414 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  13,  1897. 
is  hardly  fair  treatment,  although  in  many  gardens  they  are  so 
treated,  and  they  bloom  well  ;  but  if  the  roots  be  lifted  during 
the  summer,  properly  dried,  then  stored  in  a  cool  dry  place,  and 
replanted  in  fresh  good  soil  in  the  autumn  they  will  repay  the 
treatment,  whilst  the  offsets  grown  separately  the  sooner  become 
flowering  bulbs. — A.  D. 
[We  have  seen  the  Tulips  referred  to  by  our  correspondent, 
and  confirm  his  choice.  Apart  from  the  effective  “  Darwins,”  the 
trio,  macrospila,  Picotee,  and  Golden  Beauty,  would  be  difficult  to 
excel  for  flowering  in  masses  in  May.] 
THE  FLOWER  GARDENS  OF  VICTORIA  (AUSTRALIA). 
Most  people  I  have  met  in  England  seem  to  have  an  idea  that 
Australia  is  a  scorching  sun-baked  land,  ever  thirsty  and  parched,  and 
seem  filled  with  incredulity  when  told  that  it  can  grow  the  lovely  flowerB 
and  plants  that  it  does.  Now  this  state  of  things  is  much  to  be  depre¬ 
cated  and  wondered  at,  for  with  so  many  hundreds  of  persons  passing 
between  England  and  Australia  every  week,  it  is  time  the  folk  here  had 
a  brighter,  pleasanter,  and  at  the  same  time  more  correct  idea  of  the 
place  they  may  be  merely  going  to  visit,  or  perhaps  think  of  making 
their  future  home,  so  that  when  they  bid  farewell  to  this  fair  land  they 
may  not  leave  with  a  sense  of  saying  “  good-bye  ”  to  all  that  goes  to 
make  up  an  English  home,  and  especially  an  English  garden. 
However,  I  shall  endeavour  to  give  you  a  layman’s  ideas  or  remem¬ 
brances  of  average  gardens  in  and  around  the  suburbs  of  Melbourne, 
and  in  certain  country  districts  where  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to 
have  been,  when  I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  judge  how  imported 
flowering  plants  behave  in  their  adopted  country.  I  propose  first  of  all 
to  give  some  slight  idea  of  our  climate  in  the  colony  of  Victoria,  as  a 
preface,  so  that  you  can  understand  some  of  the  external  conditions 
under  which  our  plants  and  flowers  grow. 
Briefly  then,  we  have  two  very  warm  months — viz.,  January  and 
February,  These  form  our  midsummer.  Beginning  to  get  warm  in 
November,  December  gradually  becomes  warmer  as  the  days  slip  by. 
Flowers  and  shrubs  commence  to  wear  a  jaded  look.  January  comes 
along,  and  we  find  this  condition  increasing  until  in  February  the 
thermometer  generally  reaches  its  highest  point,  which  varies  according 
as  the  season  be  a  mild  or  severe  one,  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  world. 
Now  the  gardens  and  country  generally  look  distressed,  the  earth  is 
baked  hard,  and  Nature,  save  in  some  instances,  appears  worn  out  with 
struggling  against  long  odds,  and  is  only  saved  from  downright  death  by 
a  timely  change  and  a  good  shower,  which  puts  enough  vigour  into 
plant  life  to  sustain  it.  Of  course,  by  the  plentiful  application  of  hoses 
and  sprinklers,  for  the  use  of  which  there  is  a  small  tax,  hundreds  of 
gardens  are  kept  in  proper  state,  and  the  dews  at  night,  along  with  this 
and  the  humid  atmosphere  make  things  grow  in  a  semi-tropical  manner. 
Then  again  the  heat  is  not  continuous,  and  sudden  cool  changes  occur 
after  a  few  days’  heat ;  rain  falling,  the  earth  is  cooh  d,  and  it  seems  as  if 
these  changes  were  sent  tp  keep  things  going.  But  alas !  in  many  places 
inland  the  long-looked -for  change  may  not  come  for  weeks  or  months,  and 
then  comes  a  drought,  which  seem  to  recur  periodically.  I  am,  however, 
speaking  of  places  which  are  within  100  or  200  miles  from  the  coast,  and 
not  too  hot  for  the  aboriginals.  So,  to  sum  up  the  summer — it  is  a  very 
warm  or  hot  season,  the  temperature  going  up  at  times  to  105°  and 
106®  at  rare  intervals  near  the  coast,  with  an  average  of  about  90°  F., 
varied  by  several  cool  days  together  and  a  recuperation.  For  instance, 
we  read  of  the  present  summer  of  birds  dropping  down  dead  off  the 
branches  from  the  great  heat,  and  then  a  few  days  later  so  cold  that  all 
are  wearing  winter  clothes  and  are  burning  fires  in  their  houses.  One 
thing  I  have  forgotten  to  mention,  and  that  is  the  burning  north  winds, 
which,  blowing  from  the  sun-baked  interior,  swoop  down  over  Melbourne 
and  suburbs,  parching  up  everything  for  the  time  being.  Strange  to 
say  these  are  becoming  of  less  intensity,  and  do  not  last  as  long  as  in 
the  earlier  times,  a  phenomenon  evidently  due  to  civilisation  and  altera¬ 
tion  of  the  surface  of  the  country. 
