S6 



Wii^li (iARDKMNG 



Rhododendrons at Woodside, 

 Howth 



'I'llK |K-cMiliiir <i;fol<.uic;il lormatioii <>t llic llnutli 

 |)i(>m()iit»)i\ . wliicli is fiiH' of lime in a coimtv 

 whit'li is mainly a linu'sloiu' one. inaUi's the 

 cultivation of IJ1i<>(Io(Ii'M{|i-oiis and Uindnd 

 plants possihic w licivvor siitlicicnt slu-ltcr can 

 l>c ohtaincd. The cliniati- is mild, and the chief 

 factor o|ieratin«:- a<rainst LMrdeninii at Howth is 

 wind. This can only he oveieomc hy forminL;' 

 plantat io?i> uf pine^ oi' other I'scrufeens capable 

 of withstanding^ heavy gales, and hy takin,L^ 

 ad\antatie of tlie jjrotcetion of larjio roeUs and 

 houlders in eonjnnetion with plantations of 

 hardy evergreens or other trees and shrulis w hich 

 can hv indni-ed to form a sciceii. 



Al Woodside. the residence of Mrs. Hart, 

 thei'e is a considerahle wooded aica. and in this 

 a very tine eolleetion of Rhododendrons has iieen 

 sneeessfully planted and cstahlished. The soil 

 is naturally of a peat_\' nature, overlaying I'oek, 

 and is admirably adapted for plants of the Erica 

 family, though numerous othei' shrubs of 

 diverse onlers are thriving equally well. 



The first week in ?.hiy was a little early for 

 many lUiododeiidions. yet (piite a nundjer were 

 making a tini- display, and the healthy, happy 

 a])]K'aranee of others bristling with fat buds 

 w as. to a gardener, almost as pleasurable a sight 

 as the fully ex])anded blossoms. 



One of the first species to be noted was the 

 delightful little II. glaucuni, a native of 8ikkim 

 and lihotan at high altitudes. It makes a 

 dwarf hush, probably not often exceeding 3 feet, 

 and bears oval leaves, which are glaucous below. 

 The flowers, which are possibly about an inch 

 w ider, are of a beautiful soft ros3'-purple colour. 

 l)orne in clusters of 6 or 7 together. it is 

 apparently quite hardy at Woodside. 



R. eain])ylocarpum was very striking, and 

 was bearing scores of trusses of clear yellow 

 Mowers, a rare and refreshing treat to see. This 

 is a verj' handsome species, with leathery leaves 

 glossy above and glaucous below. It makes a 

 eomyjact shapely bush, and when carrying 

 scores of trusses as in this case is a shrub of great 

 beauty. Near by R. cinnabarinum and R. 

 Roylei were flowering freely, and were attractive 

 in their rich colouring. Generally now R. Roylei 

 is considered only a variety of the former, and 

 lightly so. The habit of both ])lants is distinct 

 from many other Rhododendrons, being rather 

 thin and sparse, while the flowers are more 

 tubular or funnel-shaped than is usual. The 

 leaves too are of a peculiar grey-green hue, at 

 once marking them as distinct among other 



species. The llowcr> of the I.\pc. a> the name 

 implies, arc cnnial)cr rcil. while those of t he 

 \aiiely Koyici ari' deep rosy red and shorter 

 than llh.sc ..f i;. cinnabatinum. I'.ot h were 



liowcrin-.: mccl\ al W I>idc. .\n.,llici- plant 



not usuallx >ccn (uil>idc wa> noted \i/... \{. 

 fragrant is>nnuni. a h\biid between K. Dal- 

 h.Misi;r and K. cilialnm, iioth tender species, 



tl gh l;. ciliatuni alvo llourislies in the open 



at Howth. i;. (•omil.>>s of Haddington, which 

 i> of hyliiid oriLiin. wa-- al>(> bearing its handsome 

 i)hish pink iilossonis n>nally onl\- seen in gi'een- 

 honses. and testifying to the mild climate of 

 Howth. It. i-id)iginosnni. a nati\c of South- 

 west China, was also notcil. bearing clusteis of 

 rosy-lilac Howers, and making a nice show. \ 

 great many otliei' species are grown, many not 

 being in llowcr at 1 he time of my \isit. Numerous 

 new kinds recently introduced from China are 

 growing on in nnisery beds, and in due tinu- no 

 doid)t tlie\ will take their place in the general 

 collection.' 



Rhododendrons arc not the onl.\ shrubby 

 })lants gi'own. and numerous species of J*itto- 

 si)orum, Clematis. cV'c.. were noted in passing. 

 A feature is made of the double-llowering 

 cherries, most of them young plants which will 

 become incivasinuK' b(>autifnl as the\' de\-elop. 



H. 



Pinus Pinaster 



I AM sending you foiw photographs of Pinus 

 Pinaster sown direct on. a ])eat bog. No. I 

 shows the depth of the peat ; * No. 2 and 

 3, taken at the same spot at inter\'als of 

 two years, illustrate the remarkably ra])id 

 growth of Pinus Pinaster on a soil that is fatal 

 to even the accommodating Scots Pine. No. 4 

 is a photograph of three average plants at four 

 years from sowing. It is surprising that P. 

 Pinaster has not been more extensively used on 

 such places. Judging by the numerous 

 specimens we find in various ])arts of the countr3\ 

 it must have attracted some attention sixty or 

 eighty years ago. It is mentioned in Gregor's 

 " Arboriculture " as being the only tree to 

 succeed on a wet peat moss in Scotland, and 

 more recently under similar conditions in the 

 West of Ireland it is observed to be the only 

 one that succeeded in estabUshing itself out of 

 a great many varieties tried. 



It probably early lost favour on account of 

 it being such a bad transplanter. As a seedling 

 it grows a long tap-root, which makes it very 

 difficult to transplant successfully ; in that 

 respect it resembles the Corsican Pine, and it is 



♦ Xot suitable for reproduction. 



