IRISH GARDENING 



21 



Ccelogyne cristata. 



This may truly bo teriiied a garden Orcliid, 

 because it is often found in a. thriviii.g condition 

 Avhere no attempt is me^de to cultivate a col- 

 lection, or expert advice is at hand. These 

 facts should })e borne in mind by the amateur 

 and gardener who have not yet addwl this 

 chaste and beautiful plant to their glasshouses. 

 Tlie plant quoted above jiroduces drooping 

 racemes of large, pure white flowers, excepting 

 the lip, which is stained and crested Avith orange- 

 yellow. In 

 the -variety 

 alba or holo- 

 I e u c a the 

 orange-yellow 

 is conspic- 

 uous by its 

 absence, and 

 with the form 

 known as 

 lemoniana 

 the lip is 

 crested with 

 fitron-yellow. 

 All are free- 

 fl owering, 

 and the spikes 

 of beautiful 

 flowers can 

 be utiUsed hi 

 various ways. 



A t t ii e 

 ])resent time 

 (Janu a r y) 

 growth has 

 already be- 

 gun, and in 

 a few weeks 



the scajies will also api)ear. Hence it is advis- 

 able at this stage not to jillow any A\-ater to 

 l(,dge in the shoot, or both may decay. 



While tlie plants are in flower the atuio.sphere 

 can be kept tolerably dry, then, they are not 

 si)oilt through the spot disease. Soon after the 

 s])ikes are removed new roots w'ill be seen at 

 the base of the growth, and it is at this stage 

 that any re-]iotthig or top-dressing can be done. 

 The former need only be carried out at rare 

 intervals. iMit the latter may be practised 

 aiuiuully if such is considered necessary. Jt 

 consists of removin.g any decayed .soil and re- 

 ])lacing it with fresh material, without und.ily 

 disturbing the base of the plant. With this 

 attention si)ecimens will thrive for years, and 



Hkrbaceous Hohdkp. ix May 



pi-oduce a good crop of bloom. The time Avill 

 come, however, when repotting will be a n.eces- 

 sity to prevent the deterioration of the bulbs, 

 and a thorough overhauling is rec{uired. All 

 useless back pscudo bulbs are cut away, leaving 

 three or four behind each lead or growing point. 

 These pieces are then carefully arranged, so that 

 a nice compact example is the result, seeing that 

 a few of the leads point towards the centre. 

 Pans 8 or 10 inches in diameter are convenient 

 sizes, and they ought to be filled one-third of 

 their depth with dramage. The soil is made 

 up of good peat, Osmun,da fibre, and sphagnum 

 moss in equal parts, the whole being cut up into 



about inch 

 lengths, and 

 all the fine 

 dusty par- 

 ticles sifted 

 out. For a 

 few weeks 

 careful water- 

 ing nmst be 

 the rule, but 

 once the roots 

 take posses- 

 sion of the 

 compost the 

 water supply 

 may be in- 

 creased with 

 advantage. 

 W h e n t h e 

 l)ulbs are 

 fully devel- 

 oped, water 

 theplantsless 

 frequently — 

 in fact only 

 su ffic lent 

 need be given 

 to maintain 

 the bulbs in. a plump and rigid condition. 

 An average temperature of i)i>^' to 60"^ Fahr. 

 should be adhered to as far as possible, but i 

 have obtained equally satisfactory results in 

 both a higher an,d lower temperature. The 

 oi'din.ary stove would be an ideal place for the 

 growing season, and a \inery while at rest. 

 The chief insect pests are thri]) and scale : the 

 first-named can be held in check by fumigation, 

 but the scale must be removed by an insecticide. 



^fi^ ^w i^* 



'•Speak of flowers as the laMght-r of the earth 



and utterin;? itself in colour and form 



Flowers are the love sonys— written out instead 

 of beiri',' s mg or spoken — of God's green world." 

 —Ooidsjii Kcrimhan in '• Dr.-anis Dead Earnest and 

 Ua'f Jest." 



