92 



IRISH (JAKDENING. 



JUNE 



General Note: 



jr.M': 



Jl'NE isthe^reat month forold-fashioiu'il llowcrs tin- 

 flowers of seiitimeiU as time and liteiatiiii- Ikim- m.uli- 

 tluMn — " ijold-diisted snapdragfoii," " SweiM William 

 with lii-« homely cottage smell," " WoodhiTU- han^in^ 

 bonnilie, " " Foxjjlove cluster dappleil hells, " Pa-oiiy. 

 Lilac, Laburnum, and "fresh Hawthorne," each full of 

 tender associations, and each very beautiful in itself. 

 In June a spirit of indolence begins to come over tin- 

 gardener who grows his flowers in the open air. .Ml 

 through the months of spring the garden contains, or 

 should contain, numerous objects of beauty and 

 numerous objects of interest, but not until June does the 

 garden become swamped by a great sea of beauty, in 

 the presence of which the modest gardener can but 

 stand aside and gaze with wonder and enjoyment. — 

 Harry Roberts. 



AiBRiETi.\s are some of the most useful of rock plants. 

 and they are now making fine displays in many gardens. 

 The plants are easily grown from seeds or from cuttings. 

 Seed should be sown during this month and the seedlings 

 pricked out about six w'eeks later. Planting into the 

 permanent positions should take place from September 

 onwards. Another method of propagation is by means 

 of cuttings. The cuttings should be planted in a light 

 sandy soil in a shad\- border, and, like the seedlings, 

 planted in their permanent positions in the autumn. 

 There are now a number of named varieties in a wide 

 range of colour, and lasting in flower over a consider- 

 able period, and these should be propagated from 

 cuttings taken now or by division of the plants in the 

 autumn. 



Rock Gardens. — We have received from the Couulry 

 Life, Ltd., a cop}- of Rock and Water Gardens, b\- the 

 late F. W'. Meyer, which is sure to interest a large 

 number of our readers. The cultivation of Alpines is 

 getting more and more popular every year. One 

 advantage of rock gardening is that it takes up com- 

 paratively little space and is particularly suited to owners 

 of small gardens who pursue gardening as a hobby. We 

 know of one small suburban garden the whole space of 

 which is planned out as a rock garden, and a more 

 delightful and interesting garden could hardly he 

 imagined. To any one anxious to know how best to 

 build a rock garden, to plant it, and care for it, we 

 cordially recommend this book. It is very fully illus- 

 trated. 



Rhubarb Drink. — A nice refreshing drink may be 

 made by cutting up a few rhubarb stalks into small 

 pieces, and boiling in a sufficient quantity of water for 

 about ten minutes. The proportion of rhubarb to water 

 may be four sticks to a quart. Strain, add the rind of 

 a lemon, and sugar to taste. 



The Double-flowered Arabis, which has been par- 

 ticular!)' showy this spring, is an easily grown perennial 

 which flourishes in dry spots Cuttings taken during the 

 summer and planted in a partially shaded border will 

 readily root, and if small clumps of these are planted in 

 the border in the autumn they will furnish masses of 

 white flowers in the following spring. 



ll one may jmlge \i\ the evitknci- oi the Temple 

 .Show the I\'r|ietiial flowering carnation is fast gaining 

 in popularity. Much interest was shown in a new variety 

 named C'oiola, having the sei-nl i.'^'i the okl clove pinks 

 oi cottage gardens. 



,\ MOSSN' or weedy lawn may he iinpioxeil by si;iller- 

 iiig broailcasi mer il a mixture oi ammoniated sand, 

 riu- .mnnonia i'onipouni.1 Iv' use is the sulphate, and the 

 strength i lb. for Ihirty-l wo sc|uare yarils. This is to be 

 thoroughly well mixed with sufllcient santl, to give a 

 gooil sprinkling for the area mentioned. 



Herkies for Decora rio.N.— The berries of mountain 

 ash make a ver}- elTectise decoration for rooms. They 

 • ui-, however, much apprei-iaUnl by hitcls. which soon 

 striji the tree o'i its ahundauce oi brilliant fruit. They 

 can be preservi-d, however, for a considerable time by 

 cutting the fruiting branches, placing them in water, 

 and keeping them in a cool place. Other fruiting sprays 

 may be treated in the same way, such as Guelder rose, 

 Bitter Sweet, species of Berberis, hawthorn. &c. 



Summer Treat.mknt of Malmaisons. - By the end of 

 May Malmaison carnations can be stood outside for the 

 summer on a hard bed of coal-ashes. There they should 

 be grown on liberally and all flower-buds nipped oft" as 

 they appear. By the cn<\ of summer young plants should 

 be in 6inch jjots ami j-year old plants in 8-inch pots. 

 The most useJ'ul book, perhaps, for your purpose is the 

 "Carnation Manual," price 3s. lod., post free, from 

 H. G. Cove, 41 W'ellington Street, Co vent Ciarden. — 

 Answer /o a C07 respondent. 



An Interesting Climber. — The climber sent is 

 Clianthus puniceus (the Parrot's Bill), a native of New 

 Zealand. It is not generally hardy, but will stand the 

 winter outside in the South of Ireland and the more 

 favoured places. The Parrot's Bill can be planted out 

 now, and usually flowers more freely when planted 

 against a wall. The annual growth varies from two to 

 four feet according to the soil in which the plant is 

 grown. Cuttings taken with a heel, inserted in sand, 

 and given bottom heat root freely. — Answer fo a 

 Con espon den t. 



Self-sterii.itv in Apples. — Fruit-growers should not 

 forget that many varieties of apple-trees are sterile to 

 their own pollen, and that fertilisation can only take 

 place when pollen from a diff'erent variety is used for 

 the purpose. According to Mr. Chittenden, out of 

 twenty-three varieties tested only three were self-fertile. 

 These were Gladstone, Stirling Castle, and King of the 

 Pippins. The others were self-sterile, viz. : — Beauty of 

 Kent, Bismarck, Bramley's Seedling, Cellini Pippin, 

 Claygate Pearmain, Cox's Orange Pippin, Ecklinville 

 Seedling. Lane's Prince Albert, Lady Sudley, Manning- 

 ton Pearmain, Newton Wonder, Northern Greening, 

 Peasgood Nonsuch, Royal Jubilee, Sandringham, 

 Sturmer Pippin, Wellington, Worcester Pearmain. It 

 is important to know such facts with respect to all our 

 varieties of apples. It is also important to know the 

 relative dates of flowering of the trees. In the light of 

 such facts as above a pure plantation of Cox*s, for 

 example, would be less likely to bear well than if a few 

 other varieties, blossoming at the same time, were inter- 

 mixed in order to supply the necessary amount of 

 fertile pollen. 



