IRISH GARDENING 



15 



effects produced where groups of the gauze 

 flower Gypsophila panicnlata and Statue are 

 grown Ah ! it is beauty all the way where hardy 

 plants are carefully selected and grown ! Peren- 

 nial plants bring perennial pleasure, too, to those 

 who look after their requirements ni dividing and 

 re-planting them in fresh quarters occasionally. 

 In all the departments of horticulture I know of 

 nothing that is likely to give more satisfaction to 

 the one who has tired of the wearisome bedding- 

 out system than the planting of perennials, a tithe 

 only of which I have enumerated. Mercaston. 



The Drought and the Rock Garden. 



ssed th rough 



The rock garden has ju>t pa^ ^ 



probablv the most trying period within ^^'^"b 

 almost unprecedented drought. 



diat 

 livins 



memory The almost unprececlentecl arougnt, 

 coupled with brilliant sunshine and high tempera- 

 tures, has laid a heavy hand on many things, and 



stood the drought better than ^izoons. The latter 

 did not bloom very freely, and many of them show 

 burnt patches. The big silvers— longifolia, cotyle- 

 don pyramidalis and Mcnabiana— have come 

 through all right, whilst the lingulata group 

 (supposed to .be shade lovers) are all flourishing— 

 in particular, Alberti after flowering profusely, 

 is a picture of health and vigour. 



Saxifrages planted in fissures in the natural rock 

 have suffered least of all. They have evidently 

 got their roots deeply down where there is moisture 

 and coolness, and are proof against any baking by 

 a hot sun. 



FctvocaUis (Dtdha) pyrenaica looks as if it had 

 enjoyed the heat since not only is it a brilliant 

 green, but is covered with a second crop of 

 blossom more abundant than the first one. 



Some of the more tender shrubs, such as Litho- 

 spormum rosmnrinifolium. Daphne cncorum and 

 the prostrate Rosemary have benefited by the hot 



Daffodil " Noble." 

 One of the best Incomps, 



in gardens not well constructed the losses must 

 be severe. 



The experience, though it may have been pain- 

 ful, is not without value. It has justified our 

 masters who preached deep root runs with plenty 

 of grit and stones through the soil. Further, it 

 has shown us how, given such a deep run, the 

 saxatile plants are proof against a long, dry 

 period. 



Vianthus neglectus is as green and as vigorous 

 as one could wish. It is a true saxatile plant, and 

 invaluable for the rock garden. Some of the rarer 

 and more difficult Campanulas have the same 

 characteristcs. C. AJJlovi and C. Kaineri are more 

 vigorous than they were last year, and seem to 

 have enjoyed the dry conditions. C. isapln/Ua is 

 magnificent, covered with blossoms, each of which 

 is as big as half-a-crown. The .Ethionemas have, 

 of course, enjoyed the heat and dryness, but the 

 Helianthemums were not too happy. 



Ramondias seemed to feel the parching heat most 

 of all ; their thick, succulent looking leaves 

 shrivelled and browned until one feared they could 

 not survive, yet they had a wonderful resurrec- 

 tion after two days heavy rain. 



On the whole the Kabschia Saxifrages have with- 



spell, 

 them 



which ha 

 to h,y „p 



lipened their wood well, enabling 

 store of vigour for the future. 

 J. Harper Scaife. 



Bulb Planting. 



As a glance at the advertisement pages of this 

 Journal will testify, the season for planting the 

 majority of l)ulbs. tubers and corms for spring and 

 early summer flowering is with us. As in pre-war 

 days catalogues arrive daily, and the selections 

 offered are ample to meet practically all require- 

 ments. It is well, having selected a firm to deal 

 with, to make a note of requirements at once, and 

 despatch the order. There is nothing like ordering 

 early to get first quality, and nothing like planting 

 early to get the finest flowers. Each according to 

 his space will order just sufficient to fill that space 

 and all may have an equally good display; a dozen 

 bulbs in a small garden can give as much pleasure 

 as a hundred or a thousand in a larger one. Each 

 can have his drifts of blue or scarlet Anemones. 

 and Daffodils, masses of Tulips, breadths of 

 Crocuses, clumps of Snowdrops, or group? of stately 

 Lilies. A hint may here be given : — When Lilies 

 are planted — we mean the true Liliums. such as 



