62 



IRISH GARDENING 



APRIL 



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Flower Garden and Pleasure CJrounds. 



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Gu.dt 

 Co. 



Ill-: va 



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Tl I K var-ialioiis orii'inpiT 

 April are Still very ijreal. A simi- 

 iiu-r lemperalure diiriiii; lln' day 

 Is very often followed by a severe frost al 

 iii^'ht. April fairly lands us amidst the 

 i^lories of sprini; with wreaths of the 

 rainbow and carpets of tureen. It is a 

 \ery busy uionth for tjardeners ; in every 

 department work awaits us on every liaiul 

 • md taxes our abilities to attend to all oui 



-lunild no\ 



iNG.-All seeds i 



l;; the summer a 



be sown. \\"1 



extensively i,^ro' 



il ended 

 ,\ ;uitii 

 ■re ha 

 II aiiol 



J jdj sowing should now be made where they 



J A' are intended to bloom. Half hardy 



n am annuals may be sown out doors on warm 



\. ^ borders. Mignonette, poppies (of which I 



^ -•. -H think the Sherley the most lovely and can 

 now be had in separate colours), stocks, 

 asters, Linum rubrum. godetia, nastur- 

 tiums, candytuft. clarkia, larkspurs, 

 nialope, nigella, &c., may all be sown 

 where intended to bloom. 



I'erennials and biennials may still be 

 transplanted, especially the most fibrous- 

 rooted plants, which generally lift with 

 plentv of soil attached to the roots, those subjects may 

 still be increased by divisions or off-shoots, taking 

 care to water well after moving. 



Carnations should be gone over and firmed in the 

 ground, any failures made good ; a top-dressing of soot 

 will help them, very much. Carnation seed may be 

 sown in pans, and placed in heat until they germinate, 

 when they should be removed to a cold frame, giving 

 them plenty of air and light. 



Hollyhocks grown in pots during the winter should 

 now be planted out in clumps or singly in deeply dug 

 rich soil. Cuttings of choice sorts are more tender than 

 seedlings, and will require more attention as to watering 

 and shading for some time until they become established. 

 Seeds sown now will flower late in the autumn. 



.-Vuriculas will now be in bloom, and heavy trusses 

 will require neat stakes. Seeds should now be sown in 

 pans or boxes in gentle heat. 



Dahlia roots may now be planted out in deeply dug 

 soil, with plenty of well-rotted manure beneath them. 

 This will retain the moisture during the warm months, 

 and prevent the plants getting a check through drought. 

 Bear in mind the best flowers are to be had off" plants 

 from cuttings. 



Sweet peas should be sown for late flowering ; if 

 some be sown in pots they can be doited about the 

 border where required. 



Roses. -All pruning should be finished early this 



iiuMith. A conlinuous w.itch must be kt-pt for rnililew, 

 and as prevention is hellei- ili.ui l ur e lliey shoi'ld be 

 sprayed twice a wi-i-k with some mildew specific. 

 .Sulphide o( potassium is vi-iy good but for the ugly 

 marks it leaves on the fi>lias4e. Look out for cater- 

 pillars ; where a leal" is ouilcji there is. sure to be a 

 caterpillar inside. The lunU should be lii;hll\ forked 

 after some good fertilizer h.is biin apjilieil and gene- 

 rally tidied up and made to look as fresh as possible. 

 This is a good tinu' to nun t' most of the bamboos ; they 

 ilo not suffei- so much now as if moveil during the dry- 

 ing winds of March. Handnisa nobale .iiul Ai iMulinaria 

 falcila are two ver^- graceful plants. 



Ho.x edgings should now be cut tidy, walks hoed and 

 freshened up, and every place in the garden made to 

 look its best. 



Lawns will n-quin- to be mown ami rolled at least 

 once a wei-k. 



RluHlodeiKJious nunc vi-ry well in Ajiril ; lo get the 

 liest results they must be grown in pe.it.or pi-at anil 

 good fibrous loam mixed, taking care to firm the soil 

 well around the plants, and watch that they do not 

 become " wind-shaken" or loosened around tin- base of 

 plant. 



The -Mpiiie gartlens will be most interesting during 

 April ; we shall have such a variety of those little gems 

 to admire that we shall be unable to decide which is the 

 most lovely. The saxifrages are a numerous family and 

 contain very many lovely and interesting members, and 

 where there are so many beautiful varieties it is difficult 

 to single out any for special note. Sax. Grisebachi is 

 one of the earliest Alpines to flower, and a most charm- 

 ing little plant whose bright crimson spikes are pro- 

 duced in March. .Sax. burseriana grandiflora, Boydii, 

 Paulina, and Colyledon pyramidalis are some of the 

 encrusted section which are well worth growing. 

 Amongst the mossy section we have Sax. Rhei, 

 Wallacei, oppositifolia coccinea, Guildford seedling, 

 &c. Amongst the .Vndrosaces, A. carnea, pyrenaica. 

 Laggeri, sarmentosa, and A. lanuginosa Leichtlini are all 

 lovely although somewhat difficult to grow, except that 

 we have a dry sunny corner for them. We have a host 

 of campanulas, two lovely varieties being G. F. Wilson 

 and PuUoides, but space does not permit mention being 

 made of many which are just as beautiful and interest- 

 ing. I will finish by recommending two dianthus— viz., 

 Dianlhus neglectus and D. sylvestris. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By G. DOOL.VN. 



CROPPING BKTWKKX FRCPr TREKS.-Voung 

 plantations may, with advantage, be cropped 

 with garden or farm vegetables, such as pota- 

 toes, cabbage, turnips, carrot.s, or mangolds. The 

 cropping keeps the ground in good tilth, and the 

 necessary manuring indirectly benefits the trees. 

 When the plough is used between the rows great care 

 must be taken not to allow it too close to the trees or 

 injury to the roots will result. The age of the trees and 

 the length of time planted must be taken into account 

 before determining the distance from the trees at which 



