No_6_July_and_August__1949 — Page 15

THE

BOTANIC

GARDENS

OF

HONG KONG

View of the Terrace

Garden and,

below,

plan of its arrangement.

formal

In a place like Hong Kong where a large proportion of the residential buildings are situated in hilly districts and where the site of the building has very often to be formed out of the side of the hill, terracing and landscaping of the lot can add a great deal to the character and beauty of the building itself.

In the leisure years of a generation or two ago, gardening, that is the cultivation of flowering shrubs and plants on their own grounds, was the serious hobby of a large number of the European population of Hong Kong. To-day, however, for some reason or other, this pursuit is not taken at all seriously and very few grounds show signs of the care and attention they deserve. In order to make the best use of the grounds and to be able to plan intelligently the best arrange- ments and display, some knowledge is required of the trees, shrubs and plants which can be cultivated freely in Hong Kong. The Superintendents of the Gardens Department and the Forestry Department of the Government of Hong Kong have a wealth of information available to those who are interested. With the kind co-operation of the Superintendent of the Gardens Department we intend to publish a series of articles which will assist amateur gardeners to choose, plant and care for the plants required for their grounds.

For this, the first of the series, we feel that no better subject could be chosen than the Botanic Gardens itself. A walk through the Botanic Gardens is an inspiration to any nature lover and furnishes innumerable examples of pleasing arrangements which could be copied for private residences.

The article illustrates only a small portion of the Gardens, mainly the formal arrangement around and contiguous to the Terrace Garden, with details of the trees and shrubs which so beautifully adorn it.

One interesting feature of the Botanic Gardens is the existence, perhaps unsuspected by many, of an underground concrete water service reservoir. The overall dimensions of this concealed reservoir are 290 feet in length, a width of 190 feet and a depth of 18 feet. It has a capacity of about 5,000,000 gallons of water when full. It is the receiving reservoir for water supplied from the mainland through the cross harbour pipe lines and it supplies water to the central districts of Hong Kong. The roof is covered over with about two feet of soil and the level surface forms the section known as the Terrace Garden, the design of which is shown on the right. The layout is strictly formal, with wide paths, a Pavilion and a large Fountain as the central feature surrounded by large flowerbeds in which a regular display of colour is maintained. The seasons of the year have a distinct bearing on the choice of subjects suitable for display purposes. As a general rule during the wet summer months, plants such as Canna, Cosmos, and Celosia form the mainstay of the garden whilst in the cool dry winter, Asters, Anturhinums, Dianthus, Delphiniums, Nasturtiums, Petunias, Phlox and Verbena are grown to good effect. Some of the permanent features of interest in, and close to, this section are numbered and described with each photograph.

Identification of trees and shrubs in the photograph above is as follows:

1. Crataeva religiosa-Spider Tree.

2. Mangifera indica-Mango.

An evergreen fruit tree with a dense rounded crown of foliage and is a native of India etc. There are a number of trees in the Colony but the fruits are mostly rather poor being stringy and having a pronounced turpentine flavour.

3. Cleistocalyx operculatus-Eugenia.

A tree to 50 ft. high and is native of S.E. Asia, thriving well near water. The flowers are used medicinally by the Chinese.

4. Cycas revoluta-Fern Palm.

©

G

内

A palm like plant, with handsome feathery leaves. the commonest cycad in cultivation. The fruits are edible. native of Java.

5. Petrea volubilis-Purple Wreath.

It is

A

The

A scandent shrub with rough and rigid leaves. flowers are borne in beautiful drooping violet sprays about 1 foot length, Native of Tropical America.

6. Casuarina equisetifolia.

7. Podocarpus macrophylla-Buddhist Pine.

An ornamental tree cultivated in gardens especially near Chinese temples. The fruits resemble the figure of a monk.

8. Cinnamomum Camphora-Camphor Tree.

A large spreading slow growing tree, native of China and Japan. The Camphor of commerce is obtained by distilling wood and leaves of this tree. Grown commonly in the Colony.

9. Aleurites moluccana-Candle Nut Tree.

10. Araucaria excelsa—Norfolk-Island Pine.

A beautiful columnar tree, with regular whorls of horizontal spreading branches, attaining a great height. Native of Norfolk Island.

11. Canna indica-Canna.

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