At  length  in  March  a  change  begins  to  be  appreciable.  Hot  days 
grow  less  frequent,  and  autumn  creeps  on  apace.  Lovely  days  with 
gorgeous  sunsets  become  the  order  of  the  season,  and  April  sees  the  first 
of  the  wintry  rains,  but  not  till  May  is  well  upon  us  do  we  get  the  cold 
weather.  Rains  are  frequent  and  wet  days  plentiful,  and  the  earth 
teems  to  have  taken  a  new  lease  of  life.  In  June  we  have  the  true 
winter  weather.  Cold,  clear,  sharp  nights,  rain,  hail,  and  frosts,  and 
ast  year  snow  fell  heavily.  Growth  is,  of  course,  slow,  or  arrested 
almost,  and  not  till  July  is  gone  and  August  is  with  us  does  the  earth 
seem  to  re-awaken  and  respond  to  the  voice  of  spring. 
Many  of  these  winter  days  are  lovely  in  the  extreme.  Perhaps  fogs 
(but  not  of  the  smoky  London  sort)  and  frost  at  night,  cold,  sharp 
mornings,  but  lovely  sunshiny  middays  and  afternoons.  Days  in  which 
one  loves  to  bask  in  the  warm  sunshine  and  enjoy  the  clear  atmosphere 
with  a  sky  as  blue  as  that  of  Venice.  These  are  the  days  one  feels  glad 
to  be  alive,  for  they  are  charmingly  exhilarating. 
The  end  of  August  and  beginning  of  September  sees  the  plant-life 
awakening  everywhere.  Plants  can  almost  be  seen  to  grow  in  the 
humid  air  and  soil  ;  all  the  fruit  trees  leaf  and  blossom  ;  the  grass  and 
Cape  weed,  introduced  by  the  late  B.  Von  Mueller,  with  its  lovely 
composite  bright  yellow  flowers,  are  a  treat  to  behold  ;  and  now,  where 
once  hard-baked  clay  was  to  be  seen,  with  not  a  trace  of  verdure,  there 
spring  up,  as  if  by  magic,  all  sorts  of  flowering  grasses  and  weeds,  which 
seem  to  fairly  revel  in  their  new  existence.  Gardens  are  in  their  gayest 
attire,  and  need  lots  of  weeding  and  cleaning.  This  continues  until 
the  end  of  October,  when  the  first  faint  hot  breaths  begin  to  be  felt,, 
just  sufficient  to  remind  the  flowers  that  their  time  of  trial  is  coming.. 
So  we  come  round  to  the  warm  summer  days  again  in  November. 
I  shall  now  speak  of  the  gardens  and  their  occupants  in  these  respec¬ 
tive  seasons,  trying  to  put  a  mental  picture  before  your  eyes,  a  picture- 
as  seen  and  described  by  one  who  is  pleased,  as  an  amateur,  with  the 
scene,  and  tries,  however  imperfectly,  to  describe  it  to  you,  who  may  in 
comparison  be  looked  upon  as  true  artists. 
Beginning  at  the  commencement  of  summer — viz  ,  in  November — 
one  finds  the  gardens  looking  very  gay  and  full  of  freshness.  Geraniums 
of  all  sorts  grow  and  bloom  in  great  profusion.  Columbines,  Foxgloves, 
and  some  late  Freesias,  Cowslips,  Primroses,  Polyanthuses,  and  other 
late  spring  bloomers  are  growing  almost  if  not  quite  as  well  aB  in  any 
English  garden.  Auriculas  are  less  common,  but  are  cultivated  in  the 
higher  altitudes  to  great  perfection.  Pelargoniums  make  a  splendid 
array,  and  grow  in  almost  any  locality  to  the  verge  of  wildness  and  in 
the  greatest  variety,  the  fine  pink  one  known  to  us  as  the  “  Azalea  ” 
Pelargonium  being  especially  fine  and  a  free  grower,  blooming  well  in 
the  hottest  weather.  Carnations  are  in  almost  every  garden,  and  are 
remarkably  fine,  a  large  delicate  pink  one  being  a  general  favourite. 
