IRISH GARDENING 



119 



Fendlera rupicola. 



This is an exceedingly beautiful and elegant 



member of the Saxifrage order, and is a native 



of Texas and New Mexico. 



Its fovir-clawed ])etals stand out boldly and are 



of a fine white colour ; the stamens, which are 



eight in number, are somewhat conspicvious, and 



contribute in no small degree to the beauty of 



the flowei's. 



The oblong sub -sessile entire leaves are about 



an inch in length. 



In its native habitat 



Fendlera rupicola is 



found trailing over the 



rocks, and attains a 

 height of only about 2 

 feet. In England it seems 

 to be perfectly hardy, 

 but is certainly benefited 

 by being planted against 

 a wall. 



The illustration was 

 taken from a spray 

 obtained from the Cam- 

 bridge Botanic Gardens, 

 where a specimen is to 

 be seen thriving in one of 

 the borders formed by 

 the plant houses ; there 

 it annually produces its 

 flowers in abundance, 

 and the shrub is 7 feet. 

 in height. Seeds are 

 somewhat freely pro- 

 duced, and propagation 

 by this nxethod can be 

 secured ; cuttings also 

 root readily, while layer- 

 ing offers a further 

 method of increase. 



H. C. Elsdon. 



Roses. 



By 

 Dr O'Donel Browne. 



The two big jobs to be 

 done during this month 

 are tying in rambler 

 growths for the next 

 year's flowers and bud- 

 ding stocks to give mai- 

 dens for next year. The 

 art of budding has of- 

 ten been treated on pa])('r, but one half 

 hour's demonstration in the budding ground 

 will teach more to a novice. The only advice 

 I can give is to get some (jue well versed 

 in the job to show you how it is done and 

 then to start on your own. True, when you 

 have been shown you will yet find that all is 

 not going smoothly, but care and patience 

 will hel]) you. The one difificulty I had when I 

 began was to know a ])erfect bud. It is very hard 

 for a novice to know this, l)iit if you only will 

 once and for all rcinemlx-r thai when the shcatli 

 of wood is removed from the bark that the inside 

 of the sheath should be smooth and not have a 

 dimple inside where the bvid springs from, you may 



Fendlera rupicola. 

 A beautiful and rare shrub 



rest assured that you have not removed the 

 growing germ from the sheath. Another point to 

 remember is not to unduly bruise the sheath or 

 in any way to hurt the germ of your future tree — 

 careful and gentle handling is a great desideratum. 

 Cleanliness is a great factor, any dirt getting on 

 the sheath will act as a foreign body when tying 

 in the bud and does not help the union. Now, 

 damp weather is a help in budding, but one must 

 be careful not to get one's hands muddy or messy. 

 A small spot of mud may be licked out or it may 

 be washed off by ])assing the sheath through 

 water. Speed combined 

 with neatness is a great 

 hel)) towards a satisfac- 

 tory issue. It is wonder- 

 ful how quickly you can 

 bud after a time, but at 

 fir.st the novice should 

 work carefully and 

 thoroughly, and speed 

 will come in time. If 

 you have any doubts as 

 to whether a bud is good 

 or not, throw it away and 

 try another. Tying in 

 the buds does not call 

 for much care — the one 

 secret is to get a tie or 

 the lap of one tie just 

 behind and underthe bud 

 to kee]) the bud ])ressed 

 against the stock you are 

 woi'king, so that the 

 union shall be aided. Do 

 not tie too tightly, for if 

 you bud in dry weather 

 and a rush of heat and 

 showers come the stocks 

 will swell and your 

 ties will become too tight 

 in consequence. No 



shading is iiMjuircnl even 

 ill hot weather. He wise 

 andjniton a good many 

 ( >f one variet y rather 1 han 

 two or three of a lot of 

 different varieties. If a 

 Rose is worth ])roi)agat- 

 ing you may have too 

 few, but n«ner too many. 

 Put on then too many 

 rather than too few. 



Go over your climl)ers. 

 Kemove all the rods which 

 have borne flowers and 

 then lay in several of the 

 young growing ones, not 

 too tightly, to their post or sui)port. but firm 

 enough to ])revc.nt wind from chaling and rubbing 

 them. Encourage all the growth you can. but do 

 not lie too greedy by retaining too many. Ki^e}) 

 your hoe going all the tinu". Un- weeds grow apace 

 at this linieof year, and V)y hoeing you tend to 

 ])rolong your flowering ])eriod. 



ffi^ 9^^ 6^^ 



"Queen of Fragrance." shown by Messrs. Wm. Paul 

 was the winniM- of the " Clay " challenge cup at 

 tlie Holland House Show, for a rose not in com- 

 merce ])t)Sscssiug the true old rose scent. It is a 

 Xjink flowered vaiiety of large size and wondrous 

 perfume that will render it popular with all. 



