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Story: Horticultural use of native plants

Nursery catalogue

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Nursery catalogue

Duncan & Davies nursery in New Plymouth was the main supplier of native plants between 1918 and 1980. Victor Davies, a founding director, was a skilled plantsman and businessman, building the firm into the largest nursery in the southern hemisphere. This is the front of an early catalogue, featuring kōwhai (Sophora microphylla), cabbage tree (Cordyline australis), pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) and a fern.

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Duncan & Davies Nursery

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Horticultural use of native plants – History, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/ephemera/10449/nursery-catalogue (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

Janette Grover
13 September 2023
I am looking for Dixie Red peach trees and McVerna plum trees Thankyou. Regards Jan Grover