ROUND THE GROWERS

Evening Star, Issue 21992, 30 March 1935, Page 3

ROUND THE GROWERS

[Contributed by tho Dunedin Horticultural Society.] This summer, although it has been particularly iiot and dry, causing great worry and inconvenience to garaeners in general, has been especially favourable to certain types of fruiting plants. Growers in Dunedin arc fortunate in having a climate which astounded the northern visitors to our city during National Show Week. Many of our friends from the other island expected to spend their stay here clothed m their heaviest all-wool hand-knitted “ unmentionables,” complete witli overcoats and mufflers, instead of which much of their time was spent in lightest garments, coats open, and those especially privileged delegates travelling minus wives, seemed to find it more comfortable to wear their collars and ties in their coat pockets. Their ideas of the rigours of our southern climate were sadly shattered when all round them they found flourishing happily, trees, shrubs, and plants which they fondly imagined could bo grown nowhere further south than CookStrait. It is only to-day that 1 visited a St. Clair garden and found, growing out of doors, a nice specimen lemon tree, well-furnished with young fruit, and in the same warden were also figs, and the greatest surprise of all a delicious apple, grown cordon fashion, and carrying a nice crop of good-sized fruit, coloured as I did not think this variety could colour in Dunedin. This was just a small garden, hut full of treasures, including two nice fan palms (chamrerops excelsa). a Phoenix palm, a North Island cabbage tree (Cordyline indivisa), and a fine specimen of the red gum (eucalyptus ficifolia). I afterwards inspected a fine tree of this gum higher up the hill in Ravenswood road, just opposite the well-known nursery of Mrs Nicholson. There are hosts of these so-called “ tender ” subjects for garden decoration which can be cultivated to perfection in and around Dunedin. Only last week I saw in Miss Ferguson's Roslyn garden a laaiandra. covered with enormous blooms. This delightful shrub had as garden mates one of the most interesting collections of plants, creepers, and bulbs, that will be seen in any small plot round onr town. The lily of the valley tree fclcthra a boron) flourishes in sheltered spots here, whereas at Palmerston North, it must he protected during winter* J

The fine display of “ bottle brushes ” (callistemon) at our Botanic Gardens is sufficient guarantee that we are safe in planting in our own garden a specimen of this beautiful Australian evergreen, while embrothium coccineuni, the fire bush from Chile; crotolaria Jaburnifolia, the West Australian bird flower; maples from Japan, and most wonderful of all, the climbing lapargerias rosea and alba all seem to thrive in great style in our little snow-bound village that the Aucklanders came to visit at show time.

Let ns now leave these semi-tropical treasures and spend a few minutes with one of the finest little hardy families that were ever sent to us to brighten our gardens at all seasons—the heaths. Most accommodating, they thrive in almost any kind of soil not impregnated with lime. The flowers, produced in abundance over a long period (a selection of varieties providing bloom all the year round) furnish a good range of colours unsurpassed for decorative purposes. Direct sunshine is essentia!, and a mulch of well-rotted leaves each year, is advised, but avoid the application of manures of ail kinds. We are especially fortunate in Dunedin as we have two experts in the propagation of heaths who simply to our seedsmen a stock of good, wellrooted plants. Mrs Nicolson, of Allandaie Nursery, St. Clair, and Mr M'Dougall, of Coughtcry street, are specialists in raising these very interesting subjects.

Probably the best-known variety is erica cinerea, the Scotch heather, while erica melanthera forms a nice hush and flowers profusely. A selection of a good half-clo/.en varieties would be, the two previously mentioned, then erica cavenclishiana (bright yellow). erica cerinthoides (large scarlet tubes ). erica willmoreana (pink win-ter-flowerinrr). erica autumnalis (rose flowers). Where the heaths thrive, so do the rhododendrons, or should we put it tlio other way round; where wc have a background of rhododendrons nourishing here we can plant our heaths, as they enjoy the same soil conditions ns the rhododendrons, provided. of course, the larger shrubs do not block out the direct sun during some part of the day. Talking about rhododendrons, Miss Johnstone, of Driver’s road, has just returned from abroad, bringing with her further treasures to add to her already interesting collection. However, it is not necessary for other than the most ardent collectors to go outside New Zealand to procure specimens of the choicest varieties. One could easily suggest a list of fifty good varieties and then have left out another fifty which some may prefer.. Here is a good half-dozen from which any gardener is bound to get satisfaction. Most of us have room for only two or three specimens, anyway:—Aboreum (carmine purple). Auckland:! (large mire white), pink pearl (one of the best). Countess of Haddington (rose), fraerantissinnim (fragrant white flowers)'. and last but not least, a plant of rhododendron, Marquis of Lothian, will prove a “ joy for ever.’