City Parks Prepare for the Winter

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 968, 10 May 1930, Page 6

City Parks Prepare for the Winter

On t-of-Season Plan ts Thriving CLOSE OF AUTUMN Iceland poppies, anemones, and ranunculi, are the flowers that will delight the eyes of the visitor to Albert Park during the winter. The tending of these blooms is now in hand, though the principal work at present is the preparation for spring. LONG and fine autumn is coming to a close in the City’s parks, where winter is making itself more and more apparent. The weather has prolonged the lives of most of the flowers, particularly of the chrysanthemums, which are still in bloom. Along the Princes Street side of the park, a ribbon border of begonia and alternanthera, usually washed out by this time, has also lasted well. Hydrangeas are flowering remarkably late. During the season dahlias and zinnias have been at their best. Autumn brings extra work for the gardener, and a good deal of time is being devoted to the clearing up of the leaves, now falling thickly. A border of iceland poppies has been laid round the rhododendron and rose bed in Albert Park. Bowen’s Avenue, near the rockery, is being rearranged and the work of clearing up the rambling roses by the Library will insure a wonderful display when the spring comes. The dahlias that have la-tely flowered will be replaced by gladioli. Four thousand each, of ranunculi and anemones, will adorn the fountain bed, and beside Princes Street, 3,000 stocks will be planted. It is hoped to lay down two beds of violas. The winter will see a magnificent array of orchids, cypripedia and cyclamen at the Domain. The gardeners are busy on the borders and beds preparing the usual spring and winter flowering plants. In the hothouses there are cyclamen and euphorbia poinsettias, while work is being carried on in the propagating frames, preparing schizanthus hybrids for the spring. Schizanthus makes a beautiful display in late spring and early summer. It will be followed by the vivid calceolarias.