136 



IRISH GARDENING. 



SKPTIiMHER 



Fl 



owcrinLr 



Sh 



runs 



farmers In so many rast-s now possess llu'ir own farms 

 ihat tlio pruli- Irislinu-n lake in their homes will express 



NOIHINC. jifivcs so miieh eharaoter to a eoiintiy 

 home as a setlinj; amitl well-plaeed i^roups 

 of floweriner shrubs ami trees. Shrubs in such 

 situations shoulil always be planted irreyfularly, never 

 ill rows, aiui very rarely as sing-le specimens. Tiie 

 imuM- v-ir front mirj^in of tlie mass should be utuIu- 

 latinir and broken, as is invariably the case in natural 

 shrubberies. Before planting- the soil should be deeply 

 duuf, and for a year or two after the surface of the soil 

 should be kept open and free from weeds by repeated 

 lioeings. Larger shrubs, such as lilacs, may be planted 

 about four feet apart, and smaller ones about half that 

 distance. I'litil the shrubs spread the bare soil maj' be 

 furnished with herbaceous perennials or with quickly- 

 s^frowing annuals, raised from seed sown broadcast 

 l>etween the specimens. Every autumn the shrubs 

 should be mulched w'ith strawy manure or partiall}- 

 decayed leaves to imitate the conditions that obtain in 

 nature. When the shrubbery is established tlie plants 

 will supply their own mulch by the fallen leaves. The 

 mulch is a good pro- 

 tection against frost ,™. 

 in winter and the loss z^/^^te* 

 of water by surface r v^' «._i^ 

 evaporation in the 

 summer. After plant- 

 ing the branches of- 

 the shrubs should be 

 pruned well back to 

 give the roots a good 

 start, but once they 

 are well established 

 they should not, as a 

 rule, be interfered 

 with, but allowed to 

 grow naturally. It is, 

 nevertheless, a rule in 

 the case of some rapid 



growers, such as snowberry, to cut each year or every 

 two years the branches close to the ground, so as to 

 encourage the development of young shoots. 



Care must be taken to select subjects suitable for 

 the particular position in which each is placed. In the 

 background tall specimens should be planted, such as 

 variegated elders, mock oranges and lilacs, while at 

 the sides shrubs of medium size, like weigelas, deutzias, 

 And berberis are to be selected. In front of and backing 

 the house low-growing specimens should be used, such 

 as mahonias, flowering currant, and daphne. For 

 planting here and there against the various groups, such 

 showy shrubs as roses, hydrangeas, snowball tree, &c., 

 may be used with charming effect. 



One is constantly seeing houses in the country 

 standing up naked and unlovely against the bare earth 

 that with a little trouble and no great expense could be 

 made beautiful and home-like by clothing the walls 

 with a live covering and planting the immediate sur- 

 roundings with fragrant masses of flowering shrubs and 

 trees. It is simply surprising the improvement in good 

 looks brought about even by a little planting round a 

 dwelling, as may be seen by comparing the two pictures 

 here reproduced. It is to be earnestly hoped that as 



itself, 

 looki 

 nu-lli 



in pail, by making them as beautiful and attractive 

 g as they know how, and one of the most effective 

 hIs of external improvement is that of furnishing 

 lluin with a background of sheltering tree and orna- 

 mental shrub. 



Of flowering shrulis ;iiui trers av.iil.ibjc (ov planting 

 in ihe immediate surrounding ol' the home there are a 

 great many to choo.se from, of which the following 

 are fairly common examples. We give them in alpha- 

 betical order :— 



1. Almond. Flowering in early 



;pruig. 







^^SlS"'"^"^-^''' 



;n 



A House 



2. Aralia spinosa, with beautiful tlowi-rs antl foliage 



as well. 



3. Herberis. Strikingl)- beautiful in fruit. 



4. Broom. There are yellow and white-flowered 



species. Good for spring effect. 



5. Catalpa. Large-leaved and white-flowered. 



6. Cherry in many species and varieties. 



7. Cistus or Rock-rose. 



8. Deutzia. Laden with bloom. \'ery hand.some 



at edge of shrub- 

 bery. 

 -3^ 9. E s c a 1 1 o n i a . 



Flowering in July. 



10. Ericas or Heath. 



11. Forsythia. Well 

 known, its yellow 

 flowers appearing 

 early in April. 



12. Garrya elliptica. 

 Jj Evergreen. Cover- 

 ed with pale-green 

 calkins in winter. 



13. Kerria or Jew's 

 M a How. The 

 double f o r m 

 flowers well into 

 the winter. 



14. Laburnum. Well known and unsurpassed for 



beauty when in flower. 



15. Lavender. Fragrant. Cirows well in a warm, 



sunny spot. 



16. Lonicera fragrantissima or Bush Hone\suckle. 



17. Olearia haastii. Covers itself with small, daisy- 



like blooms. 



iS. I'hiladelphus or Syringa. Its large, white flowers 

 are very ornamental. 



i<). Prunus or Plum, P. Pissardi being most attrac- 

 tive in the spring. 



20. Pyrus. The scarlet flowers of P. japonica are 



well known. 



21. Ribes. Of which genus the "flowering currant" 



is the best known. 



22. Robinia or False Acacia is a particularly hand- 



some tree. 



23. Rubus or Brambles, the most ornamental being 



R. deliciosus. 



24. Roses. 



25. Snowy mespilus. Beautiful at all seasons. 



26. Spiraea. Many species and varieties. 



27. Syringa or Lilac. A well-known shrub flowering 



in spring. 



