A HILLTOP GARDEN

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 102, 27 October 1933, Page 11

A HILLTOP GARDEN

VISITORS AT KARITANE

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES

Crowning the peak of Melrose Heights with its warm red-brick retaining walls, broad ilights of. steps, and winding terraced grounds, the Karitanc Home is one of the loveliest though least exploited beauty spots of Wellington. Yesterday afternoon several hundreds of members of the Wellington Horticultural Societies showed their Interest in the rapidly progressive work of the Plunket Society by a ready response to the. invitation of the president (Mrs. Tythe Brown) and members of tho central committee to a coin afternoon, and many who had not visited the home since its opening ten years ago were amazed at the wonders which have been worked in such a short space of lime. Bright sunshine and a wind which was somewhat less boisterous than usual, encouraged large parties to explore the climbing paths with their flowering rock-plant borders, under the guidance of the matron, sisters, and Karitane nurses. The rare and many-j shaded varieties of rhododendrons and I azaleas, imported by Sir Truby King from many parts of the world, were in full bloom in the shade of golden laburnum, lucerne, sturdy ngaios, and other sheltering trees, and made vivid patches of colour in natural glens between the hills whore there is also a profusion of unusual rock-plants and shrubs. The quaint brick pagodas and balconies which seem to hang in midair, were also a source of delight. On returning to the home tho visitors inspected the ' delightfully-furnished building, with the exception of the nursery quarters, which were closed to the public owing to the prevalence of measles in the city. Tea was served in the sitting-rooms and reception hall, and in the loggia i porch, which commands a magnificent j view of sea and hills. I The visit was full of interest and enjoyment, and as a result the funds of the Plunket Socioty benefited considerably. '