IRISH GARDENING 



Cordon Pears on a Wall. Tomatoks bktwken 

 (p. •■!!). 



bright green above and silky white beneath; some 

 18 to 20 feet high, it is quite a fine object when 

 there is wind to show it up. The plants of the 

 Chilean Lurdhahiila biternata here (not Iliiiia- 

 l(i!/<'ii, as stated in error before) have grown to 

 nothing like the splendid dimensions of the speei- 

 men mentioned by Sir Herbert Maxwell in Irish 

 Gardening of February (page 24) ; but when 

 established I, too, have found it a very rampant 

 species. It seems perhaps well adapted to cover 

 an unsightly wall or rough corner, and I, too, am 

 removing it from a site which is capable of grow- 

 ing something better. This reminds me of Vitis 

 stiiata, an evergreen Vine from South America, 

 suited to cover some ugly wall, and of a Rose in- 

 troduced from China by Mr. Wilson (as No. 4127, 

 I think), and named I understand B. loni/icvsijis, 

 which is well adaijted to ramble over a liedge or 

 to screen a rough corner. Ii is a dense evergreen, 

 dark foliage, very rampant, and a quick grower. 



with sweet-scented pink flowers, followed by 

 orange fruit. 



Bamboos, with their arc'hing stems and graceful 

 and distinct appearance, are general favourites, 

 and some few may be noted now. as it will soon 

 be the best time to plant them. Aiundiiuinn 

 nobilis, canes shining mottled brown as if var- 

 nished, about 2U ft, high and 2^ in. round at the 

 base, seems one of the best of them. .1. nitida is 

 also a very handsome species. .4. falcata, A. Ftdcoii- 

 eri, A. japoiiira {Metake). A. miicrostemmri, A. 

 Siiiioni are desirable; so, too, are A. aunroma, A. 

 I Inijmnfha, A. Rindsii, and .1. iiKiniioieii. 

 'inly they are smaller. riiytJostiiilii/x CasfU- 

 Imits has bright yellow canes streaked with green; 

 1'. fustiwxci is a fine upright species, some 20 feet 

 high, with large canes 3 inches round at the base. 

 r. auiea and 1'. tnifis are erect; P. fie.ruosa more 

 arching; the canes of P. niiira are black and .shin- 

 ing. P. ruscifoUa, P. auiiiliureii, and Baiiilnisit 

 Xdiiashima are among the smaller class, which 

 also includes B. anousfifolid, a very graceful 

 plant; while B. Pagamuirshi (tessalata) is dwarf, 

 with very large bright-green leaves. B. quadniii- 

 inihins is. moreover, an interesting species. Some 

 of these Bamboos are very aggressive, and require 

 a good deal of room; this is especially the case 

 with Aniudinaria palnmta iKuiiuisasa), which, 

 tliough handsome and furnished with large foliage, 

 may become decidedly trouble-some by pushing its 

 -irong growth through everything "near it; .4. 

 I'l/fjiium also is a rampant ' grower, and so is 

 mother with fairly large leaves which came here 



IS .1. (iiirepf!, Init is not, I think, correctly named. 



Innidij Doniij-, the upright Eeed from the Medi- 

 terranean region, has never done well here; but 

 Hesfio siibi^crticinutus, from South Africa, grows 

 <iuite satisfactorily in a sheltered place! This 

 -pecies, with vivid green arching stems, short red 

 ~tem-sheaths, and feathery foliage, somewhat like 

 Ostrich phnnes, partly resembles a Bamboo, but 

 belongs to a different order. It is interesting, 

 lioth oil account of its graceful and peculiar ap- 

 pearance, and also because it is a representative 



'f a distinct race of plants not often seen in ordi- 

 nary out-of-doors cultivation. 



Rosa berberidifolia. 



The aspect of this Eose is such a strange one that 

 some botanists did not admit it as a Rose. The 

 very thin and extraordinary stoloniferous 

 branches, the Berberis-like spines and leaves, the 

 flowers very open and rather small, with their 

 sulphur-yellow petals, marked with a deep brown 

 spot at their base, and with deep brown stamens, 

 put it apart from all the other Roses. But the 

 chief character lies in the leaves, which are 

 simple and unifoliolate. 



I saw it for the first time at the Rev. Ewbank'.s 

 garden in Ryde forty years ago. I got it from 

 him and from other sources, especially from that 

 good friend. Canon Ellacombe, who gave freely 

 everything from his garden at Bitton. But I lost 

 it several times. Now I had the pleasure of an 

 opportunity, twelve years ago, of a friend going to 

 Turkestan, who offered to collect seeds for me. 

 He went to the mountains of Buchara, and there 

 he found it abundantly. He brought me seeds, 

 and, very curiously, these seeds, instead of resting 

 some months before germinating, as do the other 

 Roses, came up immediately, just like cabbage 

 seeds ! ! 



We planted B. berheridif(Aia in four different 



