XIV 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Flowering of Apples. 



NlvpKS MAOK ON MAV I.S, lt)IO, AT MlKAMAK. 

 ClXTRA, Co. 1X>\VN. 



Kro>,'inoro I'mlilir, in full Howi-r, but very si-.in . 

 Stirliii)^ Castli-, small trei*. ;i ni.iss of l>looin ; I.;iii.- 

 I'riiico .\ll)erl, in hm\, a lillU' heal would hrinj^ ii oui 

 in two days, scaii'e ; I'l-asg-ooil .N\>nsiicli, bnil only .iiul 

 poor; Hisni.iirk, fnll IIowit, almost ovit, si-arcc, llu-n- 

 arc never more llian a few apples on this tree ; ('oillin 

 Keswiek, perfeetion of (lower, very prolilie ; Northern 

 Diimpiin^c. ful! flower, very )food, a mass of bloom ; 

 Duchess of Oldenlnirj;^, full tlower, some petals fallinj^, 

 it is covered with bloom; Lady I lenniker, in buil far 

 back, fair ; Cox's I'omona, bud and late and poo\ ; 

 Sturmer Pippin, cominjf into bloom, scarce ; <Jueen 

 Caroline, coming into bloom, scarce ; Belle I'ontoise, 

 in bud, but very few, bad ; Cravenstein, in (lower, but 

 few and unsatisfactory. 



[Mrs. Ing-lis, who has favoured us with the above 

 notes, states that Miramar is on the shores of Helfa-.t 

 Lou^h, quite close to the sea, is not at all sheltered, 

 and the soil a rather heavy clay. The trees are all 

 trained as cordons.] 



Wallflowers. — ^Villa j^ardeners should sow wall- 

 flower seed at once in order to raise a stock of plants 

 for next spring- and early summer flowering. The front 

 garden of a Dublin suburban house, which we happen to 

 pass every daj", has been for weeks past one glorious 

 sheet of colour from hundreds of flowering- spikes of this 

 proli(ic and richly coloured flowering plant. The whole 

 garden is planted with wallflower and only wallflower, 

 and the result is effective in the extreme. This is 

 far better than fllling the relatively small area with 

 diiTerent kinds of plants, with different habits of growth 

 and diversit)- of colour. The aim was apparently to 

 secure uniformity of form and colour, and the effect is 

 as harmonious as it is charming. 



Chrvsantheml-ms. — .-Ml plants which are not in- 

 tended for pot culture and are not already in the ground 

 should be put out at once. If the plants are required 

 bushy and dwarf, pinch back the side shoots during the 

 present month. Secure the shoots to stakes. Water 

 must be given freely when required. The portion of 

 shoot pinched off maj- be long enough to form cuttings. 

 Insert singly in thumb pots, pinch over the points when 

 growth has well begun, and allow three shoots to 

 develop and bloom. These dwarfed plants will make 

 excellent specimens to put to the front of the larger 

 ones. July will see some of the earliest pompons in 

 bloom, and will last till September, when the larger 

 flowering varieties will blossom. The single chrysan- 

 themums are very effective for decorative purposes. 

 They should not be so severely thinned as the larger 

 varieties. Their flowers are naturally smaller, and so 

 the more bushy the plant is the finer display of flowers 

 there will be. 



Catalogues. 



Sr.MMER Bedding Plants. Wm. Watson & Sons. — 

 The summer cometh when the villa gardener hastens to 

 plant out his flower beds with plants specially chosen to 

 yivo the t^-ayest effect to the surrouiulings of his home, 



