IRISH GARDENING 



95 



The Month^s Work. 



The Flower Garden. 



By Wm. G. Wadgk, Gardener lo Lady U'Xeil], 

 Shane's Castle, Antrim. 



The first half of May being so cold and stormy, 

 planting may be in arrears. It should be finished 

 off with as much expedition as possible now. 

 Our sunimei's are so short that it is advisable to 

 get everything intended for bedding into the 

 ground at the earliest date, consistent with safety 

 from frost. Nothing will be gained by deferring 

 longer the planting of any subject on the score 

 of tenderness, and plants kept unduly long in ])ots 

 and boxes deteriorate. Pot up a few ])lants in 

 rich soil, of all things used in the bedding, as a 

 resei"ve to be called on should blanks occur in the 

 beds from anj^ cause. If an immediate effect is not 

 essential, ])inch off all flower buds for a few weeks ; 

 the after-results will re])ay this sacrifice. Allow 

 no seed pods to form on Violas at any time. 

 On light soils, these, also Calceolarias and 

 Begonias, should be given a mulch of cocoa- 

 nut fibre, refvise or bog mould. 



Rhododendrons and Azaelas, as they pass out 

 of flower, will ])ut forth more vigorous growth 

 if all seed vessels are picked off". It is not 

 always ^practicable with large si^ecimens, but all 

 young or recently planted bushes, or any that are 

 weakly, should be so ti'eated. At the same time 

 shorten any unduly strong shoots that would 

 spoil the symmetry of the |)lant. Any suckers 

 si)ringing from the stock should also be removed. 



Pyrethkums and Herbaceous Pjeonias. — 

 If plants of these have grown too large or it is 

 desirable to increase the stock, immediately after 

 flowering is a good time to lift and divide the 

 ]ilants. Choose a dvill day, and kee]) the divisions 

 watered and mulched after re])lanting. 



Sweet Wii.liams (Diaxthus barbatus) — ^These 

 make charming patches of colour at this season, 

 and are the more appreciated as it is between 

 the seasons with the flower beds proper. They 

 can now be had in distinct colours. Pink Beauty 

 and Scarlet Beauty are very bright and showy. 

 Seeds sown on a border now will furnish plants 

 for flowering in twelve months' time. 



Aquilegias are also blooming now. The hybrids 

 are very beautiful. The chaste flowers of delicate 

 colours, borne on long thin stems, are very useful 

 for house and table decorations. It is necessary 

 to sow the seeds of Aquilegia in boxes in March 

 to flower the following year. 



Climbing Plants need attention. They grow 

 ra])idly now. If neglected, the shoots get 

 entangled or Ijroken with winds. Clematis shoots 

 are very brittle : and cannot be loosed if allowed 

 to grow together without breaking many of them. 

 The basal growths of Climbing Hoses must be 

 secured. Avoid tying Climbers too closely at this 

 time. It is not necessary to make many ties ; 

 just an occasional loose tie is suflicient. 



Herbaceous Borders. — If dry weather sets in 

 many subjects will need watering. Attend to 

 this towards evening. Where the soil is lof>se and 

 porous, tread it lirm round the plants before 

 watering. If weak manure water is used, much 

 better results will be seen than from clear water. 

 Avoid watering in driblets. If it is not practicable 

 to thoroughly water the whole border, it is wiser 

 lo soak just those plants that are known to soon 



suft"er irom drought. Mulch the borders with 

 short manure if possible ; if not, kee]) the surface 

 soil stirred with the hoe. This, if ])ersisted in, 

 will make a mulch of fine soil, and weeds will 

 be ke])t down by the same operation. See that 

 all plants requiring support are given it in good 

 time. Restrict any strong growing plants that 

 would encroach on others less rampant. 



Carnations need staking and tying. Reduce 

 the number of flower buds on each stem. When 

 finished, give the beds a dusting of soot and hoe 

 it in. 



Sweet Peas. — These planted early in April 

 have made good progress. Thin out the growths 

 when they have attained a height of 18 inches. 

 If intended for show pur])oses. train the main 

 stems 4 inches apart, and rigidly ]>inch out all 

 laterals. For garden decoration, more freedom 

 may be given, but even here it is not advisable 

 to allow crowding. Pick off all flowers as soon 

 as they are fully out, or the plants will be robbed 

 of so much energy spent in forming seeds. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By Peter Brock, Horticultural Instructor 

 for Co. Fermanagh. 



The prospect of a bumper crop of apides has 

 seldom looked more rosy than at present. The 

 opening of the blossom being about eight days 

 later than last year, found it in a safer stage 

 when the cutting wind storm, accompanied by 

 showers of hail, came along on the same date. 

 7th and 8th of May this year. Bramley. 

 Grenadier and Lane's Prince Albert have been 

 fully open since the 12th, and with the bright 

 sunshine the bees have had a s])lendid op])()rt unity 

 of distributing the ])ollen. Bismarck and Jieauty 

 of Bath o]»ened a week earlier, and in several 

 places I notice some of the blossom has been 

 injured by hail. 



It is at this season, and in fact all through the 

 growing i)eriod, a matter of the first imi)ortance to 

 keep the surface of the soil around and between 

 fruit trees and bushes in a loose, ])owdery coiuii- 

 tion by rei)eatedly stirring the surface with the 

 hoe. The advantage of this is twofold — first, it 

 allows a free passage of air into the soil to stimu- 

 late root-action : and secondly, it acts as a mulch 

 or covering to pi'event loss of moisture by evapora- 

 tion. The benefit of surface cultivation and soil 

 aeration is not, as a rule, sutficiently recognised by 

 fruit growers. 



Insect Pests. — Continue to kee]) a sharp look 

 out for all kinds of insect enemies, and be ])re- 

 ])ared to deal with them ])rom])tly. 



Wasps. — The queens of this ]»est are unusually 

 ]tlentiful this year, and will, if the season cont inues 

 favourable for them, cause considerable loss and 

 annoyance to fruit growers in autumn. Their 

 favourite feeding ground at this season is on the 

 Cotoneasters. whert> they may be found in the fore- 

 noon and knocked down, or if it is done smartly 

 ]tinch them between the finger and thumb. I 

 have caught scores in this way on Cotoneasters, 

 and have never yet lieen stung. A small 

 ])remium on the cpu'ens is a good way of mitigat- 

 ing th*^ nuisanci' we may ex])ect later on. 



Thinning Fkuit. — Quality is of more im]»ort- 

 aiue than quantity. Overtaxing trees in years of 

 great ])lenty is a common mistake. Better 

 ])aying cro]is are obtained by rational thinning 

 to what the trees can matui^e without affecting 



