142 



IRISH GARDENING 



SKPTKMHKR 



throiii,'-h m.iny a plaii-, itu- appi'liti> tor wliiili'lias Ihhmi 

 all loo fieelv fod bv the wi-alth of iiiodorn iiitrodiiotions. 

 So we see in somo ptai-os wIumo piircliasini,'- ^^ocs on 

 freely the whole takinyf on a more variejjated appear- 

 ance year by year, and possibly rather by accident than 

 desijfn an occasional true note is to be fouiul in dan- 

 we say it ? —a jjeneral discord. 



Form ANU Coloik. — It is not lolonr alone, nevertlie. 

 less, that has to come into the calculation for landscape 

 effect, form must be rej^arded as the twin sister in har- 

 monious plantinyf. and violent contrasts strike a jarriiiij 

 note. Take, for instance, the Globose biota ( Thuja nurca) 

 and the tapering' Cupressus erecta viridis planted in proxi- 

 mity, both undoubtedly handsome things, yet how happy 

 could one be with either were tother dear charmer away; 

 but place a group oi three or five in one position, and the 

 same of its contrastive neighbour in another position, 

 with some neutral zone to act as an eye-barrier from the 

 point of approach similar to that suggested on the lesser 

 scale for daffodils ou iintnrcl, and on the larger scale a 

 planting of, say, larch, and another of the Austrian pine 

 in a landscape, of such, surely, is the better way. Dis- 

 tances, too. can scarcely be ignored for effective 

 grouping, and the common form of golden elder, which 

 gives such a fine bit of colour where distance lends 

 enchantment to the view, may well be replaced by the 

 more refined cut-leaved form, S. racemosus, serrati- 

 folia aurea, as occasion demands. Let it not be 

 thought, however, that we are elder mad. it is merely 

 suggestive of a hundred things for planting by the 

 dozen or even hundred as the scale demands, nor are 

 the suggestions confined to summer effect, for ever- 

 greens, and we may add everj^ellows (as the best types 

 of aucuba), must all come into the calculation of judicious 

 designing, whilst the flowering shrubs similarly treated 

 under their dual aspect of form and colour have to play 

 a lion's part in the harmony. 



N.vtire's Ways. — That our happiest inspirations 

 may be drawn from nature goes without saying, 

 although now and again, very rarely perhaps, does the 

 great teacher appear to give some example for the 

 express purpose of showing, per contra, how not to do it. 

 Far and near are striking examples provided that those 

 who run may read, but out of all comes the still small 

 voice " Don't Dot." Surely, if the doctrine of dotting 

 so persistently adhered to by her pseudo disciples had 

 entered into her scheme she would have dotted down 

 in each of the forty States (U. S.) one of those giants of 

 the primeval world that are found as a grove in Cali- 

 fornia. The simile, we admit, is far-fetched, and in 

 natural selection and family genesis simply impossible. 

 even absurd may be said, but to our mind nature's ways 

 in this direction are the very keynote of harmony when 

 reduced to scale to suit requirements. It is, of course, 

 fully recognised in our bedding, for that man would be 

 thought mad who would indiscriminately make a hash 

 of form and colour in his flower beds by dotting down a 

 geranium, then a calceolaria, and so on through the 

 whole list of his bedding stock ; but once off the garden 

 and into the pleasure grounds it is another story. Yet 

 the fates forbid that ever planting in the latter should 

 run on prim and formal lines of Dutch art at one time in 

 vogue, and although examples of the latter command 

 our interest, and sometimes possibly admiration, as 

 relics of the past they are things to be kept, not copied. 



It is .-I big subject, but .ill too hrii-lly, ;iiul we fear not 

 too cle.arly discussed here; but with the pl.inting season 

 at hand it is surely worth some consiilcration now in 

 oitlcr to reduce vague iileas into more definite pl.ins for 

 I lie ne.ii- future. 



The Fruit Grounds. 



Hy .\. Hakkkk. Carrigoran, .\'c 

 Co. Clare. 



iiket-on-rergu' 



0IM:R.\TI0NS in the fruit grounds during Sep- 

 tember are not of a very pressing nature, there 

 being at this time a lull between summer work 

 and the commencement of winter operations. Matters 

 requiring attention principally are such as clearing ofl' 

 arrears of work left over from August, such as finishing 

 of strawberry planting, a final pinching over any late 

 growth on fruit trees, tying or nailing in any leading 

 branches, that may. if left untied, be in danger of being 

 broken by high winds. Any late apples that have not 

 already had the side growths pruned may with advan- 

 tage to both trees and fruit still be pruned ; the same 

 may be said of any unpruned trees (late or early), as 

 pruning even now will be a great aid to ripening wood 

 and improving the fruit buds for another year, and 

 especially so as we are having so much dull, sunless 

 weather. Anything at all tending to thoroughly ripen 

 and finish off the fruit buds should be freely attended to. 

 It should be always borne in mind that the next year's 

 crop of fruit is to a very considerable extent " grown " 

 this year (or always during the year previous to its 

 maturity), therefore, the better finished and the more 

 plentiful the fruit buds are at the end of the growing 

 season, so in proportion will be the probability of a 

 plentiful and fine crop of fruit for the following year. 

 Look through trees of early apples, such as Mr. Glad- 

 stone, Beauty of Bath, or any early apples from which 

 the fruit has been gathered, and cut out any overgrown 

 or badly placed branches or overcrowded branches, 

 wherever they may be, as it can be more readily seen 

 now where such pruning is necessary than during the 

 winter, or if you doubt the wisdom of sawing out 

 branches at present cut a notch or slit out a piece ot 

 bark to mark them for the winter pruning. Peach trees 

 are much benefited by having the old fruiting wood cut 

 out after the fruit has been gathered ; the new growths 

 should at the same time be tied over and rearranged 

 wherever overcrowded. Give the trees also a liberal 

 washing over with a sj^ringe or garden engine, especi- 

 ally if any red spider is present ; a little soot water 

 added to the syringing water will expedite the clear- 

 ance of red spider. Do not any longer delay making a 

 note of any root-pruning, lifting, &c., to be done during 

 the autumn and winter. 



If any planting of new trees is contemplated in 

 large or small numbers get the ground prepared for 

 planting if it is not already in sufficiently good order] 

 Trench the ground if possible, but in cases where 

 trenching would bring to the surface heavy and 

 retentive sub-soil, deep digging and planting the jtrees 

 on slightly raised mounds is advisable. In the course 

 of trenching or digging incorporate a fair amount of 

 rich, rotten manure (more or less according to condition 

 of land), leaf-mould (mortar rubble if obtainable), road 



