IRISH GARDENING 



17 



iiood size are white; a fine plant for a moist place 

 at the base of the rockery in friable damp soil. 



Anemone vernalis is a plant of the high Alps — 

 H. Stnart Thompson, says, " dry alpine and sub- 

 alpine pastures 3,500-9,000 feet "—and is perfectly 

 dwarf, hugging the surface of the soil. It is fairly 

 easy in cultivation, growing well in a sunny 

 position, sharply sloping in deep gritty soil. The 

 almost prostrate leaves are densely hairy as also 

 is the flower which is large, white within and 

 bluish without, opalescent in effect. 



ApfiyJIantlies munspeliensis, a strange looking 

 plant of the Lily family, produces tufts of green 

 Eush-like stems of about a foot or so in length. 

 The leaves are small and inconspicuous, their 

 functions being performed by the green stems. In 

 warm summers blue flowers are borne at the 

 summit of the stems when the plant is rather 

 pretty. A hot sunny position in friable soil suits 

 it well, although in warmer countries it affects 

 half shady places. 



AquUecj'ias are legion but rarely ol)tainable true 

 to name and even when secured tolerably true, 

 seedlings thereof have a habit of resembling any- 

 thing rather than species. For the rock garden 

 the best are Aqitilegia (ilpiiui a dwarf and beautiful 

 plant about 9 inches liieii in gardens and bearing 

 very lovely smoky bine fbiwcrs; an equally dwarf 

 and lovely plant is .1. lldnhini {A. piirendica of 

 some) of similar habit but with flowers of deeper 

 ))lue; .4. gJandulosa of gardens is a more robust 

 plant reaching a height of two feet when doing 

 well and bearing very beautiful flowers, blue with- 

 out and white within; it requires cool treatment 

 in moist soil and not too brilliant sun. Several 

 other alpine columbines are much to be desired 

 for our gardens, a few of which were briefly 

 alluded to by Mr. Correvon in Irish Gaideriiiin 

 for 1915, p. 54, and it is to be hoped some enter- 

 prising Swiss nurseryman will make them avail- 

 alile to Irish gardeners. 



Asperiila sxiherosa with slender .brittle stems 

 clothed with whorls of woolly leaves is one of the 

 gems of the rock garden. It loves a sunny position 

 in gritty sandy soil, and should be protected from 

 winter wet. If it can be established in a chink or 

 crevice where it can hang down, its chances of 

 surviving without covering are increased. 



AspernJd (russon'ri with short stems densely 

 furnished with green leaves flourishes under 

 similar conditions and like the former bears heads 

 of charming pink flowers. 



.4. hirtd is easier, soon growing into a wide mat 

 cind bearing freely all summer its clusters of rosy 

 pink flowers. 



Astilhe aimplUifoUa is quite a charming plant 

 for a moist pocket low down on the shady side of a 

 rock; it bears pointed, toothed leaves, and in sum- 

 mer sends up panicles of white flowers of the 

 daintiest beauty. 



Calreohiria pjanfngivea is a beautiful plant for 

 the small bog forming clumps of broad leaves, and 

 producing in late summer panicles of yellow 

 flowers on stems a foot or more in height. 



C. poh/rrhiza prefers I'ather driei conditions 

 l)ut still moist, revelling among ferns and running 

 about freely; it has smaller, narrower leaves than 

 plantafjinea, and shorter more slender flower 

 stems, carrying fewer flowers, but of the utmost 

 elegance and yellow like the last. 



f. John Inves is a hvluid between the two nud 

 wonderfully intermediate and T think more flori- 

 ferous than either. 



f'dmpaiudnx are legion, many of them easy and 

 we pass the great mass included Tmder f'. ror- 

 patira, C. portenscldogmnn. C. gnrrinnira and C. 



pusillu, etc., and look at some of the daintier, more 

 difficult though perhaps no more beautiful species. 



C. exchu has given rise to more hopes and fears 

 than almost the whole race of Bellflowers. Strange 

 to say it flourishes in pots winding its thread-like 

 runners round and round the ball of soil till almost 

 nothing else can be seen, then sending up its 

 fragile flower stems each bearing a single flower 

 of deep blue with the characteristic excisions at 

 the base of the tube. Planted out in light gritty 

 soil it runs about freely in summer and appears 

 happy, but alas; how often one watches and waits 

 in vain for its reappearance the following spring. 

 Winter damp is, I believe, fatal to the slender 

 runners and the best chance of success would seem 

 to lie in planting strong young plants in the 

 nioraine where copious supplies of water can be 

 given all sununer, then when the growing season 

 is over cover with glass to protect from excessive 

 wet. Alternatively i)lant in a crevice or close to 

 the base of a rock where the rhizomes can pack 

 themselves between or under the rocks and rest 

 comfortably during the rainy season. 



(\ Ba'nieii, the true dwarf spreacling plant with 

 large wide open bells of pale or china blue is one 

 of the choicest plants for the moraine. There it 

 runs a.nd spreads freely, covering the ground with 

 its pointed hoary leaves which in due season are 

 almost hidden by a profusion of beautiful flowers, 

 which only top the leaves and no more. In culti- 

 vation it flourishes in sun or shade but always 

 asks for gritty friable soil whether in the moraine 

 or in chinks and crannies. 



Campanula Steven i is one of the " miffiest " of 

 all Bellflowers growing apace for a time, often at 

 first flowering profusely then wilts and dies away, 

 rarely seeding with any prodigality though 

 occasionally a few seeds are obtainq,ble. The best 

 plan perhaps is to keep a few stock plants if such 

 can be accumulated and pick off the flower stems 

 and propagate from cuttings of the shoots. Gritty 

 cool soil in an open position suits this species well 

 enough until it flowers, after which no treatment 

 seems to keep it alive, though it is well worth per- 

 severing with since its pale lilac blue bells are 

 attractive over the bright green leaves. C. 

 Stereni nana is a dwarf counterpart and a better 

 plant for the rock garden although with the same 

 tendency to languish after flowering. 



Campanula Tommasiniana- is a dainty plant 

 flourishing in stony soil and in the moraine, send- 

 ing up a small forest of slender stems densely 

 clothed with narrow leaves and bearing at the 

 summit long ttibed bells of light blue. 



f. Trf(?(7s/e/»/Vma ■ flourishes in like conditions 

 throwing up a mass of stiffish shoots bearing 

 broader more or less oval leaves surmounted at the 

 ends of the shoots by flatter, star shaped flowers, 

 deeper in colour. 



f. Zoi/sii is another of the joys and also despaii-s 

 of the lover of alpines. A dainty little gem whose 

 greatest enemy is the connnon slug which will 

 brave almost anything but a collar of zinc to crop 

 the tiny luscious leaves.. The plant grows well 

 enough in stonv well drained soil and flowers late 

 in the sununer producing, on stems two or three 

 inches high, pal? blue slender flowers of most 

 unusual shape, narrowed to a neck near the apex 

 and with the apex of each segment infolded so 

 that the tube is practically closed. Yet despite 

 ihe care required to succeed with Zoj/xii it is a 

 ixom of the fir.^^t water and worth a deal of trouble 

 in mindine. in (u-der to enjoy its strange yet 

 charming flowers. 



(To he ronfinved.) 



