IRISH GARDENING 



lOI 



gardener-artist sees in the least-regarded portion of 

 the ground great possibilities, and, with that before 

 him, works until his ideals are achieved, and sombre 

 and hitherto uninviting surroundings are, by the use 

 <jf the most suitable subjects, transformed. He 

 creates a scene of beauty where httle or none existed 

 before. 



We do not go so far as to say that the number of 

 plants which thrive best in the shade is unlimited, 

 but we would remind anyone interested of one hardy 

 subject at least, valued for the beauty of its foliage 

 and flowers, too. It is the Funkia or Plantain Lily, 

 a lover of shade and moisture, one of the prettiest 

 plants in early summer when seen in all the fresh- 

 ness of its new dress, a plant that is not averse to 

 growing under trees so long as they are not allowed 

 to rob it of the- elements of the soil. 



As we have said, they are hardy— so hardy, in 

 fact, that in all our experience of them we do not 

 remember a \\-inter when frost hurt them to any very 

 great extent, or when the covering of leaves which we 

 gave did not suftice to protect them. 



Soil. — Funkias will do well in most soils, but de- 

 light best in one where leaf mould and loam partici- 

 pate. Moisture is essential to them. 



Propagation is efiected by dividing the clumps, 

 winch is best done in spring, when the new growth 

 appears. Being herbaceous, small bulbous-rooted 

 plants like Snowdrops, Anemones and Scillas are 

 often planted about the roots, which bring welcome 

 colour before the leaves of the Funkias unfold. 

 Growth with most of them is rapid, and division 

 ^'very few years is needful. 



Vaiif'ties. — F. Fortunei — Grey-blue leaves, heart- 

 shaped, spikes of mauve flowers. F. (jrandiflora— 

 Foliage jiale green, white flowers in graceful spikes, 

 blooms in late summer. F. Sieholdi — Large grey- 

 green leaves, pale lavender flowers borne on promin- 

 ent spikes. F. aureo-margiiiaia — Pretty light-green 

 leaves striped yellow. F. inxlulnta rariegnfa — Pale 

 green and yellow foliage. F. ovata — Prominent deep- 

 green leaves, rnauve flowers. F. lancifolia — Nai'row 

 green leaves. ^Y. Linders Le.\. 



Rock Plants. 



{('onfnnnd from p. 76.) 



Lewisias have received some attention lately 

 from lovers of rock plants, and although com- 

 plete success has not yet been achieved by every 

 grower, yet the results in some cases have been 

 so good as to justify their inclusion. One species 

 has proved more amenable than all the others, 

 and fortimately it is one of the best, viz. : — L. 

 Hotrellii, which flourishes exceedingly in moraine 

 at Mount Usher, and has been recently men- 

 tioned in this journal. It succeeds admirably at 

 The Bush, Antrim, in the ordinary soil of the 

 rock garden, in both instances freely exposed to 

 the sun. The leaves produced in rosettes are 

 strap-shaped with undulate margins, while the 

 numerous flowers are of a beautiful soft pink 

 colour. The photograph siiown in the last 

 issue depicts the plants in the moraine at Mount 

 Usher as they appeared over a year ago, but the 

 number has now increased to between 40 and 50. 

 Several other species can be obtained from niu'- 

 serymen, such as L. redivira, L. Tireedj/i, &c., 

 but we advise begiimers to trv L. JloireUii at 

 flrst. 



LiiKirin.H are the so-called Toad Flaxes, and 



among them are some quite useful and pretty rock 

 pllants. 



L. iiiiuitrdoha, although somewhat aggressive, 

 is,r nevertheless, so daintily pretty as to merit 

 inclusion wdierever some crumbly, damp old rock 

 requires draping with greenery. * It clings tightly 

 to the face of rock or wall, forming ninnerous 

 thread-like shoots densely clothed with tiny three- 

 lobed leaves, and bears over a long season 

 numerous small flowers like those of the common 

 " Kenilworth Ivy " on a nmch-reduced scale. 



L'niarid (tljiina is a pretty rock plant, but not 

 a relialjle i)crennial, some plants dying after 

 flowering, while others perish during the winter. 

 As a rule, however, plenty oi^ seeds are formed, 

 and self-sown seedlings are not unconnnon. A 

 plant of low growth, it rarely exceeds 6 inches 

 in height, the shoots somewhat diffuse in flower. 

 The flowers are purple and oi-ange in the type, 

 but a rose-coloured form is almost as common, 

 and plants with white flowers are not unknown. 

 Any or all make pretty groups about the rock 

 garden in summer. 



L. oriija hi folia is a pretty dwarf species for a 

 dry sunny pocket, where it lives and seeds itself 

 about if ensured against too much damp in 

 winter. It forms little roundish tuffets of short 

 shoots clothed with round leaves, and bears 

 abundantly purple violet flowers, touched with 

 orange in the throat. 



L. Henderson i forms compact many-stemmed 

 bushes, about 9 inches high, the shoots termi- 

 nated by racemes of pale mauve flowers. 



Linn;ea boreaJis, the Twin Flower, was the sub- 

 ject of an article in Irish Garuenixg of October, 

 1920. The plant, apart from its historic associa- 

 tion with Linnaeus, is beautiful as well as inter- 

 esting. The long trailing stems are furnished 

 with small, roundish leaves, while the white, 

 pink-veined flowers are borne in i)airs at the 

 summit of a slender stalk, and hang down like 

 a pair of bells. JJght sandy peat in shade 

 among Rhododendrons or similar plants, or 

 among a collection of plants requiring like treat- 

 ment, suits it. In Trinity College Botanic 

 Gardens Linnaea luxuriates in pots stood in a 

 shaded, cool frame. 



Linum brings us to some of the brightest plants 

 of the rock garden, mostly flowei-ing from June 

 to August. 



Linum idyininn is a dwarf species, forming 

 many prostrate, slender shoots clothed with 

 narrow leaves, and bearing in July numerous 

 bright blue flowers. 



L. arhoreuiii forms a twiggy, roundish bush, a 

 foot or more high, the stems clothed with fairly 

 large green leaves which are persistent, and bear- 

 ing in early summer corymbs of bright pale 

 yellow flowers. 



F. cumpanulatum. L. capitatinn, L. fiavum, 

 and L. tauricitm are all small bushes, 9 inches 

 to a foot in height, practically evergreen, leaves 

 green or slightly glaucous, and bearing in 

 sunnner masses of bright yellow flowers varying 

 somewhat in shade of colour. 



L. inon'xji/niim is a tall, loose grower, giving 

 plenty of white flowers during the summer 

 months. 



L. ninhoncnse is a tall grower, reaclnnii 2 feet 

 in luMglit, and giving abundance of dark lihie 

 flowers. 



L. perenne, blue, and L. perenne (ilhiiiu are 

 both good plants for border or rockery and well 

 worth growing. 



L. salsoloides is one of the glories of June and 



