Sf 



:)ring Show at 



Ballsbridge 



rin- cor.wiLs i)ili;.m.m.\ 



(ii;\i-:R.\i. Ri:i'ok r 



B\' i-ommon ooiisiMit, tho s|irinj;- slunv ot tin- I\oyal 

 Horticultural Society of Irohiiid was faruml auriy 

 the best within recent years. The seem- on 

 entrance was one of arresting; beauty, and the inovini; 

 crowds ct visitors ackk'd a life aiui intcrcsl unhappily 

 rare at such functions in Huhlin. We sincerely con- 

 ifralulate tiie council and its strenuous secretary on 

 the attainineiU of such success, ;ind hope that the high 

 standard will be sustained in future shows There were 

 some notable and orig-inal exhibits, especially those of 

 the Tully Nursery, which we have fully described and 

 illustrated in tiie present issue. The nianag-ement of 

 Irish Gardening, anxious to contribute somethingf 

 towards the interest of the show, yet together an educa- 

 tional exhibit, illustrating a lypical collection of stove 

 plants selected from the establishment of Mr. Ernest 

 Bewley, Chairman of Directors. This exhibit attracted 

 considerable attention, and in response to the request 

 of several visitors we append a list of the more out- 

 standing plants : — Dendrobium thyrsiflorum, Den- 

 drobium dalhousianum, Dendrobium devonianum, 

 Cattleya Shroedera;, Odontoglossum Pescatorei, An- 

 thurium Scherzerianum, Amaryllis, Fire King and others 

 Gloxinias, Calceolarias, Cocos Weddeliana, Kenlia 

 Relmoreana, Cytisus racemosus, Double tulips, Rose 

 Blanche ; Single tulips. Prince of Austria and 

 Thomas Moore ; Carex Gallica Variegata, Nephrolepis 

 todceoides. Rex Begonia in variety. The harmonious 

 colour scheme in this group was perfect, the credit 

 being due to the artistic feeling of Mr. Cave (gar- 

 dener to Mr. Bewley), who was responsible for the 

 actual staging of the exhibits. 



The exhibit was set up of course with no idea of gain- 

 ing recognition from the societ}', but the judges recom- 

 mended that a silver medal of the society be awarded 

 for its conspicuous beauty. Then a strange thing 

 happened. There was apparently no precedent within 

 the proceeding of this century-old society of recognising 

 for an award a purely educational exhibit. The council 

 was apparently confronted with (to them) a very serious 

 dilemma. It could give awards to exhibitors who 

 grew plants themselves, or to exhibitors who employed 

 gardeners to grow plants for them, or to nurserymen or 

 others who did not grow plants at all but traded in 

 them, but it was surely entirely outside their functions 

 as a Society to make an award to a Gardening 

 Journal that used plants merely for educational pur- 

 poses, and so the recommendation of the judges was 

 quashed. The council was in fact in the same kind of 

 mental muddle as was Punch's famous railway porter 

 when confronted by an old lady travelling with a mena- 

 gerie of pets. " Stationmaster says, mum, as cats is 

 'dogs,' and rabbits is ' dogs,' and so's parrots, but this 

 'ere tortis is a hinsec', so there ain't no charge for it." 



WHAT jitovi'il to he oni- of liu- most successful 

 spring shows ever held by the Royal Horti- 

 cultural .Society of Ireland look place on April 

 joth ;ind J i st in con)unction with the spring show of the 

 Royal Dublin Society. The a'nalgamation of the two 

 shows was in the nature of an experiment, but there can 

 be no doubt as to its success, and the two societies may 

 congratulate themselves on the event. The exhibits 

 were arranged in the finely-lighted Arts and Industries 

 Hall and in the annex. The entries were well up to the 

 average in number, while the quality all round was 

 rather above the average. The arrangements and 

 grouping of the classes had been well planned, and there 

 was a noticeable improvement in the arrangement of the 

 staging by which gaps between the exhibits, frequently 

 seen at former shows, were practically avoided. The 

 tables of foliage and flowering plants arranged for 

 artistic effect made an attractive display, but the class 

 lost much in effectiveness through being relegated to a 

 corner where the groups could only be properly looked 

 at from one point. The great centre of attraction in 

 the show was the miniature Japanese garden arranged 

 by the Kilcullen Nurseries of Tully, Kildare, newcomers 

 who received a cordial welcome to the show. The 

 garden, arranged very effectively with bridges, watei-, 

 rock- work, and the characteristic pigmy trees, was 

 brilliantly gay with primulas, pillar roses, and Alpine 

 plants nicely placed in dark, brown peat, which afforded 

 a very pleasing contrast to the l^ealthy green of the 

 foliage. A bed of red and white stocks, edged with a 

 neat grass border, formed a brilliant mass at the 

 entrance to the garden, and from this tiny gravelled 

 paths lead through vistas to a bold bank and magnifi- 

 cent pillar roses, which formed the culminating point 

 of the garden. We sympathised with the exhibitors 

 because of the background, as the particular shade of 

 terracotta used as a wash on the walls of the annex 

 forming the background to this altogether charming 

 display is not one which is suited to natural effects. 

 The exhibit deservedly obtained a gold medal, and 

 from appearances we judge that a satisfactory number 

 of orders were booked. 



An excellent collection of stove plants was staged 

 by Irish Gardening, which gave to many visitors 

 a new view of what is being done in Ireland with 

 this class of plant. In fact, this exhibit and one 

 or two other trade exhibits were fully up to the 

 standard of the very best exhibits at the leading 

 English shows. Seldom before has such a representa- 

 tive collection of stove plants, including some remark- 

 ably well grown orchids, been staged at shows of the 

 society, and we hope that on other occasions Irish 

 Gardening will give us displays, representative of 

 other branches of gardening, as it is in Ireland to-day. 