The  White  Prince  and  the  Clove-scented  dark  crimson  share  this  honour- 
also.  I  have  seen  nearly  an  acre  of  these  lovely  scented  plants  in  one- 
nursery,  the  perfume  from  the  flowers  being  exquisite.  Petunias  thrive 
amazingly,  and  with  a  minimum  of  attention.  Whites,  purples,  pinks^. 
single  and  double  Phloxes  are  easily  grown,  and  afford  an  immense 
variety  of  colour.  _ 
Pansies  and  Larkspurs  can  be  kept  bloomiDg  Dearly  all  the  hot 
weather  with  very  little  care,  while  Ericas,  Epacris,  and  Heaths  are 
plentiful  and  of  all  varieties,  the  Australian  climate  seeming  parti¬ 
cularly  suited  to  them.  Many  varieties  are  indigenous,  and  may  be 
found  in  the  wild  state  in  many  places  in  New  South  Wales.  Irisea 
do  well,  and  make  a  splendid  show  in  the  earlier  summer  months,  the- 
Japanese  Flag  IriseB  being  particularly  fine,  with  their  handsome  foliage 
and  large  Clematis-like  flowers,  both  single  and  double,  and  from 
5  inches  to  7  inches  in  diameter,  varying  in  colour  from  the  darkest  blue 
to  rose,  salmon,  red,  purple,  crimson,  pure  white,  orange-yellow,  striped 
and  blotched.  Our  climate  is  also  specially  suited  for  the  Amaryllis 
family,  and  they  require  little  care,  and  the  flowers  of  white,  rose, 
vermilion,  maroon,  and  purple  are  a  treat  to  see,  so  well  do  they  blossom. 
Tecomas,  Sweet  and  Everlasting  Peas,  require  plenty  of  water  and 
looking  after.  Balsams,  Gladioli,  Dahlias.  Cockscombs,  Asters,  Mari¬ 
golds  fairly  blaze  in  the  bright  sunlight.  In  fact  for  the  latter  flower- 
the  heat  seems  to  be  essential  for  the  proper  development  of  the  blooms, 
and  a  border  of  these  on  the  lawn  at  our  big  racecourse  at  Flemingtom 
on  the  day  of  the  running  of  the  Melbourne  Cup  race  has  gained  a 
world-wide  fame  for  its  lovely  sight.  Fuchsias,  Pentstemons,  Foxgloves, 
Hollyhocks,  Zinnias,  Coreopsis,  Cinerarias,  Stocks  of  all  hues,  single  and 
double,  bloom  well,  but  require  plenty  of  hose  and  attention. 
When  summer  is  at  a  white  heat,  so  to  speak,  and  many  gardens  are 
looking  a  little  seedy,  those  who  have  planted  Mesembryanthemum 
and  Portulacas  aTe  well  repaid.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  hotter  the  day  the 
better  do  these  bloom.  The  former  grow  wild  on  all  the  seacoast  cliffs, 
and  when  in  a  garden  and  cared  for  are  simply  dazzling  in  brilliancy. 
Golden  yellows,  pale  crimsons,  and  snow  whites,  all  look  at  their  best, 
and  their  icy-like  thick  leaves  have  a  cool  appearance.  Nasturtiums 
also  seem  to  revel  in  the  heat,  the  leaves  growing  as  large  as  good-sized 
dinner  plates,  and  on  any  fence  or  wall  this  beautiful  plant  grows 
ranker  than  a  weed,  and  the  strange  admixture  of  colours,  due  to  the 
bees,  l  believe,  presents  an  ever  varying  sight,  while  the  green  leaves 
are  a  delightful  rest  to  the  eyesight  ip  days  almost  too  bright. 
Again  I  must  sing  the  praises  of  a  favourite  flower  of  mine.  I  refer 
to  the  double  Pink  or  Ivy-leaved  Geranium.  This  plant  makes  the 
poorest  garden  look  gay  in  the  hottest  months,  and  will  grow  in  almost 
any  place  where  a  piece  is  thrown  simply  on  the  surface  in  the  spring. 
I  have  seen  several  fences  converted  into  what  were  seemingly  hedge¬ 
rows,  and  in  one  back  yard  in  spite  of  fowls  and  pigeons  laying  and 
making  their  nests  in  it,  I  have  seen  it  all  through  the  summer  just 
one  blaze  of  lovely  delicate  pink.  Its  long  stalks  grow  through  the 
green  foliage,  and  blossom  in  huge  clusters.  If  the  pale  blue  Plumbago 
is  here  and  there  planted  with  it,  the  effect  is  most  artistic,  for  this 
also  grows  splendidly.  Indeed,  in  one  of  our  public  gardens  round  the 
Melbourne  Treasury  offices  I  have  seen  it  in  a  long  neatly  clipped  hedge 
some  5  feet  high  and  full  of  blooms. — ( Read  by  Dk  Ernest  D’OmbbAIK 
of  Melbourne  at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Horticultural  Club  ) 
(To  be  concluded.) 
