February 



IRISH GARDENING 



29 



them broadcast, then dibble in each exactly where it 

 has fallen — all colours, for the Dutch crocus is one of 

 those things one dares to mix, and finds no incongruity. 

 Of the daffodil, Wordsworth's darling:, anon. We may, 

 or ma}' not, briefly discuss it from our own angle of 

 vision, come March, without obstructing those who 

 regard it from other points of view. 



Lenten roses— those varieties and hybrids of the 

 Orientalis, Olympian, and Colchicus hellebores — surely 

 deserve, at least, a passing notice, not as garden 

 flowers, perhaps, as they hardly conform to our 

 notions of propriety of habit, or the firevvorky display 

 of the up-to-date flower-garden. Their blossoms now 

 appearing in the more sheltered situations ranging in hue 

 from white, greeny-white, dull rose, clearer pinks, and 

 on to the deepest of plum purples, appear in the altogether 

 to subdue themselves to the season of Lent. True, the}' 

 are adapted to the hardy border in a way, but it is not 

 the way we would have them. As wildlings in the 

 shrubberies, stretching away under the depth of the 

 now deciduous trees, they have characteristic features at 

 this season peculiarly their own, and later on become 

 merged in the tangled greenery of depending summer 

 foliage to remain unnoticed, but quite happy if they 

 escape the tidying hand and are allowed to gather to 

 their bosoms the dead leaves of a past season. Here 

 they will make quite bushy clumps, and eventually 

 colonise comparatively bare areas in their own way 

 of reproduction by seeds. Trinity College Botanic 

 Gardens provide a good example of what may be 

 done in this direction. Some attention was called to 

 Lenten roses in 1907, when, during March of that year, 

 the Royal Horticultural Society, at its first meeting in 

 the windy month, offered first and second prizes to the 

 tune of seven guineas and three guineas, open to all, 

 for a dozen in not less than six varieties. The idea was 

 good, if the results were poor. Should grass outline 

 the shrubberies, which it does in most places, then 

 at this season the cleanings up of the edgings may 

 well be bestowed through and around the Lenten 

 roses, which, to them, will be grateful and com- 

 forting, with which we are brought to a rather 

 important phase of February work in verge trimming. 

 Our subject of flower-garden and pleasure-grounds, 

 by the way, may still run on parallel lines, for what is 

 sauce of the kind for the one is an indispensable relish 

 to the other. It is now opportune for this work of 

 verge-trimming — work which in the absence of frost 

 can be carried on and out to a finish during indifferent 

 weather. And not only is it annually necessary for the 

 season, but taken in hand now one can have all put 

 decently and in order, giving that air of smartness 

 which heightens the charms of spring in garden and 

 kept grounds. It may be that after the process of 

 trimming over several years irregularities become 

 evident in paths, walks, and avenues, in the latter case 

 even as much as, perhaps, to the extent of a foot or 

 more in width. A ten or twelve-foot avenue, or what- 

 ever it is, should, of course, be ten or twelve feet wide, 

 or whatever it is supposed to be, whether running on 

 straight or curved lines, and where it is intended to 

 bring matters into shape it is as well to get it done 



before March comes in to give newly-laid sods the 

 opportunity of getting a grip ere possible dry, parching 

 winds take eff'ect. This advisedly. We think of the 

 trouble often noticed in this direction in making up a 

 verge by the addition of sods, perhaps but a few 

 inches in width, or even it may be a foot in width, to 

 prevent the shifting of which we have seen pegs tem- 

 porarily employed. It is a bad and troublesome 

 method, entirely obviated by the simple method of 

 undercutting with the sodding-iron a considerable 

 length of the existing verge, incising it to such width 

 as may be necessary to extend with the edging-iron, 

 and then with the same implement gradually pushing 

 out the whole length in its entirety. After this, one has 

 merely to fill in the intervening blank with new sods, 

 roll down, and trim the verge. 



In the above operation of restoring walks or avenues 

 to a uniform width it is generally commendable to 

 lightly fork up the marginal surface to be occupied 

 with the sod and giving it a fair sprinkling of good 

 compost, care being taken at the same time to bring 

 all to a proper level by filling up holes or depressions. 

 Above and beyond the necessary rolling, prior to the 

 final trimming with the edging-iron, allowance for 

 which will have been made by extending the projected 

 sod two or three inches beyond the actually required 

 outline, the turf-beater, made of a heavy bit of slab, 

 with a long handle set in at an angle, is a useful imple- 

 ment, not too frequently met with in Irish gardens, 

 but which should be absent from none of them. In the 

 hands of an accomplished workman the final verge- 

 trimming, where curved lines come into play, is quite a 

 fine art. As a matter of fact, a rough outline will ha\ e 

 been taken of this, in the first instance, with a good 

 garden-line, kept in position by pegs placed sufficiently 

 close where sharp curves obtain, so as to preserve the 

 proper contour. If the latter has been done, th** final 

 operation is but little more than a repetition of the 

 lining out cutting, being done at a slight angle by the 

 edging-iron being a little inclined towards the worker. 

 Purely vertically cut edges seldom retain a clean 

 outline the season through. The whole thing, if carried 

 out as suggested, will be found perfectly simple, and 

 the finished work simply perfect. 



We have no desire to poke our nose into the glass 

 department, cheerless and cold as it is outside, nor do 

 we intend to, for doubtless the capable hand looking 

 after it will see that sowings and cuttings of such 

 things as are dear to the heart of the orthodox bedder 

 will be ready by the time we are ready for them, so 

 merely hint that we should like a good slock of every- 

 thing good that is going, including Heavenly Blue 

 lobeli.i (no double — no good outside), Salvia Pride of 

 Zurich or l'"ireball, plenty of Paul Crampels, seedling 

 verbenas and seedling petunias of a good strain, tuberous 

 begonias, and fibrous-rooied bedding begonias, helio- 

 trope Lord Roberts, plenty of the silvery forms of poa, 

 and dactylis grasses, dwarf bedding asters, silver- 

 leaved geraniums, and Crystal Palace Gem, if he can 

 get it, and, by the way, a good stock of that capital 

 old edging plant, Gnaphaliiim lanatutn, for all of which 

 thanks in anticipation. 



