“A Garden Century”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30062, 21 February 1963, Page 3

“A Garden Century”

Sir, —At a time when all are thrilled with the beauty and charm of our Botanic Gardens, it is a delight to read the story of their growth and development, and of the men whose achievements can be seen today, but how little is recorded of the formative years of the gardens. “Nothing much seems to have been done towards starting the Gardens before 1864,” opens the second paragraph. The “Lyttelton Times” records the appointment of a landscape gardener, Mr E. Barker, by the Provincial Government in 1859. This highly-trained and qualified man, whose advice was sought in Sydney and the United States, should not have been dismissed as having done “nothing much.” During those busy years, clearing, draining, levelling, planning, laying out, importing and propagating seeds from all over the world, the basis of the gardens was established; the trees which enhance their beauty and line our parks and avenues were grown. Something more on the men and these years would have enhanced this story.—Yours, etc, GARDENER. February 18, 1963.