H 



IRISH GARDENING 



Gardfns, the need for such an extensive depart- 

 ment is understood; not only the work of to-day 

 must be done, but it must also be recognised a3 

 the work of next year, for here the foundation of 

 future fioral displays are laid, and if they are to 

 be a success they must be truly and solidly laid. 



Kensington Gardens proved that tliis particular 

 propagating department had done its work well, 

 as the flower beds and borders were gay with 

 colour and freshness, most of the subjects being 

 drawn from the houses when in full flower to 

 replace those ordinary plants which the excessive 

 drought had destroyed. Celosias of varied hues, 

 hiliums, etc., were being planted in full flower, 

 and tlie pviblic, while enjoying the display, were 

 certainly not aware of the great efforts nuide to 

 provide this floral feast. 



The Dutch garden at Kensington Palace was gay 

 with colours, hardy annuals being in evidence 

 everywhere, while the familiar Aster and Antirr- 

 hinum in mass made their presence felt from 

 every peep-hole of the lime hedge fence. The 

 whole area of Kensington Gardens reflected great 

 credit on Mr. Gardiner's capable management, 

 while the historic features with their sentimental 

 links connecting the past with the present give 

 the visitor much food for reflection. 



Regent's Park, the next on our programme, 

 cannot claim to be fidl of landscape beauty, but 

 it is a place of great importance to the Londoner, 

 and its Superintendent, Mr. T. Hay, has, by his 

 horticultural ainlity and striking personality, pro- 

 duced in tins Park (for the short time he has been 

 in control* something that both the general and 

 the horticultural public like in novel ideas, artistic 

 arrangement and new subjects. 



First of all, Mr. Hay knows how to interest the 

 public; secondly, the day a horticultural friend 

 visits him daylight ends only when his interesting 

 subjects liave been shown, and his original ideas 

 propounded. In short, he is an enthusiast with a 

 mission to make the most of whatever he has in 

 hand; and our visit was made full of pleasure by 

 the way our host laid bare every detail of park 

 management. 



The flower beds and borders were suffering, like 

 others in London, from the extreme heat, but their 

 brightness proved unremitting care had been the 

 daily order of things. Large vases of Ivy leaf 

 Geraniums, tumbling in cascade-like wreaths over 

 their respective pedestals, looked gay; borders of 

 Dahlias, and beds of Geraniums, with sub-tropical 

 beds of Cannas and Palms on every hand, empha- 

 sised the scorched condition of the grass lawns. 



Mr. Hay conducted us to the propagating de- 

 partment, a well-conducted orderly nursery, with 

 an extensive range of houses large and small. Here 

 we saw a new variety of winter-flowering Pansy 

 in process of being built up — said to be of American 

 origin — it is likely to revolutionise spring bedding 

 if its claim to flower right through the early spring 

 months is verified. Anyway, Mr. Hay has many 

 thousands with which to test the validity of the 

 assertion. 



Some new Hollyhock strains were also in 

 evidence here, and in one of the houses we espied 

 a mass of red Begonia fulgens being raised for 

 next summer's bedding. This is quite the finest 

 of the small-flowered tuljerous-rooted types of 

 bedding Begonias, and practically unknown to the 

 public. Mr. Hay thinks highly of it, and intends 

 to make a big display in next summer's bedding 

 arrangement. Incidentally I may remark that we 

 in Dublin also hope to see .something of it. 



Now comes a perambulation of Regent's Park 



and its adjoining eminence, " Primrose Hill," 

 where Mr. liay pointed out many interesting land- 

 marks in ]-ondon, this being one of the highest 

 points of IS'oith London tiie pu.hlic have a dial 

 fixed with index I'Ointer to many of the most 

 famous London objects. The roaxls in Regent's 

 Park are of tarred surface .similar to those of the 

 Phoenix Park, but the mi thod of application is 

 different, the Regent's Park lieing by horse- 

 drawn tank and pump spray, while the" Phoenix 

 Park method is that of steam engine with steam 

 power spray pump. The latter covers great areas 

 in the shortest possible time with a minimum of 

 inconvenience to the public; a matter of great 

 importance ;vs any lady who has encountered a 

 tarring machine in process of spraying can testify. 



The Zoological Garden was next visited, and 

 proved to be a place of great interest; while claim- 

 ing to be the premier Zoo of Great Britain, this 

 garden can lay claim to being one of the brightest 

 and best kept flower gardens in London, and is an 

 inidoubted attraction to Regent's Park. Still 

 under the guidance of Mr. Hay we visited the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, where we 

 met the Curator, who was in turn showing us 

 round the grounds (which he hopes to see one day 

 worthy of their name) when darkness set in, and 

 ended our peregrinations for the day. 



Critically inclined we compared the respective 

 merits of the London and the Dublin Parks, and, 

 in spite of the adverse weather conditions in 

 Ijondon, naturally awarded the first place to 

 Dublin. 



Hampton Court Palace was on our programme 

 next, and in glorious weather we piirsued our way 

 to this historic place. Time only permitted aii 

 inspection of the gardens and grounds here; the 

 pretty Dutch garden possesses similar features to 

 those of its kind, the lime hedge l>oundary fence, 

 with its trinuned peep-holes and the kaleidoscopic 

 colour effects in the gaiden, interest the ordinary 

 visitor greatly. 



The great 'Vine, famous to every newspaper 

 reader, is the ordinary "Vine that we all know, 

 ibut the fact that it fills a large house by itself, 

 was planted 15;j years ago, and is full of vigour and 

 prolificacy .still, entitles it to rank as no ordinary 

 Vine. No visitor to Hampton Court leaves with- 

 out seeing this famous plant, and the small toll 

 of one penny charged for a view must produce 

 funds enough to pay for its cultivation. 



The famous herbaceous borders with their speci- 

 ally grown occupants provide a very fine feast of 

 flowers; wide and long as they are, thousands of 

 plants are employed to produce the sununer dis- 

 jilay; grojps of Jlijdivii'iiii puiiiciihtld , specially 

 grown, were most effective. Eujidfui'iuni pur- 

 puif'um, Melfiiium S'lrcrsinn Jieaiifi/. I'hlox La 

 I'erle, Heler>ium pwmUo, Chelone Lyoni, Phlox 

 Hiiigstroom, liiidhcckia laciiiidta fl. pi. were some 

 of the more effective groups in this nol>le border. 

 The flower beds, which are on a big scale, were 

 well planted in original designs, for the most part 

 self-coloured, and being free from the atmospheric 

 effects of the metropolitan area, the flowers were 

 superior in vigour and purity of colouring. 



A bed of semi-double pink Begonias, with dot 

 plants of Lfiicoplii/ton lirairnii through it, was 

 most effective. This Begonia on inspection proved 

 to be a Hampton Court selected form. 



Another taking bed was one of the dark red 

 licfjonia Lafayette over a carpet of Jjcucophytoii 

 Brownii. 



That fine zonal P<lnooiiiiim Marimr Koralrsl;}/ 

 provided another very fine .bedding effect, and 



