IRISH GARDENING 



137 



The Arboretum. 



Up to the end of June trees and shrubs here 

 looked anything but happy, for in spite of bright 

 sun, the drought, combined with a good deal of 

 eold wind, rendered conditions anything but 

 favourable for growth. Tlie copious rains of 

 July and early August, however, though too 

 heavy and continuous for n^any herbaceous 

 plants, "bedding " plants, &c., have had a most 

 remarkably beneficial effect on trees and shrubs._ 

 Since the advent of the rains all classes of 

 coniferous trees have made wonderful growth, 

 and the leaders forming this year bid fair to excel 

 anything produced for some years back. Many 

 of the rarer pines, for instance, are now doing 

 extremely well, and rarely has better growth 

 been seen on such species as P. monticola, 

 P. sabiniana, P. TIarlwruii. aiid mauN ntlu-rs. 

 The same is 

 true of the 

 Pice as and 

 Abies, Tsugas, 

 C u p r e s s u s , 

 .lunii)ers, A:c. 

 Should a fine 

 sunny autumn 

 ensue, Conifers 

 during tlic 

 coming wintei 

 should be a 

 source of mucli 

 enjoyment. 



Hardwood 

 or deciduous 

 trees are en joy- 

 ing e(pial pi-us- 

 l)erity. and the 

 growth o n 

 such normally 

 quick-growing 

 subjects as 

 ])oplars is, in 

 some cases, 

 quite ])heno- 

 menal. Some 

 of the new 

 Chinese i)0]) 

 iars i)lanted Ami.moxio 



recently are 

 making enor- 

 mous growth and developing huge handsome 

 leaves unlike any sjiecies hitlierto in cultivation. 

 This is true teo of some of the new nuiples from 

 China. Several whicli have been planted for 

 a cou])le of years are now getting away nicely, 

 and have res])onded well to the abundant supply 

 of moisture, and are develo])ing a beauty of leaf- 

 stem and i)ranch such as was hoi)ed for from 

 the descri])tions of original trees growing in 

 China 



Practically the same remarks a])ply to ail tli(> 

 other genera of trees as oaks, ash, elms, limes, 

 alders, birch, etc., all have made wonderful 

 ])rogress duiing the last two months, and only 

 require a line autumn tit ripen and solidify the 

 gn.wlb thus made before severe weallier sets in. 

 Shru})s as well as trees have beneiitcd imiiicnsely 

 from the rain. Early-flowering kinds had the 

 l)enetit of the sunny weather and flowered grandly, 

 and now liave made fine growtli wlierewith tt) 

 repeat the i)erformance next sjti'ing. Autunm 

 flow<'rs, such as the Ceanothuses, Buddlieas, 

 some of the Escallonias, Caryojjteris, Masta- 

 cantluis, Sjtiraeas of the autumn-flowering set 



made excellent growth, and some are flowering 

 well now in mid-August, while others promise 

 to be good later. 



Much useful work can be done among trees 

 and shrubs in the early autumn months. Young 

 trees, which it has been found necessary to stake, 

 should be looked over to see that the ties are not 

 cutting into the bark, as in this way many a 

 good leader has been lost. Also side branches 

 may be slightly cut in to assist the leader to do 

 its best and get u]) rapidly, but this pruning must 

 be done judiciously, otherwise if the side branches 

 are reduced too much the leader is apt to run 

 away and make length without thickness, and 

 then fails to carry itself erect, necessitating 

 further staking. A tree which has been jjroperly 

 pruned from infancv should not require staking 

 at all. 



Atiit ipg shrul s too a deal of useful and necessary 



work can still 

 be done. If 

 any of the 

 early flowerers 

 were not thin- 

 ned out after 

 flowering this 

 may still be 

 done, t h u s 

 allowing the 

 new growths 

 to get all the 

 sun and air 

 possible t o 

 rioen the wood 

 for next vear's 

 tlowerinsr. The 

 a u t u mn flow- 

 er i-ing kinds 

 \\ ill, of course, 

 !..■ dealt with 

 ill winter and 

 • ■arlyspring, as 

 1 hey flower on 

 tlio current sea- 

 son's growth. 



In all collec- 

 tions of trees 

 and shrubs 

 i'i'i:.M\A. there are al- 



wa ys a f e w 

 jtlants which 

 do not sr<Mn to grow satisfactorily. If they 

 have been planted several years it is a good 

 plan to liglitly fork u]) the soil round theni 

 and apply a thorough soaking of weak licpiid 

 manure. ' This, though its effects are not im- 

 mediately ai)])arent in autumn when growth 

 is finishing, often causes the plants to grow 

 away strongly the next sjirin??, as tlie roots 

 absorb the food material, and it is then stored 

 away in the buds and branches as food to start 

 the next season with. Young i)lants which have 

 been i)lanted only recently, however, sliould not 

 have manure water, as the soil about Iheiii will 

 still be fresh and rich enough, and if ma<lc richer 

 would probably become sour. 



During autumn, before the leaves fall, planta- 

 tions antl shrul)f)eries may be exanuned, and any 

 alterations recjuired noted. Where trees or 

 shrubs liave become too close some plants may 

 be marked for removal, and also where too many 

 of one soi't are growing a numl)er of them may be 

 got rid of. their places being taken by some of the 

 newer kinds, of which there is now a large selec- 

 tion at quite reasonable prices. B., Dublin. 



