40 



IRISH GARDENING, 



mod. Iiith 



sorts, Anihi- alhiJii, ho\\\ ijii'i'ii ami v.ir'u'jj.ili'ii, also 

 lucida, tellima. iliritt, dwarf oaiiipamilas, Miiiiiiliis 

 cu/>rfns, ami many ollu-rs soon aliiiosl covorod tho sloiio 

 ed>;mifs. 



1 had till- advantajfo of a plot with four aspects, so 

 that most plants foiiiul a oonvjfnial home somewhere, 

 and the i^realer part ^^f it lay in full sunshine. In the 

 shady corner beside the summer house, 'J'ro/xro/ u w 

 s/>frtosiiiii festooneil the rustic trellis work, irises 

 flourished in the moisl soil, while Solomon's Seal spread 

 its archinj; fronds around, and jtrimulas, hepetica, and 

 mimulus also found there a conjjenial spot. The tall 

 plants, like blue delphinium, scarlet lychnis. II ym in thus 

 candicans, and many others, showed up well in front o'i 

 the trees, while nearer the centre of the beds various 

 perennial poppies, anchusa, pyrethrums, eryntjium, day 

 lilies, anemone, and japonic.i were pi; 

 open beds, such 

 s u n - I o \ i n j^ 

 plants as pents- 

 temon, phlox, 

 campanulas of 

 sorts, gypsop- 

 hilla, eschsch- 

 oltzia, erigeron. 

 tree lupin, aqui- 

 legia, coreopsis, 

 and Geranium 

 endressi made a 

 g-Qod show dur- 

 ing the summer 

 months. 



Crim.«on tu- 

 lips, as well as 

 the pink varie- 

 ties, were plan- 

 ted in groups, 

 and made a g^ay 

 note of colour 

 among the many 

 yellow and white 

 spring flc>wers. 

 But some times, 

 when I look at 

 my bete noir 

 standing stiffly 



in the midst of my flowers, I think of " the eternal fitness 

 of things." Not alone in the Garden of Eden would it 

 seem there was an apple of discord, for here in my 

 small paradise not merely an apple but a whole apple 

 tree remains to disturb my peace. Even with the 

 flowers growing around it its naked stem refuses to be 

 hidden. Hints of a festooning circle of yellow and 

 orange cluster roses, or suggestions of equally decora- 

 tive schemes, fail to meet w-ith approval, and still the 

 tree stands unadorned, a living monument of man's 

 supremacy and the futility of woman's wishes. But 

 there is sometimes brought to me a propitiatory offering 

 in the form of a rare plant or shrub, so the situation is 

 not entirely without compensations. 



In front of the elder tree, whose luxuriant leafage 

 makes an effective screen from the west winds, various 

 small flowering shrubs are planted, while here and 

 across the end of the little path there is a garden seat, 



where in my leisuii- inonunts I often sit with .i book or 

 piece of ni'eillework, in this (he best-loved part of the 

 garden, enjoying tin- beauty and fragrance of my flowers, 

 listening to the cheerful hum o( the bees as they flit 

 among the blossoms for the sweets that never fail them. 

 .\iul I sonu'limes think if I were obliged to give up some 

 o\' my most ehei islu-d possessions that the last— the very 

 List I sli.ill rver want to part with will be my garden. 



(Airrcnt \ 



opics. 



Photo by] 



The Lily Pond in Botanic C 



By C. F. Ball, Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. 



THE heavy snow fall at the end of January has 

 caused a great deal of damage to evergreen 

 ami deciduous trees and shrubs, but in places 

 where the shrubs were given a vigorous shake to dis- 

 lotlge the snow the damage is not so serious. Accounts 



come to hand of 

 m a n y p 1 a n t s 

 w h i c h w ere 

 killed by the 

 severe frost , 

 though hitherto 

 they had passed 

 safely through 

 many Irish win- 

 ters ; but we 

 must also look 

 on tile bright 

 side of things, 

 and consider the 

 good which the 

 snow will do to 

 1 lie ground. 



Some of the 

 hardy s h rubs 

 which force well 

 are very wel- 

 come objects in 

 the months of 

 J a n u a r \- and 

 I'"ebruary for in- 

 ''• door decora- 



tion. A few of 

 them w h i c h 

 take to the fore- 

 beautiful than when 

 Lonicera tartar tea 



AI^l'ENS. GlASNEVI 



Feb. 



ing kindly are even more 

 growing outside. For instance 

 forced, has almost glaucous leaves, forming a pretty 

 contrast to its pink flowers. One of the prettiest 

 groups at Kew in the new year used to be forced 

 plants of Pyrus floribunda arranged with Moschosma 

 riparium. The soft pink of the Pyrus blended perfectly 

 with the feathery, spirjea-like flowers of the Moschosma, 

 and formed a charming picture. Some of the best 

 shrubs for forcing are Primus jafioniia, Sfiircea arguta, 

 Deutzias, .Mmonds, Wistaria and Forsythia. By gentle 

 forcing Solomon's Seal and the German iris can be 

 induced to flower in February, and form together a most 

 pleasing group. 



Gumming or gummosis is a well-known danger to 

 fruit trees, familiar to every gardener, though the real 

 cause of the trouble is yet to be solved. In the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle, Feb. 5th, 1910, Professor Scott 



