H^ 



IRISH GARDKNING 



SKl'TKMHKR 



The Common Daisy. 



I'.y W. l;. I'.Klii;. 



THK presoiKO of ilalsits in a lawn may often l>i- 

 undosirablo. On tho other hand, wlienoccnrt ini; 

 in siillieient iiiiantity, they are eapable of eonlii- 

 bntint; a woiuierfiil charm to a landscape. Tlie writer 

 has in mind a particular instance which he thinks bears 

 ont the latter contention. In tiie close-sh.iven. iituhi- 

 latinjc sward that surround the lily pond in liie Mot.inic 

 (Jardens. Glasnevin, this plant occurs in immense 

 numbers, and in early summer the myriads of its liny 

 blossoms cover the y round like snow. By contrast with 

 the various shades of g^reen of the multitude of divers 

 trees and shrubs here, and the mirror-like face of the 

 water, they constitute a delightfully brilliant picture. 



To whatever cause it may be more particularly 

 ascribed, there is to be experienced here, in daisy time, 

 an indefinable charm, an air of joyousness peculiar to 

 the place and the season. The effect appears not 

 inferior to, but gayer than, the results obtainetl from, 

 often costly and not always successful, attempts at 

 naturalisation so much practised nowadays. Were the 

 tTower an exotic we may well believe it would take high 

 rank in any such scheme. 



Nor is the effect we have alluded to attained by con- 

 verting the lawn into a meadow, and condemning folk 

 to keep off the grass for some three months of the year. 



Perhaps we are too ready to overlook its value in this 

 respect, and wage, often unnecessary, war on this 

 beautiful and modest, if somewhat ubiquitous, flower, 

 which has so frequently been the theme, and has 

 inspired some of the finest lines, of our poets from 

 the time of Chaucer. In his " Legende of Good 

 Women," Chaucer pays a fine tribute to the dais)-, 

 and proclaims the high estimate in which he held it : 



"Above all flouris in the mede 

 Than love I most these flouris white and rede 



Soche that men callin Daisies 



To them have I so grete affectioun, 



whan comin is the Maie, 



That in my bedde there dawith me no daie. 

 That I n'am up and walking in the mede 

 To sene this floure ayenst the sunne sprede." 

 As a lover he has rightly noted the season of its 

 plenitrde — "whan comin is the Maie." It is just 

 attaining the zenith of its bloom as April is about to 

 give place to May. 



It is conceivable that, between them, the daisy and 

 the whitethorn have contributed more than anything 

 else to our association of joyousness with the month 

 of May, with its easterly winds. For during May the 

 daisy and whitethorn flood the country-side with a 

 virginal whiteness that is symbolic of youth and joy- 

 fulness, offering a spectacle such as is afforded us 

 during no other period of the year. 

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The Marguerite or Ox-eye Daisy of the fields makes a 

 charming border plant. Taken from its natural habitat 

 and given room, good depth of soil, and freedom from 

 competitors, it makes good growth and a fine show in 

 the herbaceous border. The Moon Daisy is a different 

 species, while the "Shasta Daisy" is a hybrid between 

 the two. They are all excellent for cut flowers. 



Autumn Work in the School 

 (iarcicn. 



Bl r.l.\.\i;i.;S ,il v;.irih-ning ;ire apt lo sl.irt work in 

 tin- spring with ;i great burst of enthusiasm, but 

 by till' time the .lutinnn has arrived their energy 

 has svuik to a low ebb, and only revives with the 

 approach of another seed time. This must not be the 

 case with the teacher in the school garden. Not only is 

 there imjiortant cultural work to be carried out in 

 autmnn, but observational studies of the most interesting 

 nature aboimd at this season of the year. It is in 

 autumn that planting for spring effect must be carried 

 out, and provision should be made to have the 

 school garden blight with flowers during the spring 

 months. 



Wallflowers and Forget-me-nots sown in May orjime, 

 and pricked out in nursery beds, will be ready in 

 October for removal to their permanent quarters. 

 Arabis and Aubrietia, from cuttings struck after flower- 

 ing, will also be ready for putting out. These two well- 

 known plants are invaluable for spring edgings or for 

 rockwork. Arabis makes a good groundwork for tulips, 

 and the double form, which is finer in every way than 

 the single, is excellent for cutting. If cuttings of these 

 plants have not been taken at the right time, it will often 

 be possible to find self-rooted shoots round the old 

 clump, which can be detached in autumn, and will flower 

 the following spring. Polyanthus primroses which have 

 been divided up in Ma)' should be moved in October to 

 the positions in which they are to flower. All spring- 

 flowering bulbs should be planted ; the earliest to flower 

 in spring (snowdrops, crocuses, and scillas) should be 

 planted first in autumn. It is a great mistake to leave 

 the planting of bulbs till mid-winter, as is often done; 

 their roots begin to develop normally long before then. 

 Mixed lots of narcissi can now be obtained very cheaply 

 from most seedsmen ; the early-flowering tulips are also 

 inexpensive, and if their noble May-flowering sisters 

 cost a little more, they are surely worth the extra 

 price. 



Sowings of some of the hardiest annuals should be 

 made either at the ends of the plots or in the flower 

 border. Frequently these make better plants and give 

 a greater profusion of flow^ers than the spring-sown 

 ones. Sweet pea, Shirley poppy, annual larkspur, 

 nemophila, and Virginia stock are suitable kinds. 



The spring window-box must on no account be 

 forgotten, and for it bulbs are most suitable. A box 

 planted with crocuses, Due van Thol tulips, and 

 narcissus (Sir Watkin or Golden Spur), the crocuses 

 in front and the narcissi at the back, would keep bright 

 for some time. Forget-me-nots and Cottage Maid 

 tulips also give a pretty effect. 



The vegetables for winter and spring use will need 

 some attention. Broccoli and winter greens should be 

 moulded up to prevent their being shaken by the winter 

 gales. A line or two of an early spring cabbage such 

 as Sutton's Flower of Spring, Harbinger, or EUam's 

 Early should be planted out in the plots eighteen inches 

 between the plants. More of the autumn-sown cabbage 

 plants might be put out in nursery beds, while the 



