October 8, 1868. ) 



JOUKNAL OF HORTIOULTDKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



261 



it, we shall have no diffionlty in growing Grapes in the open air. 

 I was so interested in this Grape that I went a long distance (to 

 Ascot), to see Mr. Standish and learn his experience in its 

 growth. I am happy to say that it is the same as my own. — 



OUSEEVEU. 



SPRING FLOWERS AT THE ANTIPODES. _ 



I SEND you a few hasty notes made this day (July '2Uh), in 

 my garden, being what 1 may term " a spring day " for the 

 first time this season. Our winter season seems to be fast 

 passing away ; however, I must not rely too much upon it, for 

 past experience tells me there is no certainty of the weather 

 here. My thermometer indicated out of doors to-day in the 

 shade at noun G5° ; the day being warm and cloudy as well, 

 seemed to give my garden quite a cheerful aspect. I must 

 state to you first, before I begin writing about flowers, that we 

 have had up to the present time for our gardens a very severe 

 and troublesome winter; very severe frosts with alternate days 

 of rain, snow and hail, and loud thunder occasionally. We 

 have bad weather of all sorts when we little expect such, and 

 generally very late spring frosts annually, to our great mortifi- 

 cation when vegetation of all kinds is far advanced. 



The following are my random notes of plants in and out of 

 flower :—.Jasminum nudiflorum, trained against my house, 

 with some hundreds of yellow flowers opening and fully ex- 

 panded. Berberis aquifolium, flowers nearly open. Viburnum 

 tinus and V. tinus lucidum, going out of flower, had been in 

 flower all winter. Snowdrops opened their flowers for the first 

 time to-day ; yellow Crocuses the same ; Hyacinths, nibs just 

 showing colour. Upright and spreading Cypress, Virginian 

 Cedar, and Arbor- Vitie, new male and female flowers nearly 

 expanded, most of them shedding seeds out of the old cones. 

 Botany Bay Myrtle fVerouica), with its beautiful azure blue 

 spikes in flower all winter, in sheltered parts of the garden. 

 Buddlea salvifolia, going out of flower, having been in flower 

 all through the winter. Amaryllis belladonna, and A. bella- 

 donna minor, now growing vigorously after flowering profusely 

 late last autumn; Sternbergia lutea and S. Clusiaua doing the 

 same. Nerine sarniensis, now producing very healthy leaves 

 after resting all winter. Yellow Primrose in flower all winter in 

 a warm sheltered place. Spirsca prunifulia flore-pleno, little 

 white flowers, nearly expanded, flowers profusely in this part 

 of the world. Eosemary bushes very full of flower. Pyrus 

 japouiea, white and red, now in full flower. Common Box tree 

 in flower beautifully. Flower buds of Fortune's Double White 

 Peach, Almonds, and garden Peach beginning to swell. 



Peach trees look very promising for a good crop again ; I 

 hardly ever knew them to fail here. Dielytra spectabilis, 

 strong buds just protruding through the ground, promises to 

 flower freely this spring. Double red and white Daisy had a 

 few casual flowers all winter ; a great niimber of fresh flowers 

 now open. Double white Primrose. Oh ! this is lovely, now 

 profusely in bloom ; single and double Wallflowers the same. 

 Jonquils will be much better in flower in a few days. Forsythia 

 viridissima now profusely in flower, like the nude-flowered 

 Jasmine. Ligustrum japonicum has just gone out of flower, 

 after having remained in flower all winter. Heartsease nearly 

 all in flower, more or less. Alder, Birch, and Nuts now covered 

 with catkins, but not shedding pollen yet. Viburnum tinus 

 lucidum flowering again a second time ; young berries on the 

 old flower stalks. Alaternus, flowers not quite out. Polyan- 

 thus, one plant in flower. Daphne pontica and D. mezereum, 

 the former in full flower and grows well here, but the latter is 

 very shy with us from some cause ; it flowers freely, but makes 

 no growth. Juniperus prostrata, very full of berries. Double 

 and single sweet Violets, flowers just expanding. Double red 

 Anemones just the same. Gilia tricolor, in flower. Hardy 

 annuals stand the winter well here. Pjracantha, fruit dead 

 ripe on the plants, and the same with Cotoneaster. Camellias 

 planted out in the open border have stood the winter well, and 

 look very healthy. Eear's-ears, new leaves just unrolling. 

 Cowslips, a few now open. We raise a great variety of them 

 here from seed, self-sown on many occasions. This will end 

 my list. 



Fortune's Cryptomeria, his Cypress, and his Weigela thrive 

 well here. Besides these three, 1 may add his double Bindweed, 

 Calystegia pubescens, and the rest of his plants from China 

 which I have enumerated. I had the pleasure of seeing all Mr. 

