146 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



HORTICULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. 

 By G. Hunt, F.R.H.S. 



It occurred to me on the voyage home from New Zealand that it might 

 he of interest if I put together some few facts regarding New Zealand 

 flowers and plants, so that the Fellows of the old Society might be 

 interested in knowing what the colonists are doing in regard to horti- 

 cultural and agricultural matters. And I have to thank the President 

 and Council of the Royal Horticultural Society for the opportunity now 

 given me, and for the exceedingly hearty welcome accorded to me 

 personally by many of the Fellows, for which I thank them, not only as 

 a kind compliment to myself, but also to the colony of New Zealand, 

 to which I am proud to belong. 



Horticulture in New Zealand, considering the short time that the 

 colony has been established, has made rapid strides, not only in the large 

 centres, but also in the smaller settlements, and it is the more remarkable 

 when one remembers that the people in the country districts lead a busy 

 and laborious life. In the pastoral districts breaking down the bush, 

 reclaiming the wilderness, and bringing the land into cultivation occupy 

 the settler and leave him but little time to think of the growth of flowers ; 

 but in the towns, where the hours of labour are so much shorter than in 

 the Mother Country, many enthusiasts are found who devote, their 

 energies to the perfection of their particular favourites. 



The Rose has many admirers, and it is surprising how soon all the 

 new varieties that are produced in England and on the Continent find 

 their way to the colony farthest south. 



The Chrysanthemum is also largely cultivated and brought to great 

 perfection. The flowers are equal to any exhibited in the Motherland, 

 and as the Chrysanthemum, like the Rose, bears the sea voyage well, new 

 varieties are quickly distributed. Possibly owing to the exacting attention 

 required by ' Mums,' the interest in their growth seems to be diminishing 

 in some of the centres, but in the case of the ever-favourite Rose, which 

 requires less time and attention, I think that it leads the way in popular 

 estimation. 



Many soft- wooded plants would be imported, but the risks on board 

 steamer are too great to admit of much success, so that the colonists 

 rely upon seeds to obtain this class of flower. Zonal Pelargoniums 

 do not travel well ; black rot soon makes its appearance when the plants 

 are confined on shipboard ; but notwithstanding this drawback, many of 

 the new varieties h;ive weathered the voyage and been successfully 

 introduced into the gardens of the colony. The common varieties of 

 this flower were taken out by the early settlers, and now grow wild in the 

 Suburban hedgerows, forming high fences, and bloom gorgeously in the 

 summer season ; only in the South Island are the plants cut down by 

 the frost. Many other common English flowers live outdoors throughout 

 the winter (except in the southern portion of the South Island). Such 



