10 



IRISH GARDENING 



Hints to Beginners. 



By M. Crosbif. 



Considering the line weather that lias l)eeii 

 general during November and December, all 

 winter work ought to be well ahead, and it is to 

 be ho])ed it is so, as for the amateur in ]jarticular 

 January is not a nice month for outdoor work. 

 The soil is usually wet and cold, and the sleet 

 showers and north winds which ])revail are not 

 pleasant. But when alterations have been done 

 the regular work gets behindhand. In this cese 

 digging, trenching, and pruning of fruit trees of all 

 descriptions should be hurried on whenever 

 weather permits, as all ought to be completed by 

 end of the month. Borders that want remaking 

 can be done now. First, lift out all the plants 

 ard heel them in ; trench the border at least two 

 feet deep, adding manure, road-scrapings or wood 

 ashes. Leave the border to settle for a few weeks 

 before replanting. Divide any clumps of her- 

 baceoi's stuff that may have got too big, using 

 the outside pieces of the clumps for replanting. 



Any new shrubs or Roses that have still to be 

 planted, or any moving of old ones, ought to be 

 done this month whenever weather conditions are 

 favourable. Any Roses, shrubs, or other plants 

 that arrive when the soil is too wet to ])lant, or 

 in hard frost, are much better left for a few days 

 packed as thej' ctime from the nui'sery, and placed 

 in a shed where the frost cannot get at them. 

 When unpacking, if roots of Roses or shrubs are 

 found to be very dry, it is a good plan to soak 

 them in a puddle of clay and water for a few 

 hours before ijlanting ; and any torn or jagged 

 roots should be cvif clean with a sharp knife. 

 If the soil is heavy, some tine dry soil (old ])ott'ng 

 stuff, wood ashes for instance) shoiild be worked 

 in between the roots. The earth mark on stems, 

 which shows the depth which they were in the 

 ground before, will be a guide for de])th of present 

 planting. Tread soil firmly and put a stake to 

 all shrubs, being ]>articularly careful with those 

 that are evergreen, as, of course, the wind has 

 much more effect on them. Care must be taken 

 that the tying is loose enough to permit of the 

 stem swelling The tying materirl ovrght first 

 be firmly tied to the stake and then given a loose 

 twist before knotting round stem of ])lant. Even 

 when well staked, newly planted shrubs some- 

 times get loose in high wind, so that it is well to 

 look at the tyings occasionally until the roots 

 are well established. But all care at planting 

 time is thrown away unless the ground they are 

 put in has been well prepared. For Roses or 

 shrubs the ground ought to be trenched, adding 

 manure, leaf- mould, &c. After trenching it 

 would want nearly a month to sink and settle 

 before planting. 



Wallflowers ought to be looked over now and 

 again, as unless they are in a very sheltered 

 position, high wind tends to loosen them in the 

 soil, and then they whirl round and round with 

 every wind that blows, with very bad results to 

 the plants. The surface soil round them should 

 be lightly forked over and then the soil well 

 firmed round the base of each stein. 



If not already done, plans for summer bedding 

 ought to be made. The best plan, of course, is 

 to take notes in the summer of any new plants 

 or good combination of colour (seen in or sug- 

 gested by other gardens) that strike one as suitable 

 for one's own garden the following summer. 

 Seed catalogues are sent out this month, and 

 where the notes were made last summer .^ordering 



seeds is very little trouble. It is as well to oj'der 

 seeds required as early as possible, so as to be 

 sure of getting the varieties one wants. It is as 

 well to remember too that in seeds, as in every- 

 thing else, it is far more satisfactory and cheaper 

 in the end to pet them from a reliable source so 

 as to be sure of getting a good strain true to name. 

 Everyone knows the disappointment of raising a. 

 line batch of ))lants from se<'ds only to see them 

 produce flowers of cp'ite the wrong colour. 



If the directions given in tlie September issue 

 for growing bulbs in bowls were made use of, 

 many of them will be in full flower now : but in 

 addition to them every garden here ought to have 

 some outdoor flowers for cutting in .lanuary. 

 Such gardens seem to be far and few between, 

 and, of course, where there is glass they are not 

 so much missed, but even then the brightness 

 they give to the garden now is a great considera- 

 tion. If shrubs are being planted, space ought 

 to be given either to the yellow winter .lessamine 

 or to the Garrya elliptica — both if possible. 

 Everyone knows the .Jessamine ; it will grow 

 almost anywhere : it prefers a wall, and is ex- 

 cellent on a north wall, which is often difficult to 

 cover. 



The Garrya is not so well known : it is an ever- 

 green with grey-green glossy leaves, and forms 

 a handsome, well-shaped bush in a few years 

 after planting, and in December and .January 

 bear long, graceful, pale-green catkins, which 

 last a very long time, even when cut. 



Iris stylosa and Christmas Roses are both very 

 beautiful, easily grown, and flower freely. The 

 hottest, driest, sunniest spot in the garden is the 

 place for I. stylosa; at the foot of a south wall or 

 the hot corner in an angle of the house or green- 

 house, a spot so hot and dry that little else would 

 grow there. Give them the poorest of soil and 

 they will be perfectly hai)py and bloom con- 

 tinually from November to March. March or 

 A]n'il is the best time to i)lant. 



Christmas Roses like a partially shaded and 

 damp situation : and when preparing the ground 

 for them dig deej)ly, adding plenty of old manure 

 and leaf mould, and if the soil is naturally very 

 heavy some wood ashes or road scrapings. The end 

 of January is a good time to plant. Put plants 

 about 2 5 feet apart. They dislike disturbance, 

 and when planted in properly prepared soil all 

 they require is a mulch of manure every spring, 

 and they will flower freely through IJecembei- 

 and .January. Flowers are best picked in the 

 bud and allowed to open in water. They last 

 cut for a fortnight. 



^5* 6^^ ^^^ 



Quince Gigantesque de Vranja. 



JUDCiiNG by its appearance in a young state this 

 promises to make a very handsome lawn specimen. 

 The leaves are large and leathery, varying from 

 2 to 3 inches wide and from W to 5 .V inches long, 

 and furnished with a soft yellow tomentum on 

 the under side. The veins and leaf-stalk are 

 reddish and the bark of the young shoots dark 

 brown. The prominent stipules are fairly per- 

 sistent, many of them being still retained with 

 the leaves in November. The fruits are large 

 and handsome, about the size of an average 

 Keswick Codlin apple, and of the same yellow 

 colour. Should this variety ])rove free fruiting, 

 it might be worth planting on this account as 

 well as for its ornamental value. .1. W. B. 



