You and Your Garden Honesty

Northern Advocate, 11 May 1940, Page 11

You and Your Garden Honesty

Honesty is a real veteran of the English garden, having been first introduced from the European mainland in the sixteenth century. When I first saw the pods, or, to give them a better name, the septa, of this plant playing their part in a floral Union Jack at the fete last week, my thought was that Honesty is as old as the Union Jack; and you may take this both ways. Incidentally, the plant is socalled because it makes no attempt to hide its seeds, which can be easily seen through the transparent walls of the fruit. Honesty enjoys the botanical name of I,unaria Biennis. Lunaria comes from the Latin luna, a moon, in allusion to the silvery white membranes of the pod. The plant belongs to the same family as the turnip, cabbage, stock, etc. Although the plants are interesting for their lilac, white, or purple flowers, they are grown mostly for their large, flat, transparent, oval pods, which are used in winter decor ntions. A second exhibit was an umbrella closely decorated with Honesty septa. I thought this very appropriate. Honesty, too, was incorporated in the decorations in front of the footlights, where they reflected the light like so many silvery mirrors. Such uses of Honesty suggest no end of possibilities for decorative purposes. Umbrella Plants.

Talking of umbrellas brings to mind that quite a number of plants bear more than fanciful resemblances to umbrellas, and a number of them are named accordingly. Here are some of them: Diphylleia Cymosa, commonly called Umbrella Leaf, native of North America, The leaves are huge, up to two feet in diameter, and peltate, that is, stalked in the centre after the manner of the nasturtium leaf. To add to the resemblance, the leaves are lobed and toothed after the manner of the points of an umbrella. Cyperus alternifolius is sometimes called the Umbrella Palm, though it is more closely related to a sedge than to a palm. The leaves are narrow and spreading, resembling the ribs of an umbrella. Kentia Canterburyana, limited to Lord Howe’s Island, is the Umbrella Palm. It is a beautiful palm, generally grown in conservatories. The recurved stems give the plant an um-brella-like touch. Sciadopytis verticillata, of Japan, fs the Umbrella Pine. The plant, as a whole, is pyramidal in habit, but the branches terminate in spreading branchlets, arranged after the style of the ribs of an umbrella. Saxifraga Peltata is the Umbrella Plant. The leaves are large, about a foot across, peltate, lobed and toothed. Magnolia Tripetala is an open-head-ed plant resembling an umbrella with stick and all complete. Melia Azaderack is known as the Texas Umbrella Tree. The branches radiate from the trunk, and this, with the drooping foliage, gives the impression of a gigantic umbrella.

Then there is the family of plants whose flowers are on stalks that spring from one central point, the Umbelliferous family. It is an important family that has quite a number of representatives in New Zealand. Parsley, celery, carrot and parsnip all belong to this family. The flowerhead of any of these plants shows the umbrella-like structure. Berries, A pleasing feature of the floral fete was the number of berried specimens shown. Not so long ago we had a feeling that our climate was not suited to berried shrubs, a conclusion arrived at before a fair trial was given, and because certain plants failed to come up to expectations. Since then we have had many shrubs on trial, and the results are very encouraging. Here are some of the specimens shown. Pyracantha augustifolia. This shrub, which reaches a height of about Bft., bears orange-coloured berries in profusion, and it so arranges its branches as to make a really wonderful display. It is quite hardy, and it does not ask for a good soil or manure. It does not strike readily, but may be layered or grown from seed. Another fine berried shrub, and one that would grow well beside the pyracautha is the Australian Lilly-pilly, Eugenia Luchmannii. Height is about 15ft. The foliage is glossy, and does net seem to be affected by disease. The flowers are not conspicuous, but the pear-shaped red to purple berries are large and show up nicely against the dark foliage. A fine specimen of the native tawapou, sideroxylon castatum, was shown among other native plants. The berries are large, about an inch long, and variously coloured, from yellowish through orange to darker shades, according to the state of maturity. This is really a small tree. It is a good coastal plant. The foliage is glossy and distinctively veined. This plant is worth more general cultivation. Two-berried sprays of Idesia Polycarpa clearly showed the possibilities of this plant as a most desirable shrub. Given the proximity of male and female plants, berry clusters form freely. It is one of the best. Others that caught my eye were the wild persimmon, solanium capsicastrum, red and white chilies, and several cotoneasters. Maidenhair Ferns. I was particularly struck with the pots of maidenhair fern on exhibit. I can’t remember haying seen anything better anywhere than some of these beautiful exhibits —a credit to our growers and to our climate alike. Native Plants. As usual, native plants occupied a prominent position #on the show benches. They were all splendid, and the well-grown pot specimens were particularly appealing, and with their clear labels, made a very instructive exhibit.