The early settlers brought with them an English love of gardening. Early records and pictures show that gardens were established as soon as houses were built. Mainly European fruits, flowers, and vegetables were naturally preferred as New Zealand had few suitable native ornamental plants or vegetables. Citrus were favourite fruits in the warmer parts. At the same time, introduced trees were used for shelter planting on farms. It is hard to realise in Taranaki and the Waikato, for example, that Pinus radiata, macrocarpa (Cupressus macrocarpa), and Lawson's cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) are not native to New Zealand. And in Central Otago, the Lombardy poplar's spring and autumn colours now lend a natural, almost native, beauty to the countryside.
It was not long before many of these introduced plants flourished aggressively and became trouble-some weeds, especially gorse and sweet brier and, more recently, Cape tulip (Homeria collina) and water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes).
Many of the large farm homesteads which were established some 60 to 100 years ago, and planted in the English eighteenth century “landscape” fashion, are now places of great beauty with many fine specimen plants. Nowadays farm homesteads are more modest and can hardly be distinguished from larger suburban properties. Most of the early larger city gardens (often 1-acre sections) are now subdivided. A few specimen plants from these still exist – old camellias in Wadestown, Wellington, or Norfolk Island pines in Mount Smart Road, Onehunga. Historic and notable trees are at present being recorded by the New Zealand Forest Service and the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. Many such plants and trees were imported or grown by nurserymen, and the wide range of their nurseries was an indication of community interest in trees, shrubs, and flowers.
Home-garden production was recorded for the only time in the population census of 1956, 344,104 households (62·4 per cent) having home gardens. Of those with gardens, 28·7 per cent grew some potatoes and 29·7 per cent some vegetables. All probably had flower gardens. Home gardens are usually between one-eighth to one-quarter acre, the average probably being one-sixth. Nearly all gardens are planned, developed, and tended by the owner himself; there are very few landscape architects or jobbing gardeners. New Zealand's climate encourages the growing of a range of plants wider than that of any other country of like size; indeed, probably as great a range is grown here as in the whole of the United States. For instance, one nurseryman grows more than 3,000 varieties of woody plants.
The movement of people to the warm temperate or subtropical parts of the North Island has encouraged interest in Australian and South African plants, especially in trees and shrubs like acacias, banksias, waratahs, aucospermum, leucadendron, and proteas. Further south, particularly in Christchurch, bedding plants make a great display from September to April. Winter flowers comprise Iceland poppy, anemones, and Soleil d'Or narcissus; in sheltered places in both Islands, cinerarias, Primula malacoides, and polyanthus flower well in spring. In relatively frost-free areas dahlias can be left over winter in the ground, and autumn-flowering bulbs, such as nerines and amaryllis, are widely grown. The white arum lily, a traditional glasshouse plant in Europe, grows freely in damp soil in many places, especially around farm homesteads. Roses grow well everywhere and in a good season will flower from October until May, producing 5 ft or more of new growth a year. Lightly pruned hybrid tea roses, which may grow 8 ft or more in the milder areas, can be truly described as rose trees. This ample supply of flowers throughout the year has encouraged housewives to take up floral art, so much so that this is now an important domestic activity.
The breeding of ornamental plants has been mainly done by nurserymen or amateurs. Outstanding plants have been bred by the late Edgar Stead, of Ilam (azaleas and rhododendrons), and at the present time J. S. Yeates, of Palmerston North, breeds Lilium parkmanii hybrids; P. Doak, Auckland, and L. Jury, New Plymouth, develop camellias; J. W. Matthews, Waikanae, breeds callas and gerberas, as do several growers in Auckland. Mrs J. Stevens, of Wanganui, received the highest awards in the United States of America for her bearded iris, especially the variety “Pinnacle”.
Every city and town has its public parks and reserves. A town belt of greenery was included in the earliest plans both of Wellington and of Dunedin. Both cities have now grown far beyond these belts, yet citizens consider them inviolable and strongly protest at any threat of encroachment by housing and industry. In most centres of importance throughout the country, ample parks and reserves have been set aside which provide the public with wide sporting and recreational facilities.
