IRISH GARDENING 



155 



Royal Horticultural Society's Autumn 

 Show, Dublin, August 24th, 1915. 



In Hf]ttfiiil>er issue we were only able to fviniish 

 a list of prize winners. A few notes on the larger 

 exhibits by nurserymen will therefore be of 

 interest. 



It lias been a ])oor season for Eoses, yet the 

 blooms staged by the well-known firms from the 

 North were wonderfully good. Messrs. Alexander 

 Dickson & Sons, l>t(l., i)ut vi[) a large non-com- 

 ])etitive cxliibit of ])looms in boxes, backed by 

 tall stands. The variety George Dickson was 

 ]»re-emineiit, a line big crimson rose for the 

 exliil)itor. Tliis group was awarded a silver 

 medal. In the competitive classes open to the 

 trade, Messrs. Hvigh Dickson, Ltd., Belfast, had 

 the field to theniselves, and were awarded three 

 first i)rizes. Their table of Roses arranged for 

 effect was specially conunended for decorative 

 resiilt, and was put up as Messrs. Hugh Dickson 

 well know how to do. The new crimson H. D. M. 

 Barton was good, also Madam Edouard Herriott 

 (Daily Mail Rose), but ])robably the most 

 attractive variety was the firm's new II. T. Prince 

 Charming, a very charming Rose indeed for 

 decorative purposes, whetlier in the garden or cvit. 



Tile largest nursery exhibit was that of Messrs. 

 Watson <fc Sons, Clonlarf Nurseries. J)u1)lin. They 

 staged one of their highly inlercsling collections 

 of hardy flowers and al]>iiies, ()ccui)ying one side 

 of a tent. Tlialictrum dipterocarpum was fine, 

 tile graceful flower-stems ascending to the low 

 roof of the tent ; it is a lovely thing for cutting, 

 and will And its way to every garden. Newer 

 jdants included Poterivim obtusatum,with waving 

 plumes of deep pink, and Lyclinis liybrida, which 

 boasts, i'erlia]is, the most glaring colour to be 

 seen in a herbaceous border. Lythrum alatum 

 and L. Rose Queen were in good form, also a bold 

 mass of the double-flowered Gyi)so])hila, whicli 

 deserves to be more generally grown, as the 

 doubling of the minute flowei^s inlciisirKs the 

 whiteness without in any way deincciat iiig the 

 cluirm of the plant. Stokesia cyanea jira'cox was 

 nice, and Sjjark's variety of Aconitum, a very 

 telling purple. Tlie indispensable Aster Thomsoni 

 was well shown, and the pink Erigeron hybridus 

 roseus was in bloom in pots. A good collection 

 of Messrs. Watson's well-known border Carnations 

 found a place in the stand, and these included 

 their new yellow " Soufr^s" which is remarkably 

 smooth and symmetrical in outline, does not 

 1)urst, and is of vigorous growth. P?eony-flowered 

 Cactus and Collerette Dahlias in many varieties 

 gave l)rilliance to the stand, and much attention 

 was attracted by the set of dwarf Polyantha 

 Roses, which are so effective for bedding. 

 Amongst these, .Tessie, Orleans, Erna Teschen- 

 doilV. Mis. W. 11. Cutbush, Mme. .Jules Gouchalt, 

 and Kodhatfc were very line. Tliey were backed 

 with 11. T. Roses in numerous varieties. Flower- 

 ing shrubs were rej)resented by pretty things, 

 such as Perowskia atripJicifolia with lavender- 

 blue flowers; Coriaria terminalis, showing the 

 lurious racemes of fleshy yellow fruit ; Salvia 

 (ireggi, with flower and calyx crimson-pm-ple : 

 Buddleia variabilis magnifica was rich in colour ; 

 the hi-avily flowert d feathery stems of Taniarix 

 hispida a-stivalis were verv charming, and the 

 reddish fluwers of ITydraiigca .Maricsi lilaciiia 

 I'tiuiid inan\ admirci's. 



