APRIL 



IRISH GARDENING. 



The Month's Work. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Grounds. 



By E. Knowldin. F.R.H.S. 



WE have now two months of beauty before us in 

 the flower garden proper, during which time 

 the tastefully-planned and well-planted spring 

 bedding is so satisfying that we are apt to draw 

 invidious comparison with it and the summer bedding. 

 Any inclined to disagree with us must surely have gone 

 wrong in not availing themselves of the wealth of 

 beauty provided in such easily managed, hardy plants 

 as Alyssinn saxatile, various aubretias, arabis, hybrid 

 primroses in assorted colours, scarlet and white double 

 daisies, forget-me-nots in royal blue, the earlier flower- 

 ing violas, with wallflowers and August-sown silenes 

 and saponarias ; the lesser things forming massive 

 frames, or maybe groundwork, for the most satisfactory 

 of all bedding bulbs, the tulips. 



In view of the labour attached to double cropping of 

 flower gardens — viz., summer planting and autumn 

 planting for spring — the compromise of leaving per- 

 manent borderings of hardy things is worth recognition. 

 Where this can be done with not only no sacrifice of 

 effect but positive gain, we are surprised that greater 

 advantage is not taken of it. For instance, we know 

 of nothing finer at this season than a massive bordering 

 to substantial beds of Alyssuin saxatile providing a 

 golden frame for the red wallflower, or the rich-hued 

 aubretias, or similar things, as a framework to beds, 

 especially beds on the greensward. And where such 

 are left permanently, with replanting of these subjects 

 when such is actually necessary, say every four or five 

 years, we find the subdued tones of cclour through the 

 summer rather an advantage than otherwise, when 

 judiciously contrasted with the brilliancy of begonias or 

 of bedding geraniums. 



Respecting spring effect we can never get the plants 

 mentioned in such form as when treated in a more 

 permanent manner than that of annually tearing them up 

 for autumn planting and spring flowering. Again, when 

 raising beds above the grass level, apart from 

 elevating the centres, various saxifrages of the Umbrosa 

 type, or even sedums, are splendidly adapted for wall- 

 ing in the beds a foot or more in height. Even the old 

 London Pride, 5. umbrosa, forming a sustaining wall to 

 a bed, slightly sloping inwards of course, when flower- 

 ing in combination with a good blue forget-me-not, gives 

 an effect as charming as it is unique. And what a 

 relief is this combination bedding — the employment of 

 hardy plants as suggested — where the strain of bedding 

 is perennially imposed on the garden resources. 



Now, some arrangements will already he in the 

 planter's eye for the summer bedding, and preparations 

 made accordingly. Stocks of everything destined for 

 the purpose will, of course, be under manipulation in the 

 form of cuttings and seedlings, whilst any shortage can 

 be easily made up from our well-stocked Irish nurseries, 

 whilst for gross-feeding things such as cannas, referred 

 to in March, in which foliage plays a prominent part, 

 some good fertilising material in the way of decayed 

 manure, with rough leaf-mould, will be in course of pre- 

 paration or held in reserve for the purpose ; otherwise 



we have always found it preferable to do all manuring 

 of the beds in autumn, when both time and manure are 

 less scarce. With spring gardening well carried out 

 we do not want to touch the beds till June, but then wc 

 want to touch them in earnest, and if possible have the 

 whole thing over and cleaned up in a week. Prior to 

 that it may, in some instances where arrangements 

 serve and certain beds are able to be cleared, be 

 possible to anticipate the planting and get the calceo- 

 larias into position ; if so, so much the better for the 

 " calcy." which has a nasty habit under late shifting of 

 turning up its toes. This pertaining to the Aurea flori- 

 hunda type, and apart from amplexkaulis, which is a 

 more tender subject in a way. 



A good deal of this "calcy" collapse is prev'entable 

 by taking the plants in hand at once. Presuming 

 the batch of calceolarias to be now in a cold frame 

 they may be hard pinched for the last time, lifted and 

 put out in manure six inches deep on a hard bottom in 

 any sheltered position, when at planting time they ma}' 

 be cut out with the trowel bearing masses of roots for 

 transferring to the beds, and that in good stuff too, 

 needless to say. Spring bedders, notably wallflowers 

 and forget-me-nots, are great robbers, and again may 

 we anticipate by remarking that rich soil is the curse of 

 the bedding geranium, not only in producing foliage at 

 the expense of flowers, but conducive to disease. Of 

 latter years bedding geraniums have collapsed whole- 

 sale around London with a stem disease termed by some 

 black leg, probably of fungoid origin, or if not 

 that something else, and we noticed isolated plants 

 affected last year nearer home. Those having noticed 

 this would do w-ell to lime the soil previous to planting. 



In the pleasure grounds the first mowing will have 

 taken place, this primary operation being not only too 

 often that of cutting but of cleansing off" winter debris 

 where due respect is not paid to the useful lawn mower. 

 The scythe and a good scrubby birch broom are 

 undoubtedly the best implements for a start, but scythe 

 mowing now seems a lost art. Anyone, of course, can 

 push a lawn mower, but few, we fear, bring any 

 intelligence to bear on its working. That, at least, has 

 been our experience, for with a good type of machine 

 which had been in use but one season, our head pleasure 

 ground man (headless in one sense) accosted us on one 

 occasion bearing "her" shoulder high with " she's bet, 

 you'll have ter get me a new un ; see how she squeaks." 



The chief work in this department is what ma\- now 

 be termed routine work. Hollies, nevertheless, may be 

 transplanted from now till June if required. Some 

 authorities think it the best time for transplanting these 

 rather miffy subjects, but with all respect for their 

 opinion we hold our own, and that is that autumn is the 

 time for all shrubby subjects, and for evergreens early 

 autumn at that. The knotweeds ( polygonums), especially 

 the giant Sachalinense and climbing Baldschuanicum, 

 are now pushing freely, and pay for a good mulching of 

 heavy stuff, as will the noble-foliaged gunneras and the 

 bamboos, care being taken that with the latter what is 

 employed for fertilising is sufficiently open and free, as 

 not to cripple the young growths pushing later on. 



Rhododendrons, also, will pay for a good mulching 

 now or later, when the seed pods are being re- 

 moved contemporaneously with the start into growth, 



