IRISH GARDENING 



^3 



'I'lic Nfontl/s Work. 



[""lower Ciarden and Pleasure Grounds. 



K\ \. l.AMl'Hi:i.I., l".;irtloiiiT to I.oi-d Ardiljiiin, 

 Si. Aime's, CloiiiMir. 



i 



T 



MIK m;iiiy occupimls of llio llouir 

 H'ariiiMi whiili have been plaiilid 

 and tended during the past winlor. 

 "iili the ohjecl of a spring- and early 

 Muninor tlisplay, will now begin to look 

 gay. l-iy the niidtlle of this month niaiiv 

 will be in full bloom, so that the flowei 

 garden will once again be a source of 

 pleasure to its owner. 



Grass should be kept mown, beds ami 

 walks should be cleaned, and a neat and 

 tidy appearance should be maintained 

 througliovn the garden. Creepers on 

 walls, pillars and arches will require fre- 

 quent attention. Many such as Clematis. 

 Lonicera, and others will now be grow ing 

 freely ; their young growths must be 

 secured in the direction they arc intended 

 to go, and encouraged to fill their allotted 

 spaces as early as possible. 



Stakes should now be ready for Del- 

 phiniums, and many of the herbaceous 

 P;eonies will also require supports, as 

 M- "* 'I iliey are apt to suffer from strong winds. 

 • ^ I Sweet I'ea, raised in pots and planted 



out last month, can now have their final 

 stakes placed to them, and a sowing for 

 succession c.ui be made. Sow Mignonette. Clarkia, 

 (iodeti.i, Xeinophil.i. and such annuals as transplant 

 badly, iii the places where they are to flower. Pick out 

 and encourage sturdy grow th in those plants which last 

 month were recotnmended to be raised in a little heat. 

 .\ ciroful inspection of all the plants required for 

 summer and autumn display should now be made, and 

 if short of any kinds, measures must be taken to raise 

 the required number. 



Dahlias propagated from cuttings should be potted 

 on and grown in full light in a frame, so that they will 

 be strong and sturdy by planting time. Should the 

 weather be dry, all annuals must have sufticient mois- 

 ture supplied to them, otherwise they are likely to 

 become hard or stunted, and will be disappointing. 



Hyacinths in beds or borders will now be well ad- 

 v.iiiced ; a small stake should be placed to each flower 

 spike; tic loosely so as to allow the flower spike to 

 grow up, otherwise many of the finest blooms are lost, 

 being broken by wind or heavy rain. 



It is now time to prepare beds for violets, of sorts, 

 by pulverising the soil to a depth of fifteen inches, and 

 .ulding a good dressing of old cow-manure. When the 

 betls are quite ready, the cuttings which have been 

 rooted in frames can be planted firmly ; nine inches 

 apart will suit the double sorts. Singles, such as La 

 France and Princess of Wales, will require more space. 

 The best results will be obtained from cuttings taken 

 from runners, the same wav as strawberries, as their 



roots will .ill be new and so produce more vigorous 

 plants than those Increased by division. Mowevcr, ifa 

 slock of young plants has not been rooted, divided 

 plants must be relied on; if so, choose the youngest 

 pieces which have fresh roots, plant them firmly in 

 prepared ground where they are to be grown, and give 

 a good watering : later on much benefit will be gained 

 by frequently stirring the surface soil ; this will also 

 pievent weeds increasing. 



The Fruit Garden. 



liy L. Chii.Ds, (iardener to the l^arl ol .Meath, 

 Killruddery, llraj-. 



FH; t L'LTl.'RI':. — In the majority of private places 

 figs are found growing on the back wall of a 

 vinery. Though I admit that this is by no means 

 an idea! position 1 still contend that they can be success- 

 fully cultivated under the above conditions. Of course 

 a special house would suit them much better, and 

 sometimes in large gardens it is quite feasible. .-Mways 

 bear in mind that figs require plenty of light and air. 

 When they must be produced in vineries you need not 

 train the grape vine to the top of your house so as to 

 exclude the sunshine. After fruits are formed tie in all 

 loading shoots that are needed, and stop the laterals 

 at the second or third leaf, according to what vacant 

 space you have on the wires. Ket-p them free from 

 greenfly, spider and scale, also drainage sweet and 

 clear from stagnation. If the above detailsareall care, 

 tully attended to, then you may with advantage supply 

 them with plenty of manure, both liquid and artificial. 

 For the last three or four years prices for figs in Dublin 

 have not been quite so remunerative, but still high- 

 class fruit will fetch from 3s. 6d. to 5s. per do/.en. 

 Previous to that I often obtained in the open market 

 10s. per dozen for large, ripe figs, grown on walls in 

 vineries. Then you can manage to get a second crop 

 from the same trees in one year ; naturally, they will be 

 smaller fruit, and though, perhaps, unequal for dessert 

 purposes they can be used with advantage in various 

 other ways by a good cook. 



H.^RDY Friit.— Presuming that the instructions 

 given in my previous notes have been carried out, your 

 trees will now be ready for "growing," and with the 

 abnormal amount of rain during February and early 

 March all old established trees are now thoroughly- 

 saturated, and they will not cause much trouble for some 

 time. If the beds commence cracking scatter lime over 

 them, and cautiously stir the surface. Continue giving 

 protection to delicate blossoms with tiftany or other suit- 

 able covering on cold, frosty evenings ; also make sure 

 that all freshly planted standards are firm in the beds, and 

 securely tied to prevent them being shaken. It is most 

 important that all trees aie correctly labelled, .\lteud 

 to newly grafted trees, and replace the clay or grafting 

 wax if it has dropped off. In case of parching winds 

 some grafts may require to have moss tied over the 

 clay for retaining moisture about them, and breaking 

 the hot rays of the sun. See that apricots and peaches 

 do not become too dry at the roots. When they are 

 mulched a plentiful supply of water will wash down all 

 nutritive matter, so that the root extremities mav feed 



