IRISH GARDENING 



149 



notably is this the case with the fine pears 

 bearing great crops throughout. In fact they 

 have to do it — no shirking, and, he points with 

 pride to a veteran Marie Louise stretching far 

 its horizontal limbs hanging with fruit from tips 

 to butt, the result of a hint he gave it by lifting 

 and replanting it in its old age. Peaches outside 

 were good, and Golden Eagle is thought highly 

 of. Pyramids and bushes, as well as old standard 

 trees, We fovmd carrying good crops generally. 

 Lady Sudeley apple in superb form and colour, 

 with its character declaimed in the brusque 

 Bedfordian manner, " No good," over which, 

 after sampling, we agree — as We have so often 

 agreed — ^to differ. 



Alas for the sequel ! A few days after our 

 visit Boreas besieged Straff an gardens, as man^ 

 another garden, and much fruit was laid low, 

 the huge damson in the centre of the garden, 

 black with fruit as we saw it, losing its head 

 completely under the bombardment. Peas and 

 runners too were swept from their moorings, 

 and the former comprised some grand rows of 

 the old Ne Plus Ultra just coming into prolific 

 bearing. We found all greea crops grand, and 

 celery clean and luxuriant sans doctoring so 

 many have now to employ to fight the leaf-spot 

 fungus. Under a north wall rests in peace the 

 pride of Straffan — viz., that wonderful planting 

 of the Mocassin flower, Cypripedium spectabile, 

 but at hand hang wreaths of the Flame Flower, 

 Tropseolum speciosum. 



It is just a scramble through the glass depart- 

 ment after the external ambling and rambling. 

 We note a fine collection of Caladiums still trans- 

 parently fresh, and the Nepenthes overhead in 

 wonderful pitcher, including N. mixta, Chelsoni 

 excellens, and ventricosa, with its alderman ic 

 epigastrium. Allamanda violacea is charming 

 in its colour tone, and the fernhouse fascinating, 

 especially in its backed-up wall of Rex Begonias. 

 Orchids would demand a page to themselves, 

 and man}/ a pet plant which our old friend has 

 reared from infancy up, such as the wonderful 

 Anthurium Veitchii, and many another of auld 

 lang syne would keep us aiiecdo^ing till — as long 

 as you like. But, enough ; 'tis but with one side 

 of Straffan we are privileged to deal, and all but 

 too scantily of that. There is the famous short- 

 horn herd known far and wide, and it was, by 

 the way, a special treat that on one snsit to 

 Straffan a tour of the youn.g stock dopartniejit 

 was made and half a dozen, more or less, skittish 

 young gentlemen turned out for our edification, 

 and possibly theirs, for a certain inquisitiveness 

 on their part gave us a hint to '" get," and we 

 " gat," then, as now, without standing on the 

 order of our going. 



K., Dublin. 



Michaelmas Daisies. 



By J. W. Besant. 



In the fall of the year the natural order Com- 

 positse contributes very largely to the display in 

 the outdoor garden. Very jorominent among 

 other genera are the Michaelmas Daisies, known 

 botanically as Asters. There is a large number 

 of species, some of decided merit, while others 

 have little to recommend them for decorative 

 gardening. By far the greater number of the 

 showy garden varieties of to-day is the result of 

 careful hybridization and selection. Only a very 

 few species seem to have been used in producing 

 the present popular sorts — ^notably, Aster 

 Amellus, A. novse-Anglite, A. novi-Belgii, A. 

 cordifolius, A. ericoides, and probably A. Isevis 

 and a few others. As these are all species as 

 distinct from varieties bearing garden names, 

 it may be well to mention a few species which 

 are well worth growing. Generally speaking, for 

 garden purposes most of the species are super- 

 seded by improved varieties, more particularly 

 in the later flowering forms. Although the 

 popular name Michaelmas Daisy is not in- 

 frequentlv used in connection with all Asters it 

 properly belongs to the later flowering kinds. 



Two very early flowering Asters are A. diplo- 

 stephioides and A. subcoeruleus, both of which 

 flower in June, and are ver_y acceptable even then 

 when flowers are becoming plentiful. They are 

 comparatively dwarf in habit, producing flower 

 stems some 18 inches high, rising from the basal 

 leaves and producing solitary flower heads 



2 inches or more across, the ray florets being a 

 fine shade of purj)lish-blue. Of the two, A. sub- 

 coeruleus is perhaps the larger flowered, especially 

 in the variety major, Avhich is a really fuie plant. 



In August A. acris begins to unfold its flowers, 

 aiid continues into September, ushering in as it 

 were the great mass of varieties AVhich Avill carry 

 us into October and even November if the Weather 

 holds good, and hard frosts do not occur. This 

 is a European species of medium height, not ex- 

 ceeding 3 feet or so, with small leaves and dense 

 clusters of pale mauve-blue flower heads. It is 

 much esteemed for cutting. 



In September A. Amellus becomes prominent, 

 some of its jicwer varieties being of quite excep- 

 tional beauty and \'ery florifcrous. The old tyjie 

 ])]ant is by no moans to be despised, since 

 it ])rodu(!Cs abundance of flowers year after year, 

 even though perhaps receiving scant attention, 

 one or two varieties nearly as old in gardens as 

 the type are still worth attention. A. Amellus 

 bessarabicus is an excellent border plant about 



3 feet high, producing handsome flower heads 

 of a deep purjile-blue shade. A. Amellus majus 



