IRISH GARDENING 



13; 



matter : and a blue Chinese bowl is excellent for 

 Daffodils, and any bright pink, red, or maiive 

 bowl can be used for the Roman Hyacinths or 

 Paper White Narcissus. 



Buy your bulbs from a reliable source and get 

 them planted in their bowls early in September. 

 Crocuses, Koman Hyacinths, Daft'odils, and 

 ordinary Hyacinths are all easily managed, and 

 give a wide range of colour to choose from. 

 Tuli])S are best not attempted by a beginner the 

 lirst year. Roman Hyacinths are the earliest to 

 flower, and are iudis]>ensable. Crocuses in blue, 

 mauve, i)ur]>le, white, and yellow are excellent. 

 Buy the largest bulbs you can, and keep each 

 colour in a separate bowl. Pink and pale blue Hya- 

 cinths are particularly useful, and all varieties are 

 equally good. 

 The best varie- 

 ties of Narcis- 

 sus are the 

 Paper White 

 Narcissus, Ten- 

 by, Princeps, 

 Henry Irving. 

 Sir W a t k i n . 

 Em])eror. 



Of Tulips, 

 the best kinds 

 are the Du( 

 van Thol and 

 the e a r 1 > 

 single s — L a 

 Reine, white : 

 P r o s e r y) i n e . 

 rose; M o 1 1 

 Tresor, yellow: 

 L e ]\[ a t e 1 a s. 

 l)ink. Thebulbs 

 may be put 

 quite close to- 

 gether in the 

 bowls, as close 

 as they will (it 

 without actu- 

 ally touching 

 one another; it 

 is hard to give 

 a definite nirm- 



her, as so much depends on the size of the 

 Ixnvl, and the lit'st ]ilan is to ]iut in as many as the 

 bowl will hold, hut the li-ast lumiber is five Roman 

 Hyacinths, six Daffodils, six Crocuses, three ordi- 

 nary Hyacinths, and live or six Paper Whites 

 would be wanted to make a sliow — indeed, twelve 

 f -rocuses are none too many. 



There are several special mixtures, such as 

 " liulbolin," sold for growing bulbs in ; all seeds- 

 men stock them, and they are excellent, cheap, 

 and clean to use, and can be .strongly recom- 

 mended. I)ut I have seen excellent l>looiiis grown 

 in such different mediums as sand, gravel, i)eat 

 moss, libre left after loam is riddled, &(•., but 

 with any of these it is as well to mix a little char- 

 coal. Whatever material is used it should be 

 dam])ed before ])utting it in the bowls. For tlie 

 large bu!l)s, about half lill the bowls with it ; tlu* 

 l)ull)s should be suniciently (lee]> so as there will 

 !)(■ only about half an ijich of the toit left above 

 the surface of the bowl. Pill in between the 

 bulbs with the mixture, ]>ressing it just svif- 

 ticiently to kee]> them in position. On no account 

 ram it tight, as if this is done, the bull)s will be 

 shoved u]i by the force of the roots trying to 



THrXBERC4lA NATAI.ENSIS 



penetrate the ramnied mixture. For Crocuses 

 the bowls may be filled to within one inch of the 

 top before they are put in. Keep the surface 

 level, and when all are finished water them well 

 with a fine rose can. Leave them for a quarter 

 of an hour or so, so that all the water possible has 

 l)een absorbed, then turn the bowls on their sides 

 to drain off any superfluous water there may be. 

 Put them all in a cool dark cupboard or shed : 

 it shovdd not be hot, but ought to be frost-proof. 

 There they remain for at least six weeks to form 

 their roots. Look at them once or twice, lift 

 them and give any that feel light some water. 

 Bring in the Roman Hyacinths and Crocuses in 

 about six weeks to a sunny window in a warm 

 room ; the others can be left a cou])le of week.s 



longer. If there 

 are two bowls 

 of Roman Hya- 

 cinths, kee]) 

 one in the dark 

 longer than the 

 otherand itwill 

 c o m e into 

 fiower later. 



By the end 

 of November 

 all ought to be 

 lirouglitto the 

 light, and once 

 they begin to 

 growkee]>them 

 turned. If the 

 room they are 

 in is a very 

 warm one, they 

 will want wat- 

 ering every few 

 days. but again 

 always judge 

 bytheirweight, 

 as the surface 

 soil nuiy look 

 and feel dry 

 while there is 

 really plenty 

 of m o i s t u r e 

 underneath, 

 and it is fatally easy to overwater, as there, is no 

 way for the superfiiious mnist>ire to run off. 



Thunbergia natalensis 



Thi.s charming South African species seems to 

 be a plant unknown to many, even to tliose who 

 have a wide acquaintance with good gardens. 

 It is not i)erfectlv luirdy. although in the warmer 

 parts of the British Isles it should succeed with- 

 ovit anv protection. It grows from three to four 

 feet high, aiul is very pretty during the sunuaer 

 with its large, liori/ontal drooping (lowers of 

 l)ale blue, the tube (if which is lich yellow. 



In the Hdtanic (Jardens, Caml)ridge, a mass of 

 this beautiful ])lant has been growing against the 

 wall of a cool greenhouse for some years, where, 

 except for a covering of rough litter during very 

 severe weather, it gets no other protection. It is 

 very attractive for some time, commencing to 

 bloom in .luly, and a succession of flowers is main- 

 tained foi' two nutnths or more. 



F. G. Pkeston. 



