IRISH GARDENING. 



JUNE 



Mr. T. Smith is not slow to roco.niiiso a .irood plaiil . ami 

 knows where to place it ; note in llie People's C'.ariK-ns 

 how the brijrht sprinif foiiajife ot Acer pseiido-plaiita\is 

 Brilliantissima shows up at distance. 



Three of the very best of May tloweriiij,' shrubs are 

 Berberis steiiophyll.i, Cytisus pr.ecox, and Spir;va 

 arifuta. At tlu- paik .i;ato llu- two first named are 

 planted toj^clher, ami make a pleasinjc combination. 

 These three are easy to ijrow and inana^ije, reliable in 

 flowering-, and cannot be beaten by any newcomers, 

 Chinese or otherwise, after this severe winter ; while 

 many half-hardy plants are still looking^ sick this trio is 

 in its full glory. The photo shows B. stenophylla, which 

 has been pruned hard. If left unpruned in good soil it 

 will make long arching growths laden with flowers, and 

 is more graceful in habit. 



A bed in Leinster Lawn was very pleasing in effect, 

 the colours harmonised well and were restful to the eye. 

 The subjects used were Hyacinth Queen of the Blues 

 and Tulip Princess Marian. The white tulips seemed all 

 that was required to set off the delicate blue of the 

 hyacinth. 



At Glasnevin a combination which has been greatly 

 admired by all is produced by Rose la Reine Tulip over 

 the Royal Blue Forget-me-not; these two last-mentioned 

 beds can be strongly recommended to those who want 

 something fresh for next year. 



Roses. 



By ODONKL Browne, M.D. 



EXHIBITORS for the 

 July show will have 

 their hands full all 

 this month, as much depends 

 on the final preparations and 

 getting ready for the show. 

 Neglect of plants setting 

 and carrying flower buds in 

 June brings in its train no 

 jirizes in July. When plants 

 ha\e set their blooms, and 

 all superfluous growth has 

 l)(,en removed, great care 

 must be constantly given to 

 those that remain. Ex- 

 perience alone can tell you 

 how many blooms a given 

 tree of any variety can com- 

 fortably carry — by this I 

 mean that some trees can 

 throw five or six good 

 flowers, whereas others can 

 only accommodate two, if 

 you require perfect flowers 

 for the judges. A constant 

 e\e must be kept on the 

 plants, for mildew, grubs, 

 greenfly, besides injuries to 

 the flowers by wind rubbing them against anything. Get 

 your plants sprayed as soon as possible, and repeat the 

 spraying every few days for greenfly if there, but 



especially for mildew. There ai-e various preparations 

 advised by the handbook of the National Rose Society 

 lo comb.'it this foul pest. Abol (non-poisonous), V'iK. 

 potassium sulphiiU', crude sulphuric acid, Jeyes' soft 

 soap, mo-eflic. Any of these, if used early in the 

 season and repeated as often as is necessary, is perfectly 

 leliahle. The only great secret is to use a very fine 

 spray in fait, the solution should go from the syringe as 

 a tine cloud, and the under sides of the foliage should 

 get most of your attention. I have used several 

 syringi-s, but to any one wishing to commence this year, 

 I advise him to get the "Abol" sj-ringe from the 

 makers, .Messrs. E. A. While, Ltd., Bellring, Paddock 

 Wood, Kent. By carefull)' ;idjusting the screw arrange- 

 ment in the nozzle, a spray of any thickness can be 

 obtained. If you use the sulphuric acid solution through 

 a sprayer or syringe be careful to give your syringe 

 several wash-outs with plain water after use. The 

 strength of the solution is one in a thousand of water. 

 ".Abol," made by Messrs. White, is recommended by 

 the National Rose Societ\''s committee. One ounce of 

 li\er of sulphur to five gallons of soft water, to which 

 add before using ; the white of two eggs is also a good 

 recipe, and as the season gets older you may increase 

 the strength. It will discolour paint, so beware of roses 

 painted on lattice work and those on summer houses. 

 Last year I used mo-efiic, and it worked splendidly. One 

 quarter of mo-effic will make one hundred quarts of 

 spray solution. I have never tried \"2K, but Mr. 

 Mawley, secretary of the National Rose Society, advises 

 and praises it. Rest assured, I am not writing this to 

 give these stuffs a puffing up in this article ; my sole 

 motive is to help rosarians to have healthy, clean, 

 vigorous plants and good flowers. All rosarians should 

 have a copy of the " Enemies of the Rose," which is 

 published by the National Rose Society, and which may 

 be got only through a member for a half-a-crown. The 

 coloured plates of moths, &c., are most beautifully done. 

 Voiir rose boxes should be overhauled and given a 

 coat of dark green paint, as nothing looks more untidy 

 than good flowers in a shoddy box. Rose tubes should 

 be tested for leaks. What can be more melancholy 

 than the look of a rose in the morning where no water 

 is. A tinsmith can put all right with solder. When I 

 began the show mania I kept a box mossed and tubed 

 in a shady place where I used to stage flowers all on my 

 lonesome, and many is the hint I learnt there in staging 

 and blending colours. The usual way for most ex- 

 hibitors is not to pay any heed to the morrow until a 

 day or so before a show, and then all is rush. I have 

 often thought that points should be given for neatness 

 itself, or that the best staged box should receive a 

 prize as an inducement to exhibitors to be careful in all 

 their details. I also think that at all our local shows 

 on the exhibitors' card should be a small tabulated list, 

 as I have seen done at Newtownards show in the table 

 of fruit class for the judges marks and remarks. It 

 would be something for the visitors, as well as those 

 showing, to " read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest." 

 I wonder will the secretary of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society see this and advise the prime mover of shows to 

 advise all local shows to adopt this plan. We ought to 

 progress every year and not keep running in the same 

 groove. I am perfectly well aware that there are rules 