One end of Messrs. Watson's stand was allotted 

 to Alpines antl rock plants, an extensive collection 

 for so late a date, but we can only enumerate a, 

 few. Solidago Buckleyi is a charming little 

 Golden Rod, 9 inches high, which someone not 

 inaptly called '• Vtdlow Mignonette " : Cam- 

 ])anulas inchukd W. II. Paine, Warley, and 

 Profusion. The first named can be flowered at 

 almost any time of the year, and is a fine con- 

 servatory as well as rock-garden plant. The 

 fiery scarlet of Verbena chamredrys was striking, 

 and also the yellow flowers of Asteris( iis niari- 

 timus. Crassula sarcocaulis was a mass of flower, 

 and is a charming ])lant for autumn bloom in the 

 rock garden. The neat little Hypericum cuneatum 

 and the always welcome Viola bosniaca were 

 good, and there were many dwarf shrubs and 

 Conifers suitable for the rock garden, the heathers 

 being well flowered. Messrs. Watson were 

 awarded a gold medal for the stand, which was 

 closely inspected by a crowd of interested visitors, 

 for hardy flowers and alpines ()ccui)y the foremost 

 place in the mind of the gardeiiiim' ])ublic now. 



The only other gold nitdai exhibit was that of 

 Mr. S. A. .Jones, Kilkenny, who ])ut up a splenditi 

 collection of Gladioli in named varieties. M( ssis. 

 Hogg & Robertson also staged a good collection 

 of these flowers in another tent, including manv 

 promising novelties raised by the firm, and 

 received a silver medal. The nursery exhibits 

 were completed by Messrs. Charles Ramsay ct 

 Son, Royal Nurseries, Ballsbridge, who were 

 highly commended for a collection of named 

 herbaceous Phloxes. 



A SPECIAI. meeting of the Council was held at the 

 Society's Offices, 5 Molesworth Street, Dublin, on 

 the 24th ult. Present :— Messrs. .1. Wylie- 

 Henderson, E. H. Walpole, .7. .1. M'Donoiigh, 

 Geo. Watson, D. L. Ramsay, .LP. ; Robt. 

 And-^rson, and .lames Robertson, .LP., with 

 Mr. E. D'Olier i)residing. Regrets at inability to 

 attend were received from Sir Freelerick " W. 

 Moore, Lady Albreda Bourke, Dr. R. T. Harris, 

 T. Masterson and W. F. Gunn, .LP. 



The meeting was convened to receive the 

 Finance Committee's rei)ort, with statement of 

 accounts of the Autumn Show and Fete held in 

 Lord Iveagh's groimds, August 24th. The various 

 items having been allocated to their separate 

 accounts resjiectively it was noted that expenses, 

 including the prize list, showed a balance to loss 

 of £06 4s. 9d. over receipts on the Show account, 

 and_ that the Fete accounts showed a gain of 

 £125 IDs. 8d. over expenses, which sum it was 

 resolved bo equally divided between the Roval 

 Dublin Fusiliers' Prisoners' of War Fund and the 

 Irish Branch of the Vegetable Products Committee 

 for sui)i)lying fruit and vegetables to the Fleet, 

 cheques being forwarded to the Hon. Treasurers 

 of each Fimd. Arrangements were made for dulv 

 acknowleelging the valuable work of the Fete 

 Committee in making it a success, and tlie 

 Council wish to express their gratitude to the 

 many, they may not be able to jiersonallv thank, 

 who generously gave their exhibits or "sent in 

 gifts for the auction, which ri^aliscd a suhstantial 

 sum for the iiroject. At a i)revious meeting of 

 the Council It was resolved that after due con- 

 sideration, and with much regret, that under 

 present exceptional circimistances the winter 

 show, provisionally lixcd for 0<-tob(.r. would have 

 to I)., abandonr.l. 



