NOVEMBER 



IRISH GARDENING 



[63 



Current Topics. 



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



PLANTING time is with us once ag-ain, and to 

 those who have this object in mind the importance 

 of earl}' planting- cannot be urg-ed too strongly. 

 Plants put out in early autumn usualh' make some roots 

 before the winter, and will start to grow strongly in 

 the spring. Again, the early buyer will get the better 

 plants ; in some cases where there is a run upon a 

 certain plant the nurseryman's stock may g-et rather 

 low, and people ordering towards the end of the season 

 will get smaller 

 plants than the 

 early buyers. 

 Many persons 

 having- gfardens 

 like to gfet a few 

 new plants every 

 year, so, perhaps, 

 a note on novelties 

 and the lesser 

 known plants may 

 be of value. 



We are pleased 

 to note that Lo- 

 belia Glory of St. 

 Anne's has re- 

 ceived an award 

 of merit from the 

 Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society last 

 October, This 

 lobelia was raisetl 

 by Mr. Campbell, 

 gardener to Lord 

 A r d i 1 a u n , St. 

 Anne's, w here 

 these lobelias arc 

 made quite a fea- 

 ture for autumn 

 bedding. This 

 variety may be 

 described as the 

 finest of all ; a 

 photo appeared in 

 Irish Gardening, 

 October, iqoS, of 



Photo by] 



Rlbls de 



[From a plant grown in the 



Glory of St. Anne's lobelia under the name of L. Morn- 

 ing Glow, which it was formerly called. Later on it will 

 be put into commerce by the Tully Nursery Company. 



Two good irises suitable for the bog garden, or 

 for doing well if treated liberally in a border, are Iris 

 sibirica Snow Queen and Blue King. For similar posi- 

 tions the Newry forms of Trollius can be highly recom- 

 mended ; such improved forms as T. Smith, Orangeman. 

 Freedom, and Goldsmith give a rich reward in spring. 

 Probably because it was new, the Chinese Astilbe 

 grandis received a great ovation. To my idea it lacks 

 the grace of the drooping white panicles of Astilbe 

 rivularis gigantea. 



Two new climbing Monkshoods are now in commerce, 

 Aconitum Hemsleyana and A. Vilmorini, also known as 

 A. volubile latisectum ; the former is the better plant of 



the two. A pink form of the common Monkshood, 

 called A. napellus carncum is also a gain. We now 

 have yellow, pink, white and blue in this genus, which 

 rarely occurs in the same family. 



Several new oriental poppies are very welcome, 

 especially Princess Victoria Louise, a good clear pink, 

 and Princess Ena, named by the Queen of Spain, 

 similar in colour to the former, but smaller and tulip- 

 shaped. 



Helenium Riverton Gem is an American introduction, 

 a seedling from the old H. autumnale striatum, upon 

 which it is an improvement. Asterolinosyris Willmotta; 

 is an interesting botanical hybrid representing the 



union of Aster 

 acris, and Lino- 

 s\-ris vulgaris, but 

 for garden pur- 

 poses it may be 

 briefly described 

 as two good 

 plants spoilt. 

 Geum bulgaricum 

 throws out large 

 promising leaves, 

 and one is greatly 

 disappointed when 

 the weedy, insig- 

 nificant flowers 

 appear. Thalic- 

 trum Delavayi 

 and dipterocar- 

 pum are very 

 similar, but beau- 

 tiful plants having 

 rosy, lilac flowers. 

 The heucheras 

 are most useful for 

 cutting and bor- 

 der work. H. san- 

 guinea (Walker's 

 variety), and the 

 French variety 

 Pluie de Feu are 

 two of the best 

 reds. In some gar- 

 dens difficulty is 

 experienced with 

 Heuchera san- 

 guinea ; in these 

 places the hybrids will succeed. Among the best are 

 Heuchera micrantha rosea, Flambeau, and Edge Hall 

 variety ; these are pink and wonderfully free flowering. 

 The miniature kniphofias are very pleasing and suit- 

 able for the front of a border or a bold piece of rock- 

 work. They grow from eighteen inches to two feet high, 

 and vary from lemon yellow to orange scarlet. Some 

 of the best are Goldelse, Solfaterre, Breviflora, Nelsoni, 

 and Macowani. Kniphofia aloides erecta superba is 

 one of the larger red hot pokers with showy, orange- 

 scarlet flowers, which "are erect on the flower stems. 

 King Edward cannot now claim the premier place in 

 the list of white marguerites for Chrysanthemum 

 maximum Mrs. Charles Lothian Bell is an improvment. 

 Pentstemon Southgate Gem is a valuable hardy plant 

 producing spikes of scarlet flowers the whole summer 



LICIOSLS 



Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin.] 