A worthy development is the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust, 12 miles from New Plymouth, on the slopes of Mount Egmont. Some 600 acres, donated privately and by the State, are being planted with rhododendrons, camellias, and other similar plants, and the native bush is being cared for and improved. It is worthy of note that many cities and towns own and are developing large tracts of exotic forest – a present and potential source of income. In one respect, however, New Zealand tends to lag behind the rest of the world, for the work of street planning and roadside beautification is being restricted by overhead power and telephone wires. Roading engineers in general have much to learn about beautification from the United States and from Europe; but no doubt, with more money and more established roads, this aspect will not be neglected.
Nurseries producing woody plants for sale must register. In 1963 there were 526 registered nurseries, with a total acreage of 1,688 acres. There were 360 registered nurseries in the North Island, 85 in Auckland and 68 in Palmerston North; and 166 in the South, 79 in Canterbury and 27 in Otago. Inspectors of the Horticulture Division, Department of Agriculture, inspect registered nurseries twice a year to ensure that they are free from disease. Nurseries growing non-woody plants (such as seedlings or bulbs) do not have to register, so there are no accurate figures of their numbers.
New Zealand nurserymen are up to date in their methods and quickly test and adopt new techniques, such as mist propagation and growing and selling plants in containers. Nurserymen's courses held at various centres have always been well attended. Bulb growing is not so specialised as in Holland; many bulb growers cut and market some of the flowers. Narcissi and gladioli are grown everywhere; hyacinths and tulips are mainly in Canterbury and further south, with a small area in the high country in the centre of the North Island. Cut flowers are grown by specialist producers in all districts, a small section of market gardeners producing one particular line, such as daffodils or chrysanthemums. Many people near the larger centres grow cut flowers part time, or sell the surplus from the home garden. Most flowers are grown outdoors, with carnations the main glasshouse crop. A wide variety of floral material is available and used, especially the newer flowering shrubs, such as boronia and thryptomene. Florists are not conservative in their methods or choice of material; the Diploma of the New Zealand Society of Professional Floral Artists has a high international standing. Floral art is developing rapidly and floral art groups are being formed in many places, sometimes as branches of other organisations, such as the Townswomen's Guilds.
The flowers are sold mainly through the auction markets in each centre and air freight is used extensively to send narcissi from North to South in winter, and tulips and chrysanthemums from South to North in October and late summer respectively.
The nurserymen's organisation, the New Zealand Horticultural Trades Association (Inc.), was founded on 17 March 1904 at Normanby. T. Kirk, the then Director of Horticulture, was one of the prime movers, and this close connection between the association and the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture has been maintained. The Horticultural Seedsmen's Association of New Zealand represents the seed trade, and the New Zealand Society of Professional Floral Artists, all practising florists.
The Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (Inc.) was founded in July 1923 and received its Royal Charter in 1939. It has 2,000 members and grants no more than 40 Associateships of Honour to those who have outstandingly served horticulture. Representatives of State Departments, agricultural colleges, trade and horticultural societies, as well as district nominees, all serve on its Dominion Council. The Institute watches the general interests of horticulture and, by statutory authority, issues, after examination, highly regarded diplomas in horticulture, fruit, and apiculture, and certificates in vegetable growing and school gardening, and the Seedsmen's Certificate.
Specialist or general horticultural societies flourish. The National Rose Society of New Zealand, which is organised on a district basis, has 4,000 members. The Canterbury Horticultural Society has nearly 2,000 members, with affiliated garden clubs. The Auckland Horticultural Council represents about 40 horticultural organisations from Whangarei to Pukekohe. Many of the specialist societies, such as the Rose, Camellia, and Rhododendron Societies, have annual flower shows, conferences, and conventions. More than 400 people may attend these conventions, visiting gardens specialising in these plants and hearing lectures.
by John Paiba Salinger, B.SC.(HORT.)(READING), N.D.H., Horticultural Advisory Officer (Ornamentals), Department of Agriculture, Wellington.