136 



IRISH GARDENING 



Early Flowering Chrysanthe' 

 mums 



Garden Chrysanthemums possess a beauty and 

 freshness all their own, flowering, as they do, in 

 the autumn months wlien most other flowers are 

 wearied or gone. t'om])ared with the days when 

 Madame Desgrange and its yellow counter])art 

 wei'e the chief varieties, there is now a wonderful 

 selection and, as everyone can grow them with 

 ease, they are an invaluable asset. Those who 

 have not tried any of the newer varieties are 

 astonished at the fine large blooms produced on 

 stout erect stems, the charming and comprehen- 

 sive range of colours now available and the 

 perfect profusion of blossom. Few of these newer 

 sorts exceed a cou])le of feet in height, and they are 

 beautiful for garden decoration as well as being 

 delightfvil for cutting from August until cut down 

 by frost. 



Varieties are so nvimerous that only a few can 

 be touched upon here. Pink is a favourite colour 

 in any flowers nowadays, and quite a number of 

 good things in this way have been introduced 

 in garden Chrysanthemums, .lames Bateman, 

 although not now new, is hard to beat, the 

 flowers are of a charming soft pink, good in size, 

 and the plant remarkably handsome in habit, 

 commencing to bloom in August. Normandie 

 and Provence follow, the former soft flesh pink, 

 and the latter coral pink with good broad flowers. 

 Of the mauve pinks, Belle Mauve is capital, with 

 very large broad petalled flowers borne rigidly 

 erect in September. Of early white kinds there 

 are several worthy of note. La Parisienne, with 

 its feathery .Japanese blooms, begin.s in August, 

 as also does Caledonia, a solid flower with incurv- 

 ing central florets. The new Framiield Early 

 White has large deep graceful flowers of the 

 pvirest white, and a good stand-by for mid-season 

 cutting is Esperance with long-stem white flowers, 

 the centres greenish-yellow and incurving. 

 Amongst later whites. Countess is very choice and 

 handsome, and shovild be disbudded. The old 

 White Quintus, although of taller growth and 

 smaller in flower than the newer race, is a grand 

 garden decorator, with pyramids of snowy 

 flowers in October and November. 



It is still a question whether Horace Martin has 

 been sui)erseded amongst the earliest yellows. 

 It is certainly the best of the Masse varieties, 

 which are now being slowly ousted from their 

 former pride of place. Golden Diana is a new 

 pure yellow sport from Diana, and obtained a 

 first-class certificate from the National Chrysan- 

 thenxunx Society. The well-ktlown Carrie and 

 Champ d'Or are not worth gi'oWing when one can 

 have Leslie, the best mid-season yellow and good 

 all round. Golden Glow is an acquisition whei'e 

 tall kinds are required, it grows about 4 feet high 

 and is appropriately named, with handsome 

 flowers of a brilliant golden yellow. Mercedes is 

 a grand yellow for October. Before passing fronx 

 yellows, nxention should be nxade of the old 

 favourite Flora, the |)retty dwarf pompon, which 

 contin\ies flowering all the season by reason of 

 the nunxerous suckers which succeed the suxnmer 

 growth. It is a dejiendable variety for nxassing 

 or for edging a bed of taller kinds and is also used 

 in window boxes. 



Bronze Goacher is a beautiful orange-bronze 



s])ort fi'om (ioacher's Crimson, which, by the way, 

 still easily holds its own am mgst crinxsons ; 

 (■hatillon is a very )»retty combination of orange 

 and ochre yellow with large flowers of great 

 beauty, (\'cil Wells beiixg a newer kind of some- 

 what similar coloxiring. The lovely orange Polly 

 and its im]n'oved form are quite unrivalled, and 

 Abercorn Beauty, a dee]) Ixronze sport from J'oiiy, 

 is one of the very brightest and richest, com- 

 mencing to flower in August. Harrie is a beauty 

 of the Polly type, with equally large flowers, 

 bronzy-oi*ange on a gold ground. The new 

 Crimson Polly is a fine chestnut crimson with 

 gold i^everse, and for a late flower of similar 

 colour Alnxirante is a king in October, when its 

 large handsoixxe flowers on long stenxs may be seen 

 on sale everywhere. It " lights u]) " well in 

 artificial light, and should be disbudded. Firefly 

 and Kuroki are good bright reds for Septenxber. 



The single-flowered early Chrysanthenxunxs are 

 also beautiful, although this class is not as yet 

 so fully developed as the doubles. Surrey is one 

 of the very best singles, a lovely shade of salmon- 

 cerise ; White City is a good broad white ; Genx 

 of Mei'sthanx, deep crimson ; Brazier's Beauty, a 

 lovely soft blush ; Kate Carter, salnxon, shaded 

 chestnut, with a yellow zone ; Dominion, salmon- 

 i"ed. All these range fronx 1| to 2 J feet in height, 

 and are beautiful for cutting in sprays. 



Cultivation, both of the doubles and singles, is 

 of the sinxplest. Plants I'ooted from cuttings in 

 boxes or pots during eai'ly spring should be 

 ])lanted out in a franxe as soon as stroixg enough, 

 and gradually hardened ol¥ till early in May, when 

 they shoxild be lifted with good balls and ]>lanted 

 out at about 2 feet apart in ground which has 

 been dug deeply and well nxanui^ed. A stout 

 stake should be placed to each plant and the 

 shoots tied as they grow, pinching thenx once or 

 twice to nxake the plants bushy, but not after the 

 end of June. They should be thoi'oughly watered 

 once a week in dry weather. Soot water is good ; 

 a small bag of soot should be placed in a tub of 

 water and used when the colour of weak tea, but 

 not over the foliage. To protect fronx slugs, du.st 

 some freshly slaked lime round each plant ; 

 crushed oy.ster shell does well, as slugs cannot 

 crawl over it. 



J. M. W. 



Bulbs in Bowls 



By May Crosbie. 



T^NQUESTIONABLY the value of a well-grown bowl 

 of bulbs for indoor decoi'ation is well worth the 

 trouble and co.st, qixite apart fronx the iixterest 

 and pleasure of growing them ; so a few hints as 

 to how it is done nxay be of sonxe use to those 

 who have not already attenxpted it. 



Befoi-e oixlering the bulbs, collect all available 

 l)owls and decide what to put in each of them 

 and how nxany it will take to lill the bowl. Any 

 bowls will do. but they should be at least three 

 inciies deep : the .shallow ones can be ke]»t for the 

 snxall Crocus bulbs and the deeper ones for the 

 large Hyaciixths and Daffodils. As to colour, 

 green looks best of all, aixd if any have to be 

 bought I should certaiixly reconxnxend green ; 

 but as long as the colours of the flowers do not 

 clash with the; colour of the bowl, it does not 



