38 



IRISH GARDENING 



Fota Island, Co* Cork, 



By A. F. Pearson. 



Fota Island, Co. Cork, the estate of the Right 

 Hon. Lord Barrymore, is situated about eight 

 miles from Cork, and can be reached by rail, a 

 private station being on the island. 



The island contains one thousand acres, and 

 enjoys a beautifully sheltered position bounded 

 on ail sides by tidal waters. The choice collection 

 of trees and shrubs is the work of many genera- 



in circumference, 4 feet from the ground ; ad- 

 vancing we meet with a very line specimen of 

 Pinus insignis, about 90 feet high, and covering 

 a great area ; P. monticola. about the same 

 height, grows near by. Abies smithiana, a 

 superb tree ; A. grandis, 95 feet high ; and A. 

 religiosa, are all line trees. Fitzroya i)atagonica, 

 Quercus Phellos, Liquidambar styraciflua (a line 

 tree), Parrotia persica, and a grand piece of Cedrus 

 atlantica are here mixing with such things as 

 Hakea pugioniformis, Osmanthus ilicifolia, 

 Plagianthus Lyalli, Pittosporum Mayii : the latter 

 has almost become a timber tree. 



Xew Zealand Flax and Gunneras by the Lake-side at Fota. 



tions. Lord Barrymore has inherited the love of 

 his forefathers for all that is good in horticulture 

 and arboriculture, and the result is seen in the 

 high-class and well-ordered grounds. Without 

 attemi)ting the classification of the various 

 groups met, I iJro])ose noting passing trees, <fcc., 

 as the visitor meets them. 



Mr. Beswick, at all times most courteous to 

 visitors, takes us by devious paths to that portion 

 of the grounds overlooking the flower garden, 

 which at the time of my visit was rich and gay 

 with thousands of Verbenas, Heliotropes, Calceo- 

 larias, Begonias, Cannas, Zonal Pelargoniums, tS:c. 

 A great Eoman Cyi)ress, Cupressus sempervirens, 

 towers above us : close by stands a giant Tulij) 

 tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, measuring 1 5 f(!et 



Ilex cornuta is a nice plant, as also is Ilex 

 buxifolia, which was in flower and berry. 



Pinus ]iatula has reached a great size, and but 

 for having its top broken off by a gale some ten 

 years ago, would present even a finer appearance 

 than it does now. Abies Nordmanniana and 

 A. orientalis are growing in friendly rivalry 

 hereabouts. Pinus excelsa, further on. is ])ar- 

 ticulary fine, as also is Cryj^tomeria japonica. 

 Davidia involucrata is met about this point, and 

 has flowered. 



Desfontainea spinosa is rich in flower, and has 

 become a ])lant of 10 feet high and as much across : 

 it is ])articularly striking when seen so full of 

 flower as this. The sweet-scented Ok^aria ilici- 

 folia was also in full flower at the time of my visit. 



