IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME XVII 

 No. 19^; 



Editor -J. W. Besant. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



MARCH 

 1922 



Notes from Rostrevor* 



THE weather during the past moiitli has 

 been rather variahle, and on the wliole 

 not quite so favourable as usual to the 

 rapid development of a winter floral 

 display. Part of the time has certainly 

 been mild and lomparatively warm, 

 l)ut there was a period of frost — lowest 

 reading of the theimometer 25 degrees, 

 only for one night — and since then it 

 lias been cloudy and sunless, with a good 

 deal of liarsh east wind. Some of the bloom 

 lieginning to open has, tlierefore, been ai'rested, 

 waiting for more genial days; for instance, the 

 well-known Dapline Mezeiemi, S'littalliii ce}(isi- 

 furinis, the " Oso Berry " from California, and 

 the Fuchsia-like Bilies xperiosum. But climatic 

 conditions have had little or no effect upon 

 Daphne hJdijin/ana, 1). L/nireahi, and another very 

 fragrant species (probably D. colli im neapoli- 

 tiimi); luir upon Itihes l\ieiiziesii and If. laiii'i- 

 fi/liiiiii, the earliest of tlie genus, and recently 

 introduced from China. This last species, an 

 evergreen with di.stinet medium-sized foliage, and 

 the Nuttallia mentioned are both of them 

 dioecious, and bear the sexes on different plants, 

 and .so we must possess the two of eacli kind 

 before we can get the handsome fruit. The same 

 is the case with Melicytus nnniflorus, an interest- 

 ing shrub or small tree of the Violet Order from 

 New Zealand, just now bursting into bloom; all 

 its very numerous branchlets are literailj covered 

 with little bunches of tiny, dark-purple flowers, 

 giving the plant a very singular appearance. 

 There is only cine specimen liere, and so. imfor- 

 tmiately, we can never see the berries which are 

 said to be violet' coloured. Another species is M. 

 hnifeiildtu.'!, but it seems to be nnich more 

 tender, and I have not yet been able to establish 

 it out-of-doors. Siyphelin fusficuhtfn is a small 

 shrub, which has grown liere unhurt for neai'ly 

 ten years, and is now develojiing very pretty li+tle 

 white panicles for the first time; it belongs to 

 the Epacris Order, but I do not know its native 

 habitat. The following may also be noted for 

 flower at this season: — Cleinntis baleaiicu. Coinu:: 

 Mas. Cornelian Cherry; Erica arhorea, fragrau:, 

 about eight feet high ; and some forms of the 

 smaller E. mediterninea ; fJupliorbin meUifeid ; 

 (ireriUeii nisiiuninifiiliii ; Pittofiponnn Tnhini. 

 scented; P/i/hi/.s ddridiniiu . and I'. Pi.-i.^ardii : 

 Itapliiolepis Deldcoini. and S. indirn : Spii:id 

 Thidihetyii : and the half-hardy ]Ve.^friii(ii(t inx- 

 indrinifoimi,i from Australia, growing against a 

 south wall. Bhododendioii pr:t'C0.r and Bh . veiiu- 



■•ifiiiii. now represent that grand genus. I'riiisepia 

 ■'iinensi.s is a new introduction from China with 

 small pale yellow flowers, produced in profusion 

 all along the stems; it was first wrongly named 

 Plagiospermum, but is now identified of the Rose 

 Order, and a near ally of Prunus and of Nut- 

 tallia; the fruit described as a small red phmi 

 has not yet been pi-oduced here. 



Leurojum reniiim, white, tipped witli gieen, 

 and something like a large Snowdrop, is showinn- 

 up well, together with Scilla hifolid. blue, the 

 earliest of the Squills; Crocus; rorsirux. (', mini- 

 niii.i. (_'. (Hirieii (.iiicheri), C. foinmd.siiiianu.i, and 

 two or three other species are in flower, as well 

 as a lovely little white Prinnda (name unknown). 

 Ilelhhiiriis nifier, the Christmas Rose, is nearly 

 over, but there are others to replace it, pink, 

 white, and green ; Anemone Hepatica is pushing 

 up its charging carmine or blue bloom, and the 

 carpeting 11 elich ri/.-mm hellididioides its everlast- 

 ing white daisies. BooiUia au.<<tr<ili.t. silvejy 

 grey, B. ijhilna and B. suhsericea, both green, do 

 not flower now. l.ut they may be noted as carpet- 

 ing plants and of value in the Rock Garden. The 

 large evergiee.i shrub, UmheUvlarid cdlifornicd, 

 has a strongly-scented leaf. This peculiarity is to 

 be found in many plants of the J,abiatP Order; 

 fdr instance, Micrmneria l>uii(/hsi. M. piperita, 

 (higdnum T)ictdmnitii, 0. sipyleinn, Brostdii- 

 thera lasianfhos, P. riolaceu, liosmariiiu.^ offici- 

 iidli.i, Tcucriiim Marim, &c. But it is not confined 

 to that order, and is to be found in some of the 

 Artemisias, A. .ilirdfinium, A. (crhored, A. ciim- 

 pliorata; in Sanfulinji Clwmn'rypdri.'isii.t. and N. 

 ro.fmdrinifoUd : among most of the .species of Euca- 

 lyptus, in MyrfiLf (ihcorddfi: , and Kiujenid inyrii- 

 iiiliii. Moreover, a certain number of Rhododen- 

 drons have aromatic foliage — among them. Bli. 

 dittlinpogon. Bh . siilnrrdtitldiiii , and Bh. ymithi- 

 niim; while that of Skimniid Laureola is remark- 

 able for its curiously pungent scent. The peculi- 

 arity is also to lie found well pronounced in 

 LinireJia .<<err<ifa. Cinnarnomiim Cd iiiphoru. the 

 bastard Camphor tree, and in I'einnu.i Hohhis 

 (Boldod frdgranx). This last is an interesting 

 shrub from Chile, not very often seeii in culti- 

 vation, Init well worthy of a place where it "will 

 grow; it is an evergreen, with grey, glossy, very 

 handsome leaves, strongly and pleasantly scented, 

 which in shape and colour resemble somewhat 

 those of Cerdfonid siiiijua, the Carob or liocust 

 of the Levant, or " St. John's Bread." A well- 

 grown plant of Olcdria Trarersii is always valu- 

 able, if only on account of its beautiful foliage. 