 Fortune's plants which I have written about, his Moutan 

 PiBonies as well, unpacked on their arrival at Chiswick from 

 China. I little thought at that time I should grow and flower 



some of them in New Zealand as well, on property held inmy 

 own perpetual right. 



Many of the plants enumerated may be considered by your 

 readers old and stale ; but I can assure you in a new country 

 like this they are most lovely, and produce in my mind many, 

 very many recollections of the past, some pleasant, and some 

 painful, particularly those about "the reign of terror" to 

 subordinates at Chiswick garden. I see by reading your Journal 

 every mail those days are past ; the Society seems now to have 

 the right man in tlie ri,^ht place in Lieut. -Col. Scott. 



What I have written of my doings here is the result of immi- 

 gration to Xew Zealand. 1 was sorry to read such bad accounts 

 in the Journal about emigration to America. Emigrants to 

 any colony must not be afraid of hard work. I say to them. 

 Persevere, and you will conquer in the end as I have done. I 

 work very hard at the present time with the spade ; my hands 

 are calloused, which is a pleasure to me when I look at them, 

 and know that myself, wife, and family are to reap the benefit, 

 which I Consider much better than toiling in a gentleman's or 

 nobleman's situation at home. Independence is sweet in any 

 country. People say first impressions of any place are gene- 

 rally lasting. Mine were of this place these ; " There's a 

 living to bo got hero for my wife and family if I persevere and 

 work hard." This proved quite correct in my case. I have 

 been, and am being rewarded for my preseverance and industry. 



Having worked very hard for what I possess, I have learnt 

 a lesson as a working man how to take care of it. Living at 

 ease here for a working man is quite out of the question at the 

 present day. I have seen many instances here of working men 

 getting into the lawyer's clutches in the shape of borrowing 

 money on their homesteads, &c. ; their troubles then generally 

 begin. 



Bees very busy to-dny, carrying pollen for the first time. I 

 can perceive to-day that winter crops of vegetables are just 

 beginning to "cheer up." Cabbages and Coleworts, Broccoli, and 

 Winter Spinach are all on the move after a long winter's rest. 

 The weather during the present and past winter has been the 

 most severe I have known in Canterbury. Our census states 

 Canterbury has '2,800 acres in orchard or gardens. — Willum: 

 SwAXE, Aconsidc Botanic Garden, Chrhtchurclt, Ca^.iterhiLTij^ 

 New Zealand. 



A NEW HOSE. 

 Mada:je Alice DnKEAu, which I before said was a promis- 

 ing Bose, is now (September 30th), blooming a second time. 

 It is worthy of adoption. Its present bloom is coloured at 

 the edges of the petals like Louise Peryonny. I see, by Mr. 

 Turner's list just arrived, that it won a gold medal. It is thus 

 described, "Bright rosy pink, very large, full, globular form; 

 superb. Gold medal, Orleans, 18CG." The description is jusL 

 — W. F. Eadclitfe. 



ESCALLONIA M.VCE,ANTHA. 



In the pleasure grounds here there are several plants of the 

 various kinds of Escallouia. Of these Escallonia macrantha 

 has grown very freely. There are some plants of it in a clump 

 surrounded by grass, and almost directly in the way of persons 

 crossing from one side of the grounds to the other, and I do not 

 remember noticing in former yesvrs any unpleasant odour from 

 the plants ; but ever since those welcome and refreshing 

 rains which fell in the middle of August, I found, on passing 

 the clump, that it emitted a very unusual and rather unplea- 

 sant smell. It is ob.^erved most in a calm dewy morning, when 

 the air is still. I will not positively say that it is given oil by 

 the Escallonia, but the only occupants of the bed besides it are 

 a few well-known plants from which I have never noticed any 

 such odour. They consist of a few plants of Leycesteria for- 

 mosa and Fuchsia Kiccartoni, surrounded by a band of Perilla 

 nankinensis, with a broad band of Verbenas all round, in panels 

 and contrasting colours. 



From which of the plants does this singular smell proceed? 

 I know of nothing which it resembles so much as that of a heap 

 of crushed or ground bones, such as farmers mix up with some 

 earthy material before putting it upon their land. To-day, the 

 air being damp and calm, while 1 was passing in front of 

 another border, I detected a similar smell, and looking amongst 

 the shrubs I saw a plant of the Escallonia growing there, 

 which still more induced me to think that the smell must 

 proceed from the Escallonias. I write not so much with the 

 View of affirming such to be the case as to inquire if any of 



