February 



IRISH GARDENING. 



23 



The Hollyhock. 



By J. H. Cl.mming. 



WAV back in the early seven- 

 ties of the last century the 

 hollyhock was to be found in 

 nearly every garden, and much 

 care and attention was taken 

 to have g"ood plants, as it fur- 

 nished no inconsiderable part 

 of the flower garden display. 

 Its varied shades of pleasing 

 colours to be found in a good 

 collection gives it a command- 

 ing effect in the herbaceous 

 border and the shrubbery, 

 while its majestic spikes of 

 large rosette-like blooms lend 

 an aristocratic air to all its 

 surroundings. No flower 

 show prize list of an\* pre- 

 tensions in these daj-s was 

 issued that did not include 

 a class for II spikes or 9 spikes of cut hollyhock, the 

 odd number being suitable for arranging the spikes in a 

 "bosom" fashion so that all could be seen. For 

 show purposes the plants were grown five feet apart on 

 a special quarter of the garden, which previously had 

 been heavily manured and trenched. The work of 

 watering, stopping, shading and developing a long 

 spike of fresh bloom fit for show was no mean feat, and 

 the writer can recall an exhibitor taking 11 spikes of 

 hollvhocks to three successive one-day flower shows, 

 and winning with the same two silver cups and a silver 

 tea-pot — a truly pot-hunting achievement. In 1875 the 

 crash came, and a "damping ofi"" of showing holly- 

 hock for some years to come. 



The disease known as Puccinea nialvacearutn, which 

 attacks hollyhocks, made its appearance, and scarcely a 

 garden escaped a visitation, which destroyed for the 

 time all the fine collections which many prized and 

 highly valued. For some jears after even the nursery- 

 men were unable to offer a clean collection for sale, and 

 it may be questioned if any now possess a named collec- 

 tion to equal what was in existence before the disease 

 made its appearance. 



The loss by disease of this fine subject turned attention 

 more to the raising of seedlings. Seed sown early in 

 February, and the plants grown on strong and then 

 planted out at the end of May, will bloom during the late 

 autumn. Without the assistance of artificial heat seed 

 may be sown in boxes during April and May, and when 

 two inches high the seedlings can be lined out on a 

 warm border, there to stand till the following spring, 

 when strong, well established plants would be available 

 to plant where they were intended to bloom. When it 

 is desirable to perpetuate good sorts, such as a named 

 collection, propagation by cuttings is the usual plan ; 

 but a quicker means is to do so by grafting. Where a 

 batch of seedlings are grown a number should be lifted 

 and pieces of the roots cut off about six inches long. 

 Prepare the named cuttings and pieces of roots with 

 a sharp knife, making a slanting cut on each, and 

 bring them together as is done on the common whip- 



graft style. Tie with soft raffia matting to keep the 

 union firm, then pot into 2^ inch pots in a mixture 

 of light soil, chiefly made up of sharp sand and 

 leaf-mould. Water and plunge the pots in a bottom 

 heat of 70 deg., keeping close and shading from the 

 sun. In two weeks the heat maybe reduced 10 deg., 

 and in three weeks' time union will have taken place, 

 when they may be gradually hardened off' and grown 

 under cooler conditions till planted out. 



The hollyhock revels in a rich soil, and when the 

 flower-spikes show should be given a top-dressing of 

 manure and well watered when flowering. 



Some might consider the double-flowered hollyhock 

 too stiff and formal. Single flowering plants, however, 

 can also be had, and constitute a very beautiful race, 

 and are even more decorative than the doubles, and 

 many will prefer them for the garden. The hollyhock 

 disease is really a fungus which attacks the underside 

 of the leaves, which ultimately turn brown and fall off", 

 and of course the bloom suffers in consequence. Cures 

 suggested were many, and dire results followed the 

 trials of some. I may here say the hollyhock disease is 

 not extinct. It is still found in some gardens, and 

 where it is necessary to preserve the stocks or plants 

 it is a good plan to give frequent applications by means 

 of a syringe of a very weak solution of Condy's fluid, 

 say half a pint to one gallon of water. Another 

 preparation recommended for checking the spread of the 

 fungus is, to one pound of tobacco powder add a quarter 

 ounce of finely ground sulphate of copper. Mix and dust 

 the under surface of the foliage. This should be done 

 every three weeks during summer. 



Where the disease is at all troublesome the best 

 means to get rid of the pest is to lift and bum the whole 

 stock and cease growing any for at least a year. 

 Thereafter, a new supply should be raised from seed. 



Notes from Glasnevin. 



Hymenanthera Crassifolia. 

 This plant is a native of New Zealand, and if a casual 

 observer was told that it belonged to the same order as 

 a violet he would be somewhat astonished. H. crassifolia 

 is an evergreen shrub, forming a stiff", compact, shortly- 

 branched bush, with curious grey wrinkled stems and 

 short, narrow spathulate leaves. The flowers are small, 

 dull yellow, and are produced in great quantities in the 

 summer on the undersides of the branches, where later 

 in the year numerous pale, purple berries appear, which 

 eventually turn pure white. The Botanic Gardens at 

 Glasnevin possess a remarkably fine specimen of this 

 shrub, which is five feet high and thirty-six feet in 

 circumference. It makes a good shrub for a rockery or 

 where shrubs of a low' habit of growth are required, and 

 it is perfectly hardy. Cuttings root freely in sandy soil 

 under a hand-light. The plant is figured in the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle for 1875, page 237. 



R. M. Pollock. 



u* 



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We have received a copy of the first issue of T/ie Irish Farming 

 ll^orld Directory and Annual. Its contents are varied and useful, 

 amongst which are Hsis of Irish gardens and gardeners, provincial 

 shows, &c. It costs sixpence, and ahhough primarily for farmers many 

 country readers will welcome its appearance. 



