IRISH GARDENING 



Auicust aiKl Soplcmher will not want rc]iottiiii,'- 

 until early sprinjj, and from these difVerenl suc- 

 cessions of bloom may be expected. Throui^^h 

 the winter the temperature should never exceed 

 forty-five dej^rees. In the case o( lary^e plants 

 little stoppiu}^ will be required after re-pottinj,^, 

 thinniui:;- instead will often be necessary. Hence 

 the old plants i^enerally produce the earliest 

 bloom, as every tfcneral sloppin*,'- c->f the shoots, 

 as well as e\'ery shift i^ixeii, retards the bloom- 

 ing- period. 



(Airrcnt Topics. 



I>y (.". F. Mali., Roy.il Bot;iiiic Ci.inions, tllasncviii. 



THIS moiitli is a particularly favourjible one for 

 transplantiiii^ all kinds of evfrifrcens; for al this 

 tinio, wlion i^rowth is oonnnt-ncin^ and the soil 

 is becoming warmer, the roots start away freely, and 

 there is usually no trouble with the plants, e.xcept an 

 occasional watering- if the weather is at all dry. 



Care is required with choice everifreens of a fair size 

 so as to keep a gooil ball of soil around the roots. A 

 trench should be dug- around the tree or bush, and with 

 a fork the ball can be reduced to a size in accordance 

 with the subject. The soil should be then excavated 

 half way under the ball, and a mat or piece of strong 

 canvas is half-rolled up and packed under the ball, then 

 the tree can be turned on to the mat and the roll 

 uncoiled. The plant is now in the centre of the canvas 

 ready to be lifted on to a truck by two or more men 

 as required. Even in May evergreens are moved 

 when growing most successfully by this means. For 

 very large trees a transplanting machine is requireil. 



The photograph shows a specimen plant about fifteen 

 feet high, of one of our most decorative conifers, named 

 Picea pungens glaiica. Throughout winter and summer 

 this plant retains its bright glaucous blue needles, 

 rendering it one of the most conspicuous trees in any 

 garden or park. Some trees have been quite disfigured 

 by the attack of a new fungus called CuicurbHaria picece. 

 The buds are covered by a black sheath made by the 

 fungus, and are eventually killed. In winter the spores 

 are very numerous and distinct; they are brown, torpedo- 

 shaped, and become multicellular by the formation of 

 transverse and longitudinal walls. Up to the present 

 this fungus has onl}' been found on Picea pun gens and its 

 varieties, but where this tree is grown gardeners should 

 be on the watch. The best way to eradicate the pest 

 would be to cut off all branches badly attacked and all 

 buds which are covered at the apex by the black sheath. 

 Already the fungus has been noticed in several Scotch 

 and in two Irish gardens. 



Picea pungens has stiff quadrangular needles with 

 sharp points, and a strong smell when bruised. The 

 terminal needles of the branches project over the buds, 

 protecting^ them from squirrels, &c. 



There are two handsome varieties of this North 

 American tree — P. pungens Kosteriana, which is the best 

 approach to blue of all conifers, and P. pungens pendula 

 glauca, a beautiful weeping form, but still very scarce. 



Probably a short review of some of the best of the 



ni'wer li,iril\- shi-ulis woiilil be \.^\' interest, as there is 

 still time to plant them if ordered innnediately ; many of 

 the choicer subjects are sent out in pots. 



.\ choice shrub which deserves notice is \'iburnuiu 

 Citrlcsi from Korea, o'i a deciduous nature, with ovale 

 pubescent leaves, in siiape and size tiie flowers are 

 like l\ondeleti;i, hut of a beautiful soft pink colour and 

 ili'lightfully fr;igr;int, its only dr.iwhack is its slow 

 growth in a }oung state. X'iburnum lumentosum 

 Mariesii is a moderate sized shrub having tiers of 

 branches producing abundance of white flowers in May 

 Ihe evergreen V. rhyl idophylliim was figured in Irish 

 ClAKDKM.Nt; for December. i()09. V. uliU, with white 

 tlowers, ;ind / '. Ilenryi, with coral red fruits, are also good. 



E. H. Wilson, writing on Deutzias, mentions three new 

 Chinese species from which a race of varieties and 

 hybrids will probably- be evolved which will even eclipse 

 those raised by Lemoine of Nancy. Deutzia Wilsoni 

 has white flowers one inch across, borne in June ; /^. 

 glohosa is erect growing, with clusters of small white 

 flowers ; D. Veilciiii is said to be the best of all the 

 family, growing three to five feet high, with deep 

 rosy lilac flowers three-quarters of an inch across. 



Hypericum pdtithini Ilenryi is a coming favourite. 

 In a sunny position the flowers are produced from 

 -August to October. 



I/ex Perneyi is one of the most distinct of evergreen 

 hollies from China ; in a wild state it is said to grow to 

 twenty or thirty feet high. 



Of the smaller growing barberries the pick oi all is 

 Berberis Wihonce. This Chinese species bears small 

 yellow flowers, followed by coral red fruits in autumn. 



B. dictyophylhiy from Yunnan, is a larger plant, growing 

 to five feet in height; the autumn colour of leaves and red 

 fruit are its strong points. So far we have nothing new 

 among the larger barberries to equal B. slenophyllu. 



Two new Cotoneaslers deserve a place on the rockery, 

 namely — C. adpressa and C. hinni/usu, the first deciduous, 

 and the latter everg-reen. Three other Chinese species 

 are particularly ornamental in fruit. C. rugosa Henryi, 



C. applanala and C. Francheti. Up to the present it 

 appears that the new C. angusfifolia is overrated and 

 not thoroughly hardy. 



Davidia involucrala is a tree which will require 

 patience and time to flower, while Decaisnea Fargesi 

 is more curious than beautiful. 



As free-flowering beautiful shrubs, some of Lemoine's 

 hybrid Philadelphus can be strongly recommended, as 

 P. Fan/aisie, Fosace, Avalanche, and Mont Blanc. 



For autumn coloration two sumachs are prominent — 

 Rhus typhina laciniala is a strong- growing species, 

 while R. sinica is a moderate grower. 



New climbers are numerous, but one of the best 

 additions is Clemalis montnna rubens, a pink counterpart 

 of our old friend, and just as free and good in every 

 way. C. moniana Wilsoni has larger flowers than the 

 type, but its chief merit lies in flowering in August. 



Lonicera tragophylla, with rich yellow flowers in July, is 

 deciduous, while L. Henryi is evergreen. Among- the 

 vines are many good things, as Vitis armata Veitchii, 

 V. fiexuosa major, l\ flcxuosa Wilsoni, and V. nielgalo- 

 phylla. Vitis Henryi, though a beautiful climber, is not 

 generally hardy ; for two w'inters it has been killed at 

 Glasnevin. j 



