LOCAL NURSERY GARDENS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 111, 7 May 1881, Page 3

LOCAL NURSERY GARDENS.

(by our special reporter.)

Believing that many of the new settlers will be anxious to buy trees and shrubs for planting round their homesteads during the coming winter, it was arranged that I should visit the local nursery gardens, with a view of letting new-comers know what chance they would have of satisfying their requirements near at hand. It is an admitted fact that most young trees thrive 'best in the locality where they have been reared ; for although transportation from a colder to a warmer climate suits many trees and shrubs remarkably well, yet the risk of injury during carriage, and delays in transmission, far more than counterbalance this advantage.

Presenting myself at Mr. Rowe's nursery garden one moruing last week, I explained to him my object, and he told nic he was pleased to see me, because he believed that many persons in the district were quite unaware that be had got together a fairly large stock of forest and fruit trees, shrubs, and garden plants. The notice which he understood was likely to appear in print, might attract some attention to his work, and save some persons from going a long distance for what they could get close to their own doors quite as cheaply. Mr. Kowe has, at considerable expense, reclaimed about 21, acres of heavy bush land near to the new railway station at Normanby. The house lies back from the main road, and uuless a person's attention were specially directed to it, he would probably never notice it. The garden seems to be fairly w.ll sheltered, has a rich v.nd kindly soil, and most of the trees, though suffering from the effects of a severo summer frost, are looking very well. As an instance of the severity of the frost, I may mention that many shoots of young English trees had been cut down ; even the leading shoots of the hollies looked as if they had been scorched. I propose to trouble my readers with as few long Latin names as possible, but among the first ornamental shrubs, which I noticed, were several (which the average colonial would call "jaw-breakers.") Cryptomaria Elegans, Eetinospora plumosa, and squairosa struck me as being particularly graceful and effective. Unfortunately, I am quite unable to mention any correct English translation of the above names. English oaks, asli, sycamore, and walnut seem to thrive well ; in fact, all the Engltsh trees appeared to be making rapid growth. I noticed some of the young walnuts, which struck me as being exceptionally fine, considering their age ; and one or two young ash trees had made an astounding shoot this year. Of course, knov/ing how fashionable the evergreen shrubs and pines are at the present day, and how thoroughly the American pines, and nearly all the cypresses, tbiive in this colouj', Mr. Eowe has sown and reared a very large stock. These can be bought by the dozen at very moderate prices, and there are, I should think, enough macrocarpa, upright Lawson'ana, and other cypresses, in this and Mr. Roper's garden, to fully meet the local demand. Ido not intend to attempt a long description of all the different varieties of trees for sale. Both Mr. Eowe and Mr. Roper seemed anxious that people should come and see for themselves, before going further, and were afraid of any detailed description lest visitors should, be led to expect too much. Turning to the fruit trees, I found that all the young apple trees are grafted on blight-proof stocks. Pears are grafted on quince stock, so as not to grow too high ; cherries, on the Mahaleb cherry stock, because they theu throw up no suckers ; and plums, on peach stock, for the same reason. Mr. Rowe has a large number of hedge plants of the sort known as Lyceum horridum, or African Boxthorn. He regards it as the hedge-plant of the future. If it grows elsewhere as well, and as densely as it does at Norrnauby, I can well believe thr:t, in the course of a few years, it would make a fence, which should be, as one authority declared " bull-dog — and even hen-proot." Mr. Rowe has issued a catalogue of his frees, shrubs, and plants, so those who wish to know what he lias got for sale can easily ascertain

On leaving Mr. Bowe's, I proceeded to Mr. Eoper's, whose gardens are situated at the cross-roads between Normauhy and Hawera. The proprietor explained to me that lie was a martyr to rheumatism, and was meditating a visit to the Hot S])rin£3. Owing to his sickness, the gardens were not so well kept as he could wish them. Mr. Koper has planted high subdivision lines of Buddlea, which afford admirable shelter. His plants had not been touched by the frost, which played such havoc in Mr. Howe's nursery ; but, of course, the fact of the former being a couple of miles nearer the coast, wonld materially reduce the risk from spring or summer frosts. Mr. Koper stated that he had purposely confined his tree-growing experiments to a few tried sorts, such as had been proved to be suitable for affording shelter*, and strong enough to resist the sudden changes of temperature to which they were liable in New Zealand. He belic-ved that he had fully a couple of thousand pines and cypresses for sale, and showed me a large number of very heallh-ylooking young trees— lnsiguis, upright and spreading cypress, Lawsoniana, and macrocarpn, besides a number of others, the names of which I did not no(£. The pinus halephenses seemed to thrive well ; also the Wellingtonias or sequoias. Mr. Roper has made a specialty of two things, viz., gooseberries and rhubarb. Two or tln - ee large areas are devoted entirely to these two branches ; tliero are over 600 lai-ge gooseberry bushes, well grown, and of many different sorts, to bo sold at these gardens. Mr. Roper complains that the larks eat up every young pine us soon as it shows above ground, if they are not protected by scrim sheeting or netting. I have to thank the proprietors for the willingness they displayed in answering all the questions I put to them. I would suggest, however, that they should endeavor to obtain information from other parts of New Zealand, as to which varieties of the rarer pines succeed best ; the constant succession of insignis, Douglas, macrocarpa, maritima, larch, and Scotch, grows monotonous, and there are probably many other sorts which deserve quite as much attention, though they are at pi*esent less known. The experience of the local gardeners has not yet extended over a long enough term to enable them to speak positively in respect to many of the less common varieties.