DULL SYDNEY PARKS

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 December 1940, Page 5

DULL SYDNEY PARKS

NO FLOWERS BEING PLANTED

SYDNEY, November 16.

Sydney’s Botanic Gardens, Taronga Zoological Park, and city parks and playgrounds, usually a blaze of flower colour during the summer, will be dull this year. No annuals are being planted, because of the water restrictions. Sprinklers have been banned for many months and hoses for several months, and use of watering-cans is limited to five hours daily.

At the Botanic Gardens the water available during the hours of use is being supplemented by water from a creek running through the grounds, to keep the trees and permanent shrubs alive. It was stated that no annuals would be planted until there was some indication of a change in the weather, because it would be a,waste of labour to plant annuals and bright plants when there was not sufficient water to keep them alive. City Council gardeners hope that they will be able to get some water by cart from a bore that is being sunk in Moore Park. An effort is being made to keep the permanent shrubs alive with the watei’ that is available.

At the Taronga Zoological Park plants have been kept alive fairly well so far but no annuals have been planted, and the present intentio.n is that none shall be planted. The grass in all parks in the city area remained green up to last week, but is now showing signs of burning and it will disappear in many places this week.