GARDEN NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2653, 18 January 1905, Page 10

GARDEN NOTES.

. , "V . DEUTZIA V This; .plant belongs to the earn© natural order-as- the -syrangas, lilac, mock orange, etc, and- was named after 1 J. Deutz, a ' slieriff of Amsterdam,, There are seven species of the genus, and their native habitat extends from the Himalayas to North China and Japan, while one is found in Mexico. Those most commonly propagated in New Zealand are Deutzia gracilis, a half-hardy shrub, with, slender' twigs and a beautiful small white blossom, very graceful and useful for buttonholes of sprays ; D. scaba (rough-leaves), also .white, the blossoms larger than those of gracilis, the "plant taller and more robust in habit. It does well grown as a dwarf standard and pruned iitee> a black currant bush, and would form a great ornament for a border of select shrubs or against a wall. Succeeds well in ordinary soil, and the best time „to prune is just after the flowering, period is over, the. old, worn-out, weak and sickly growths being removed to make way for younger and better flowering shoots. It can be propagated from cuttings heeled in in a shady 1 "border. D v crenata florepleno,- another variety, is, as its' name indicates, double-flowered, the flowers produced on short racemes, pinkish in colour, and very profuse in blooming; -grows to a height of 6ft, and in appearance is more attractive than scabra. ,' Several other varieties, not yet introduced, are well worthy of "" attention, being either hardy or half-hardy, very fine in flower, and useful as decorative plants — D. candidissima (whitest), "D. -©auescens (hoary), D. parviflora (small-flowered), D. corymbifiora (corymboSe,vflowe*s), JD. lemoinei (lemoines), ' D.- . gracilis foliis-aureis (golden-leaved), and 1 ,D: discolour , purpurascens - ; (versicoloured, purplish). Any of theEe would repay cultication and add to the attractions of a shrubbery." ' VIBXJBNUM is another genus of an excellent flowering shrub, belonging to the natural order Caprifoliacea, types, of which — the guelder rose and lauristinus — are well known to us, being much cultivated here and in Britain;- The species consists of shrubs, almost all ornamental, with 'opposite petiolate leaves and corymbose flowers. A new type, V. tomentosum, has recently been introduced from Japan", intft the Old Country, and judging from the description and 'illustration given in the Gardeners' Chronicle,' it deserves to •become a favourite. Its merits should appeal to all lovers of hardy shrubs. It is extremely hardy, thrives well in exposed situations and almost any soil, and is most prolific. It is useful alike - for planting in I the shrubbery border or for grouping in beds or on lawns. When given an open position where the wood can be thoroughly 'well ripened 1 ' up, it never fails to give a fine display of flowers v in early , summer. The plant grows a strong, free-branching bush or small tree of neat and -compact habit, sending out each year sturdy horizontal .branches, from the upper part of which, in early spring, two rows of short lateral brahohlets are produced, each terminating in a. loosely -flowered corymb of pure white flowers, the outer row of which is sterile and greatly enlarged 1 . As each inflorescence is from 3in to sin in^diameter, they "almost cover the, whole plant with a sheet of white, the attractive feature being, of course, the large white sterile flowers. Both i the type -and its sterile variety ai*e -useful plants for forcing purposes. If lifted in -autumn, gust before the fall of the leaf. placed-(in suitable sizeo( pots, and plunged in'.the/6'pen until they have been subjected to a few frosts, they will then force as welL as the majority of shrubs which are used for that purpose. Any weeds which appear among- the shrubs should at once be .uprooted with the hoe and raked off. Shrubs that are to be lifted for transplanting into flower borders or for putting into pots should be syringed and the roots watered before they axe lifted ; and in planring, make .the soil firm around them, then apply water and affix stakes to any that require support. OUR NATIVE FLORA. Mr J. Rashleigh, writing from Cornwall, says that he has two rare New Zealand plants growing -■ in his garden — Coprosma p&ndula. which has reached a height of about 10ft, having a spread of branches 4-£ ft in diameter, the stem 'being sJin in circumference : the other, Sophora tetraptera microphylla, has reached-*&ift in height, with a spread of branches sft in diameter, the stem being 3|in in circumference, and the leaves are exceedingly small in size. Both plants are proving quit© hardy, having been grown out of doors for several years unaffected by frosts. There is also one of the finest examples of Litsea retioulata. (Not a New Zealander.) This" plant is about 35ft high, with a spread of branohes 36ft in diameter, the headi measuring 86ft in circumference. Close to this tree is a fine specimen of Cordyline australis, 23£ ft in height, and possessing a stem 3ft 3in in circumference. Cornwall, "She county from wthioh "this letter comes, and the neighbouring one of I)evon are both well adapted In point of climate for the acclimatisation of our native plants. The, climate js of a most congenial character, the rainfall exceeds that of the eastern countries, while the proximity of the sea on both north and south limits contributes to moderate the temperature, preoluding either long droughts or very severe jjsp&fa. This oireumstance, io oo£junct|os

with the peculiar way in which the roads are made, makes these counties also a veritable paradise for ferns. I. M. I.