Our trees and shrubs

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 10

Our trees and shrubs

The Cultivation of New Zealand Trees and Shrubs. By L. J. Metcalf. A. H. and A. W. Reed. 293 pp. Index. The publication of Mr Metcalfs book is something of an event. It is the first really comprehensive guide to the cultivation of our native trees and shrubs since Leonard Cockayne published his small handbook nearly 50 years ago. It was ’'The Cultivation of New Zealand Plants” which first revealed the rich diversity of indigenous plants suitable for garden culture, and challenged the myth that they must, by definition, be difficult or second-rate. The prejudice against gardening with native plants which Cockayne noted in 1924, is today fast disappearing, and it can no longer be said that our plants are better appreciated abroad than at home; yet ironically, one has frequently had to tum to the books of English horticulturists and gardeners for advice on how to grow them. Recently, Muriel Fisher’s “Gardening with New Zealand Plants, Shrubs and Trees” went some way towards filling the gap, but though it contains some excellent practical advice, it is not as comprehensive as one could have wished. Mr Metcalf, on the other hand, while not ranging so widely over the New Zealand flora as Mrs Fisher—he does not deal with alpine plants, for example—has, within his field, produced a work that is both thorough and accurate, and which should become an indispensable source of reference for both the gardener and the horticulturist. The book is divided into two parts. In the first, Mr Metcalf explains clearly and in detail, such subjects as botanical and horticultural nomenclature, methods of propagation and cultivation, and the control of pests and diseases affecting native plants. Of particular interest in both sections of his book, is the emphasis placed on the variability of forms than can be found

within a single species, and the importance of perpetuating the best forms available. This is an aspect of plant culture that is seldom mentioned, yet it is obviously of value to the gardener or nurseryman to have plants of good foliage and form, and the field for exploration which the practice of selection opens up is an exciting one. The second, and larger section of Mr Metcalf’s book contains a descriptive list of genera and species, including some of the better cultivars. The descriptions are admirably comprehensive, and contain much useful information for the gardener. To take but one example, it is illuminating to learn that Sophora microphylla. the common kowhai, while not as popular among gardeners as S. tetraptera. is actually superior to it for planting in exposed situations; and in addition, its flowers are of a richer colour Mr Metcalf also draws attention to the many fine trees and shrubs which have been unduly neglected in our gardens. Among them are the beautiful Mountain Ribbonwood. Hohena lyallii; Pittosporum colensoi —a most handsome and adaptable small tree; the well-known but seldom-grown pepper-tree, Pseudowintera colorata. which the English writer and gardener Edward Hyams has described as one of the most beautiful shrubs in the world; and the common, whiteflowering tnanuka, Leptospermum scoparium, the best forms of which, says Mr Metcalf, possess more charm than the popular cultivars. It is good, too, to see the common and almost universally neglected Cassinia fulvida given its due. Many years ago that great English gardener, Gertnide Jekyll, recognised the beauty of its goldengreen leaves and she put long sprays of them in her house, among the winter flowers. It is also, as Mr Metcalf notes, a fast-growing, wind-tolerant nurse-tree for native seedlings. The book is attractively produced and plentifully illustrated, though one would have liked a few more of the excellent line drawings, the best of which reveal more of the character of leaf and limb than do the photographs.