JULY 



IRISH GARDENING. 



99 



Primlla Marginata Linda Pope 



[C. F. Ball 



Current Topic; 



By C. F. Ball, Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. 



THE twenty-third annual Temple Show of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society of England was 

 held on May 24th, 25th and 26th. It is well 

 known as the best show in Britain for flowers. Orchids 

 as usual were a strong- feature, no less than 14 getting 

 awards or certificates. Monsieur Ch. \'uylsteke 

 had a new Odonlioda which was priced at £1,200. 

 The best new rose was a Wichuriana form called 

 '"Excelsa," approaching scarlet in colour. 



Two Irish firms staged good exhibits as usual. 

 Messrs. Hogg & Robertson had a remarkably good lot 

 of May flowering tulips flanked on either side with 

 ixias and Spanish irises. Messrs. Alex. Dickson 

 received an award of merit for the new rose, Duchess 

 of Westminster. This firm also had a choice collec- 

 tion of tulips. 



Messrs. Carter's Japanese garden was a novel 

 feature for the show. It was beautifully designed, 

 having taken several men a whole week to build. A 

 sinuous lake in the centre contained gold fish and two 

 trout a foot long. Over the lake was a bridge, and 

 stone lanterns with a pagoda added to the effect. A 

 draw-well with moss-covered opening and a pulley under 

 a thatched umbrella-like roof were to be seen. The 

 trees were in keeping with the scene, such as maples, 

 thuyas, and bamboos. 



Two new Alpine plants were exhibited at the Temple 

 Show — Androsace Henryi, with white flowers, found 

 by E. H. Wilson in China, shown by Messrs. V'eitch. and 

 a Composite shown by Mr. W. Marshall, Chairman of 

 the Floral Committee. This is to be named Aster 

 Falconeri. 



Messrs. Perry showed a bank of Lithospermum pros- 

 tratum Heavenly Blue. This plant differs from the 



type only in colour, but when the 

 two forms are placed side by side 

 the type form looks comparatively 

 dull. 



The rock gardens this year have 

 been very backward, but now there 

 is a very good show of flowers. The 

 aubrietias always make a great 

 show, and one is often asked which 

 are the best varieties. Dr. Mules 

 is still the best deep purple aubrietia, 

 and so free in flowering that some- 

 times the foliage is almost hidden 

 by the mass of flowers. The newer 

 Aubrietia PritchardsAi has a larger 

 flower, but the colour is not quite 

 so. deep. A. citicica has flowers of 

 a soft shade, while if dwarfer and 

 neater growers are required A. 

 Wallacei and Purple Robe should 

 be given a trial. A. Moerheimi and 

 Bridesmaid have flowers of a beauti- 

 ful soft shade of pink, while A. 

 Leitchlini is a deeper colour. Fire 

 King has flowers of brightest fiery 

 red, but it is inclined to make a ragged plant, so it is 

 better cut back after flowering, then the young growths 

 which follow can be put in as cuttings to get a few 

 good young plants. 



The red mossy saxifrages have come into great 

 favour recently, and as a natural consequence many 

 worthless forms have been put on the market. The 

 two best are .S. decipiens hybrida grandifloria, also 

 known as Gloria, and Bathoniensis ; then come Clibrani, 

 Fergusoni, Guilford seedling and Rhei superba. If 

 seed is saved of some of the above and sown one gets 

 whites, pinks, and reds, and one can select forms 

 which are quite as good as some which have been 

 named. 



The photo shows Primula marginata Linda Pope. 

 This plant, sent out by Messrs. Backhouse, of York, is 

 one of the most beautiful of primulas ; to my mind far 

 more worthy of praise than the Primula H. Wilsoni, 

 which has been much boomed. Linda Pope agrees 

 with P. marginata in the beautiful edging of the leaf, 

 but the leaf is broader and stronger and the flower is 

 finer. An identical plant was shown at the Dublin 

 show under the name of Primula Mrs. Hall Walker. 



In T/ie Times appeared an interesting letter from 

 Lord Walsingham, in which he draws attention to the 

 Plane tree. The letter reads as follows: — "So long 

 ago as 1892 my attention was attracted to the condition 

 of the road dust in the avenue of the planes to the 

 west of Cannes, and I attributed a serious attack of 

 pneumonia following severe bronchial and catarrhal 

 irritation in a member of my family to this cause. The 

 microscope applied to the dust, which was flying in 

 clouds on a liigh wind, showed a plentiful admixture of 

 minute specules formed by the breaking up of the fruit 

 balls of Plane trees, and since that time innumerable 

 instances have occurred in various places to confirm the 

 impression then formed ; indeed, it may be stated 

 broadh' that wherever Plane trees are abundant, colds, 

 coughs, inflamed eyelids, throat trouble and general 



