IRISH GARDENING 



123 



should be planted 6 feet eacli way. They are most 

 useful for growing on a north wall, as they will 

 give late fruits, and thus prolong the season. 



The best varieties of Eed are Raby Castle, La 

 Versaillaise, and Goliath. White varieties are 

 White Dutch, White Versailles, 



Gooseberries should be grown on single stems. 

 The ground should be deeply worked and 

 manured, and, if possible, plant on fresh ground 

 in an open situation, 6 feet apart each way. The 

 best varieties are Windhaius, Industry, Crown 

 Bolj, Keepsake and Whitesmith. Great care is 

 necessary in getting Goosei)erry bushes from a 

 reliable source owing to the American Gooseberry 

 Mildew, which, if it gets into a plantation, will 

 give a lot of troul^le before it is banished. The 

 same care is also necessary with Black Currants 

 owing to the Mite. 



Hardy Geraniums for Border and 

 Woodland 



Though the hardy Geraniums comprise a race of 

 plants of great beauty, wide divergence of size 

 and habit, and easy culture, many of them are not 

 seen as often as they might be in our gardens. 

 With Ix. pratense in its several forms, the violet- 

 purple ibericum, now giving us its fine autumnal 

 leaf-colouring, and the brilliant rock garden sun- 

 (juineuin we may be familiar, and excellent they 

 undoubtedly are wlien put to the right use; but 

 there are others, others equally fine, others finer, 

 and it is to these that I would draw attention 

 here, with the hope that those amateur gardeners 

 who do not know them may speedily make their 

 acquaintance. 



Raspberriks.— Fresh ground should be i)iepar('d 

 for Rasi)berries, and it sliould be deeply worked 

 and well manured; make the ground firm by 

 treading. Plant in rows 4 feet apart and 18 inches 

 to 2 feet apart in the lines. The canes should be 

 tied loosely to keep them from blowing about. Cut 

 them back to within one foot of the ground in 

 February, so as to get strong fruiting canes for 

 the following year. Tlie suiface should only be 

 lightly hoed to keep down weeds. During the 

 autunm thin out the canes to the desired amount; 

 this will give the remaining canes plenty of air to 

 ripen them. A surface dressing of spent lipt-bed 

 maiuu'e is best as it is mostly composed of rotten 

 leaves. The best varieties are Superlative, Pyne's 

 Royal, and Bath's Perfection. 



EmV.^RD RUTHKKI'ORI), 



Farnhaiii Gardens, Cavan. 



Roses. 



We hope to publisli, next nionth, an interesting 

 article on " Scented Roses."' 



The subject of my photogi'aph {G. (inncti inn) is 

 one of the most gorgeous. A bold, hardy plant, 

 whose o feet to 4 feet branching stems will often 

 make a dome of striking colour nearly a dozen 

 feet in circumference, and one that will continue 

 in flower from midsummer to the end of August. 

 The blossoms are about 1^ inches across, and of a 

 most brilliant crimson-majenta, which might be 

 almost harsh in tone were it not for the radiating 

 veins and conspicuous eye, both in lustrous black. 

 G. urmenum is, indeed, a sumptuous Oriental, yet 

 oiu^ tluit is perfectly hardy and amenable to any 

 ordinary border treatment. 



Moi-e uncommon than the foregoing, and of 

 rather lesser stature, is (t. unemonit fiAiuin . This 

 species is quite distinct from any other. Since it 

 conies from Madeira, it is not absolutely frost- 

 jnoof; still, it will stand several degrees of frost, 

 and in most of our milder counties will flourish 

 iniprotected and sow its own seedlings. Instead 

 of dying-down, like nio.st of the larger Geraniums, 

 this species remains in leaf the year round. From 

 a short root-stem it throws out its great fleshy, pal- 



