CITY BEAUTIFYING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3862, 20 March 1928, Page 75

CITY BEAUTIFYING.

GARDENS AND RESERVES.

PREPARING FOR WINTER SEASON.

When the outdoor work which is at present being done by the City Council’s reserves staff is brought to a close, Dunedin will possess the nucleus of several new and attractive playing areas. The task of transforming Logan Park from the deserted waste that was left after the Exhibition into a beautiful recreation park is now on tbe road to completion, while much has been done to Ellis Park, the new terraced domain in Kaikorai Valley.

Ellis Park is the latest and most interesting of the schemes that have been pushed ahead during the last 12 months. Lying at the mouth of Fraser’s Gully, and facing the main road, it has the advantage of sheltered and attractive surroundings, and on the hill slopes on either hand, new dwellings are gradually taking shape. Besides increasing the value of the land in Kaikorai, Ellis Park in its completed state will be a handy and popular playing area—a boon to Rugby. “ Soccer,” and hockey enthusiasts in the valley. Moreover, a pleasant picnic spot is to be found a short distance up the valley. A TRANSFORMED AREA.

When it was acquired by the Ctiy Council the park was an eyesore rather than a beauty spot. ’lhe rough ground sloped gradually from the mouth of the gully to the road, much of the land was undrained swamp, and practically the whole of the northern portion consisted of a disused rubbish tip. With the land went two old dwellings, one near the road, and the other on a higher level under the hills—truly a desolate waste, and, to the layman, a hopeless problem. But hard work, combined .with proper engineering, can accomplish wonders, and last winter gangs of men, recruited from the ranks ot the unemployed, began to level off and drain the land. Any attempt to create one level tretch was out of the question because of the comparatively steep slope, sa it was decided that the park should consist of three terraces, each to be set aside for a different form of sport. The end of the winter found the terraces roughlv shaped and th e greater portion of the land drained. Since then the work has been going ahead steadily, and the men will be withdrawn to-day after doing all that can be done until the close of the coming winter. D

The middle teirace ig now levelled and sown in grass, while the upper terrace is awaiting formation, the soil having been placed in-heaps. Drainage was the principal problem confronting those who worked on tbe lower terrace, but good drains have been placed in position,”and tbe land is rapidly drying. The lower terrace will be the Rugby field, and it has already been levelled and improved. The second terrace is destined to .be the •‘Soccer” ground, and the upper terrace will be prepared as a hockey ground. Tons of old rubbish from the defunct tip have been shifted and buried under the to? soil of tb.e park, and the environs of the area aie being cleaned up and improved in every wav. LOGAN PARK IN BEING.

For som e time Logan Park ha s been something of a mystery to the average citizen. Since the demolition of the Exhibition buildings, apparent chaos has reigned, and dozens of caits and busv workmen hav© bustled about on a barren wmd-swept space. But with the gradual formation of the giant design, the mystery has now been cleared up, and iisitois to the Art Gallery and the cricket held at the far corner of the paik are able to appreciate the worth and ambitious nature of the enterprise. In fact, the Logan Park of the future is now’ almost completed, if, in making this statement, one can disregard the portion acquired by the University, which, though still in the rough, is' set aside from the main public area and hidden by a high fertce of corrugated iron. Expansive beauty has been achieved in the planning of Dunedin's new playground. From the main road to the hills that form the northern and eastern boundaries ther e will he nothing to block a glorious view of green, sweeping field and colourful flower border. The Art Gallery stands in a pretty oasis of rockeries and flower beds which, at the present time, is enhanced by a rich lane of waving marigolds. Fronting the building are several grass plots, ringed with blooms, and the b, a grand stand is cleverly hidden by a towering bank on which a rockery has been placed attractively Ten acres of level field stretch from the'buildings to tlie city side of the park, and a luxuriant _ growth of grass covers every r* 1 ) ' * n itself; has been a wonderfib achievement, for every acre had to be coated to a depth of fiin with suitable material, and afterwards top-dressed with soi] taken from various parts of the city. The result speaks for itself. Adjoining Union street is the area set aside for a children’s playgn und, and apparatus, of ©very possible description has already been erected for the use of the youngsters. The lawn tennis courts which ar© to be a special feature of the park cannot yet. be laid because of an unforeseen delay in the reclamation of the north-western corner. Some time ago the piping was placed in position by the Harbour Board, but the material at present being brought in by the dredges

muci, . B . heJ l that it cannot be pumped th© requisite distance, with the result that the work has come to a stand! st 11. Fortunately, the reclamation is to take place at one of th o farthermost cornets of the park, and the mpcarance of the grounds w.l] not be spoiled by the that “th 0 ” U j he . courte - . Tb ose who fear that the high fence dividing the park will be an eyesore when the areas P a re me" 1 ? ! e V n d S ° laCe in the announce! resaves that ’in !" nOCk ’ of Lin I ’ * i ‘n/wo years time th e iron will be completely hidden by s hrubs an ?X r,ng J ,lan M ° f the clee P*r variety Creepers have also been planted along the L‘V b t e VV al,e 'b “ d il «'■>> ion 0 before the severity of the brick, work is relieved by walls of green.

BOTANIC. GARDENS DISPLAY. In any review of the city's beautifying work one must turn to the Botanic Gardens, where the finest examples of decorative arrangement are to be found in constantly changing form. To-lay the Gardens present an orderly profusion of tnna 111 #i the ,cafy masscs forming a wonderful background to the last of the autumn rose clusters. Banks of sweet peas remain as an exquisite edging to the rose garden, and the main pathway from the entrance gates is flanked with beautiful beds of dahlias. Chrysanthemums are also in bloom along with tbe last of the deep-hued asters, and handsome cannas form the centre of several outstanding beds. Dahlias are blooming near the main gates in clumps of rich colour A little point associated with dahlias is the extraordinary attraction of the blooms for bees of the bumble variety 7. After alighting among the petals, these rotund insecL find so much excellent sustenance that they invariably over-eat themselves, become completely stupid, and '■omplete’ the debauch by rolling in the pollen and fal-ing into a slumber resembling that of drunkenness. On a fine day it is highly probable that a freshly-pick&l bunch of dahlias will contain several slumbering bumble bees whose behaviour,, when suddenly roused, is somewhat peevish. A bed of asters and chrysanthemums stretches for 100 yards from the southern gate, and at the opposite side of the gardens, near the banks of the stream, is a little area of blue containing scented lavender. Clusters of berberries flank tbe spot, and ample protection is aiforded by shrubs and live fences. TWO INDOOR ATTRACTIONS.

An indoor attraction that grows in beauty day by day is the fernery. The past summer has been ideal for ferns, ano a wealth of new growth is showing on every "hand, with the result that the visitor finds himself in the depths of a cool forest dell, enclosed ju every hand by living fronds. In the centre is a running stream splashed by trout, and the tinkle of a tiny watcrfai' completes the illusion. From the inner door of the fernery one catches a glimpse of the’begonia house—a place of magic, where colour riots with entrancing effect. Last week a number of tourists from the United States of America felt it their duty to admit that in no part of their own country were bcgenias displayed in such loveliness, and a view of the display as a whole proves that such praise is genuinely merited. Reds, yellows, pinks, orange shades, and pure whites are their in a high sloping bank, while overhead the basket varieties form a ceiling of pink petals. In each of the other houses, displays of more than ordinary interest have been arranged, and the indoor section as a whole is to be seen at its best for this time of the year.