARDEN NOTES

(Specially Written for "The Press.") [By T. D. LENNIE, N.Z.] THE WEATHER The recent snowfall is welcomed by many people as something of a blessing. Land dug or in fallow will be greatly benefited, to say nothing of the good it will do in thinning cut ground pests. It need not be feared that the snow will adversely affect plants underneath, even if it takes a week or more to expose them; but as the covering gets thinner, it would be wise to restore plants to an erect position as soon as possible. This refers to such pliable things as brooms, boronias, ericas, and daphnes, so that they may get what sun warmth is offering. FLOWERS OR FOLIAGE It Is in winter time that the scarcity of flowers for house decoration is apparent to-the housewife, and recourse has to be made to foliage. Not every garden is large enough to grow any great variety; but every little helps, and some ci the best can be included in the shrub border. Fugus fusca, known as the West Coast red birch, is familiar to most people, as the florists’ shops show it throughout the winter season, when its colour is deepest and most attractive. It grows into a tali tree, but it can be dwarfed by taking off the leading shoots when the tree is 7 to 10ft high. Another well-foliaged tree —small, bright, green, and twiggy—is Azara microphylla. This is excellent for the back row or for clouding a view, and will stand moderate trimming. Our native Pittosporums are good, too, having graceful shoots and foliage—especially eugenoides and tenulfoiium, and the scarce variegated forms. The former has the yellow green scented age that makes it a conspicuous subject, while tenuifolium has black stems and purple black flowers which are followed by little pods showing the seeds engulfed in a sticky fl.uid— just one of nature’s ways of ensuring distribution by the birds —the holly and other berrying plants could be included, as well as the even more effective variegated-leaved plants. DAPHNE MEZEREUM This should not be confounded other daphne indica, but It also possesses perfume in good measure. There is a great difference between them, for daphne, mezereum is deciduous, and does “not flower till early spring, also grows an erect little bush. The bloomy of pink appear in little clusters at the ends of its bare stems, and are admirable for posy 1 work or small vases. Growing about two feet high, it is an unobtrusive plant, well suited to the flower border, for after spring it carries a profusion of bright red seed berries. THE CHRISTMAS ROSE Helleborus niger is now flowering, showing that nature's ways persist in spite of winter cold and storms. Where previous advice to put shelter over the clumps has been followed, pearly white flowers will now be available;’ aiid; ’ possibly- because of their slow development,' these flowers are very lasting. -Their cousins, the Lenten roses, are later in flowering, and taller with a branching habit, with most effective colourings in from deep pink to chocolate. The helleborus is worthy of much more attention than is generally given.