IRISH GARDENING. 



83 



Zealand flax grows splendidly, and is a great 

 feature in the place. I really do not know why 

 it succeeds so well here, for we have often really 

 hard frosts, and inland those frosts seem to kill ; 

 but I think it may be partly because the leaves 

 do not grow as succulent as inland. My green 

 flax do not bloom, but my striped yellow kind 

 had a spike of flower and ripened seed one year. 

 Cordyline, the Australian cabbage palm, is also 

 satisfactory, but I have wholly failed in growing 



Again and again I see elaborate directions 

 given for what is really quite simple. Take 

 this question of growing roses from cutting, 

 for instance. I started a very rich, deeply-dug 

 bed in a particularly sheltered and sunny spot, 

 called it my "incubator," and here I have since 

 grown my cuttings, carnation seeds, &c. I 

 am often asked when you should put in the 

 cuttings. My answer always is, " When you 

 can get them." Really, I don't think it makes 



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■y-r^W'Au;^i'itBi":kMlfrW'lN»" 



The Sundial Garden, South. 



[Photo by Mr. James Hurley.] 



yuccas. Perhaps the salt in the air injures them, 

 for they succeed splendidly inland, or perhaps 

 the place is too dry. As they are expensive I 

 have not really given them fair trials, but some 

 day I may discover a garden from which I could 

 buy a lot of quite small seedlings cheap and 

 young which would probably be my best chance 

 of success. 



To return to the question of the roses, I 

 always think in reading gardening papers that 

 owing to the prevalent desire to "hurry up" 

 things are made a great deal more difficult and 

 troublesome for the amateur without heat or 

 an experienced gardener than there is any need. 



much ditVerence, except that the strong summer 

 heat may kill off some if they are neglected, 

 but one should have them long, deeply planted, 

 firmly stamped down, and do not be beguiled 

 into thinking the roses are safe because they 

 shoot and even show flower till the second 

 year, or rather the winter of the second year- — 

 that is, if you are not able to grow them on in 

 heat to hurry the rootlets out of the callus. If 

 you have only an open border, take my advice 

 and be patient, leave them alone, and they'll all 

 come home and carry their roots behind 

 them ! 



[To be continued.^ 



