THE NATURAL ORDER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2854, 19 August 1916, Page 2

THE NATURAL ORDER

SHRUBS THAT THRIVE L\ ■WELLINGTON. • : ;'ln ; July;- 1915V'Messrs. F. Cooper, Liralted, seed merchants, of Mercer Street, presented the Wellington City Council with enough' shrubs to plant tho largo oval at the Zoo gates. Realising the windy ami exposed positions, Messrs. Cooper chose practically all Now Zealand native shrubs; for, as Mr. Cooper says,.."Nature knows best." The shrubs planted-included ..veronicas, in about'2o varieties", clianthus (kawk'aw beak), kowhai, poluitukawa (rata), griselinia (broadleaf), cordyline (cabbage tree), flax (purple and variegated), rangiorn, senecip, coprosma, puriri, hoheria (lnco bark), panai'arborea (five-finger), fagus (red' birch), meryta, alectryoii (titoki), corynocarpus (karakn), etc. In all, there were something over threo hundred shrubs presented, and it is particularly gratifying to. the citizens of Wellington to know that every plant is alive and growing well, 'and "iu a very short time the oval will add another beauty spot to' the Empire City. The clianthus, both red and.white, are already in full bloom and make a fine 6hdw. All of the shrubs have done remarkably well; some of them have made several feet of growth in the one season. ".. One'.'specimen that is being much admired is a magnificent plant of meryta sinclairii (puka). This plant has huge, thick, glossy green foliage, and stands the -wind remarkably well. It is a native of the Great Barrier Islands. The success of this planting says a good deal for -Measrs. Coopers' selection and their locally-grown shrubs, and also for tho careful planting and attention by Mr. Glen, the superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, who has had the oval under his charge.