THE GARDENING WORLD. 
37 
THE 
JStew Zealand Daisy Bush. 
Olearia Haastil. 
January 19, i 9 ° 7 - 
hundredfold duties, therefore the neces¬ 
sity of clearly expressed literature in the 
gardening press. 
Wish aw. A. \ . M. 
striking Cuttings in Water. 
In your issue for December 1st (p. 862) 
your correspondent “ Veritas” calls atters- 
ion to an interesting phase of gardening 
under the above heading. I should like 
:o say that I have tried this method my- 
jclf and found it not only interesting, but 
practicable, and I believe that a large num¬ 
ber of hardwooded subjects may be suc- 
ressfully propagated in this way. In the 
ordinary way of striking cuttings, or 
rather that practised by nurserymen and 
other practical men, each species, or 
Venus, has its special treatment, but many 
of them will strike equally well in a jar 
>f water. I have always changed' the 
,vater at intervals, and put a piece of char- 
roal in the jar to keep it sweet. I have 
rooted Myrtle cuttings in this way, the 
failures being practically nil, whilst I 
rave known many people attempt to root 
them in soil and fail. The secret of 
access, however, depends upon the com¬ 
post they are potted in at first, which 
should be rough and very porous, and be 
.veil watered until planting out or re¬ 
setting. Shade until re-established. 
Myrtle cuttings should be taken with a 
neel. 
E. T. Lawrence. 
Devon. 
- +++ - 
Sweet Violets, 
\ Letter to the Editors 
I was pleased to read the remarks of 
your correspondent, Mr. T. L. Dick, on 
his treatment and growing' the above, al¬ 
though, as he says, they require a deal 
af trouble to grow them to perfection, yet 
at the same time no flowers are more ap¬ 
preciative or more valuable for decorating 
purposes when well grown than they are. 
His recommendation of striking I have 
seen practised. I remember when at 
Powderham Castle, under Mr. Powell, he 
always struck them in a frame, but in¬ 
stead of planting them in an open space 
for removal in September, he planted 
them in their permanent quarters at once, 
which was a shallow frame about 18 
inches in depth, and where lights could be 
put on during the winter months, water¬ 
ing and syringing being well attended to. 
I have never seen A'iolets do better than 
they did under the above treatment, 
neither have I seen larger or more perfect 
blooms. 
John Reynolds. 
Barton Mills, Suffolk. 
-- 
Elm Trees at Hampton. —When the 
electric tramway was taken to Hampton 
Court a strip of Bushey Park was acquired 
for the purpose of widening the road. 
Now the tall Elm trees there have been 
lopped and topped until they appear like 
scarecrows. The same may be said of 
an avenue of Elms in Ravenscourt Park. 
Possibly this may have been due to pre¬ 
cautions taken to safeguard the public 
from falling Elms. 
The true Daisy is a very small herb as 
everybodv knows, but it is so familiar an 
object in the grass during the spring and 
early pari of summer that lovers of gar¬ 
dens and flowers frequently compare 
something else to it. The plant under 
notice is a shrub native to New Zealand, 
and produces a profusion of flowers com¬ 
parable to those of a white Daisy, not the 
“ Wee modest crimson tipped flow'd ” of 
Burns. The shrub proves quite hardy in 
this country over a wide area between 
London and Edinburgh at least, and has 
proved one of the most useful of relatively 
recent introductions. It belongs to the 
same family as the Daisy, though it has 
acquired a shrubby' habit seldom seen in 
the Composite family except those com¬ 
ing from warm and temperate climates. 
The leaves of the New Zealand 
Daisy bush are of a dark green colour, 
about the same size as those of the Bex, 
and nearly as thickly placed on the twiggy 
shoots. The shrub is therefore a popular 
one with those w’ho have made its ac¬ 
quaintance, and as it may be kept in a 
dwarf condition for many years, it is well 
adapted for small gardens. Besides re¬ 
sembling Box in its close and twiggy 
habit, it has the recommendation of being 
an evergreen and likewise a flowering 
shrub. 
Those w'ho wish to introduce it to their 
gardens should either procure the plants 
about the end of October or up to the 
middle of November, but failing that, 
they should wait till April. Like other 
evergreens, it should not be planted in 
the dead season of winter, as the leaves 
are liable to give off the moisture of the 
plant while the mutilated and dormant 
roots are unable to supply the needs of the 
plant. When transplanted in April vege¬ 
tation is then active, and the roots caon 
repair the damage caused by moving. 
New Zealand Daisy Bush (.Olearia Haastiii. 
