APRIL 



IRISH GARDENING. 



St 



growth of a plant will often determine the order of its 

 planting — thus the pyrethrum lends itself to irregular 

 planting. 



The sedums are perhaps the most useful of this class 

 of plant ; many are beautiful, but those of crude green 

 should be avoided as edgings to flower beds in grass, 

 a grey or brown-leaved sedum being much more 

 effective ; and in winter especially, when the beds are 

 devoid of colour or empty altogether, one looks with a 

 pleased eye on these little friends that are never with- 

 out some beauty at all times, some even turning into 



The small variegated grass is beautiful in clumps among 

 the scarlet begonias or the lovely Gloire de Lorraine. 

 Even small plants of the shrubby veronicas do not look 

 amiss, or various ornamental grasses, or ferns that 

 stand the sunlight. Some flowers require this toning 

 down, others do not, but many combinations will suggest 

 themselves to the enthusiastic gardener who has an eye 

 for colour and effect. While keeping this in mind care 

 must be taken to avoid anything like a patchy efi'ect or 

 the crowding of too many arrangements into a com- 

 paratively small space. Two large beds, for instance, 



The Making ok oir Home— The East Garden from South. 



tints of crimson in the darkest months of the year. The 

 variegated arabis is well known as a pretty bordering. 

 Saxif'raga Rocheliana is a perfect gem, having dwarf 

 rosettes, the green leaves of which are margined with 

 white, making it one of the choicest of edging plants ; 

 it also stands the winter well. Indeed, most of the above 

 named have been selected with that end in view. The 

 aubretias, too, are pretty and easily grown, but the 

 colour of their flowers must be borne in mind when 

 selecting them as edgings. Some of the finer sedums 

 may be used as an inner border in conjunction with, say, 

 echeverias ; this is by no means so formal as one might 

 think ; it is merely as a frame or setting for a picture. 



Foliage plants of taller growth will mix well with the 

 gay flowers in the beds themselves, and produce deliglit- 

 ful harmonies instead of onlv a blot of intense colour. 



exactly similar will look well at some distance apart 

 with others of a different scheme near to them. The 

 arrangement must depend on the shape and size of your 

 garden or lawn and itsenvironments. A belt of shrubbery 

 as a back ground, or groups of shrubs in telling posi- 

 tions, will do much to enhance the beauty of your flowers. 



It is a mistake to try to copy your neighbours' gardens ; 

 think your own thoughts, follow out your own plans and 

 ideas, study nature at first hand and she will surely 

 reveal many of her secrets to you. Last year's mistakes 

 may be the secret of this year's success, and the dream 

 garden you have in your mind will slowly evolve itself 

 from a dream into an interesting and beautiful reality. 



With the Editors permission I shall in a future article 

 speak of that most interesting phase of gardening, the 

 herbaceous border. 



