11 
Climbers 
Clematis chinensis, 
Clematis filamentosa, 
Clematis grata var. grandidentata, 
Passiflora alata x cserulea. 
THE WATERFALL GARDENS, PENANG 
The principal change made in the Waterfall Gardens during the year was 
the removal of the plant-stand adjacent to the lower road, and the utilization 
of the flowering pot plants partly on the terrace of the new garden, where 
they show to much better advantage, and partly in making more showy 
flower beds in lawns B, D and E. The entrance to the formal garden was 
also improved by cutting back the hedge to show the ornamental gateway, 
and the lawn bordering the road between this gate and the main entrance 
planted with five beds of Cannas; this portion of road was also widened so 
that visitors wishing to enter the formal garden might conveniently park their 
cars. The Canna beds round the old bandstand were removed, being too near 
the spreading Podocarpus trees. 
Composting has been carried out regularly on the lines recommended, 
in the Department of Agriculture leaflet No. 17 (1937), and the resulting- 
material has been found very useful both for herbaceous and woody plants. 
The latter have also benefited, as at Singapore, by application of rock 
phosphate as well as compost. The soil of the Gardens is very poor and 
sandy, and some of the woody plants in the upper lawns have made poor 
growth. 
The collection of young plants of several species of Saraca has been 
moved from the upper end of lawn E, where they were too exposed, to a 
more sheltered position near the stream in lawn S. After being moved the 
plants made good growth, and should produce interesting flowering trees 
later. 
In the new garden, growth generally was satisfactory. The climbers 
are now covering the pillars and are making some growth along the 
connecting chains. The herbaceous plants and small shrubs in the two 
long borders have developed into good compact groups giving a bright 
display of colour. A free-flowering variety of Tecomaria capensis was the 
most striking addition to the borders. A feature of the formal garden was 
a bed of Plumbago rosea, which flowered freely for more than four months,, 
after which it was cut back. The best method of treating this shrub is to 
maintain about two inches thickness of a mulch of grass cuttings, which 
keeps the roots cool and acts also as an organic manure. 
Several Poinciana trees remaining from the original row from the 
Gardens’ entrance to the office were removed, as the avenue of Mesua ferrea 
is now well developed. A large Rambutan tree was also removed near the 
office. Several trees fell during the storms in August, when there were 
both high winds and heavy rains; the floods at this time, though unusually 
high both at the Waterfall Gardens and the Residency, did no permanent 
damage. 
The clump t s of thorny bamboo by the upper and lower bridges have died 
completely after flowering for more than a year. The clump b3^ the middle 
bridge remains alive, without flowering. It has been found that these 
bamboos are Bambusa arundinacea, a Burmese species, not the Malaysian 
B. Blumeana as reported last year. 
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