INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30115, 26 April 1963, Page 15

INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS

Kew Collection For City A collection of plants that live on insects will be sent to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens from the Royal Botanic Gardens. Kew, to mark the Christchurch gardens’ centenary. Notice of the gift was given to the City Council by the reserves committee. It said that to grow and display such a collection a special house would be necessary, as insectivorous plants required conditions which did not suit most other plants. At the same time, this would be a good opportunity to provide an alpine house which would enable the more difficult New Zealand alpine plants to be grown, together with some of the difficult exotic alpines. The houses could be built as a unit, with a partition separating the sections, the committee said, and the most suitable site was at the western end of the Garrick House. To finance the house, the council agreed to use the Strange bequest of £5OO and to provide another £5OO on the 1963-64 estimates. The director of the Kew g .rdens (Sir George Taylor) advised that the insectivorous plant collection could be made available early next year.