26 



IRISH GARDENING 



one-third leaf-mould and well-rolted manure, with a 

 g'ood sprinklinif of coarse sand ; the whole should be 

 thoroug^hly well mixed. No artifical manures should be 

 added, for if they are potted in an over-rich compost 

 the latter is almost certain to become sour before the 

 roots are sufficientlj' plentiful to assimilate this rich 

 diet, and when sour it is quite uTifit for plant food. A 

 temperature from sixty to sixty-five degrees will suit 

 them nicely during the growing season, though a few 

 degrees warmer is not harmful. 



It is important to shade from very strong sun, as (he 

 young and tender foliage is very liable to scorch. 

 A moist atmosphere should at all times be maintained 

 during the growing season, and during very hot 

 weather a slight spraying overhead in the middle of 

 the day is very beneficial ; it refreshes the foliage and 

 restores moisture to the atmosphere, checks evapora- 

 tion, and therefore helps to maintain the plant in a 

 healthy condition. Air must be afforded when possible, 

 an even temperature is beneficial, wide variations being 

 inadvisable, and cold draughts must at all times be 

 avoided. As soon as the plants have finished their 

 growth, about the beginning of October, more air 

 should be afforded to ripen the wood, and by keeping 

 the house comparativelj'dry during the flowering season 

 the flowers will retain their freshness much longer. 



Over-feeding must be carefully guarded against ; 

 highly stimulating manures in strong doses defeat the 

 object in view and often prove fatal. A free develop- 

 ment of healthy fibrous roots, combined with clean and 

 vigorous foliage, is the first essential for success in the 

 feeding of these plants. Clay's Fertilizer is very good, 

 also Thompson's plant manure, if used alternately, 

 half-an-ounce to one gallon of water, once a week 

 during the growing season, makes an excellent plant 

 food. Over-feeding of the plants is quite as bad as 

 partial starvation ; two or three waterings with sulphate 

 of ammonia, used at the same strength, during the 

 flowering season will give the flowers and foliage a 

 better colour, and will add to their fresh appearance. 

 By inserting a neat stake about one foot or eighteen 

 inches long near the centre of each plant, and neatly 

 looping up the growths with thin raffia, very nice 

 pyramidal-shaped plants can be obtained. 



Watering at all times should receive careful attention ; 

 too little or too much will upset the proper working of 

 the organs and induce ill-health, and it is a well known 

 fact that a plant in vigorous health is far less likelv to 

 catch infectious diseases than one in a run-down or 

 sickened condition. To keep the plants strong ami 

 healthy is a great point towards successful culture. 



The only enemies these plants ;ire subject to are 

 greenfly and the mite. The former can he kept in 

 check by timely fumigating with XL All ; but the 

 mite, an insect scarcely visible to the naked eye, is 

 difficult to combat if once it gets a foothold. It is a 

 pest that has caused considerable trouble during recent 

 years amongst Cyclamen, Ferns, Gloxinias and 

 Begonias. Once the pest gets established it sucks the 

 sap out of the leaves, which become dry and hard, and 

 have a brown appearance. .\ very dry atmosphere is 

 conducive to the iiicrease of these mites. The mite can 

 be held in check by dipping the plants into a weak 

 solution of tobacco juice, or fumigating with XL All. 



The New Year in the Alpine 

 Garden. 



By Rkginai.d A. M.\li)V. 



0\E of the many advantages of the Alpine garden, 

 however small, is the immense amount of 

 interest it cont;iins all through the year if one 

 only knows and loves its little inhabitants. 



Not a month of the year need pass in the rock garden, 

 even a suburban villa, without some charming little 

 Alpine plant greeting us with its cheery blossom, while 

 in the spring and early summer such a garden is a 

 galaxy of flower from end to end. 



Often before the average gardener has realised that 

 spring is here, sheets of Chionodoxas will be spangling 

 the slopes of the rock garden, contrasted here and 

 there with Bulbocodium vernum, early Narcissi, Scillas, 

 various species of Croci, Muscari, and a host of other 

 wee Alpine plants. 



How such a wealth of beauty, coming as it does at a 

 time of the year when it is so much appreciated, should 

 be overlooked to such an extent is a mystery. 



Possibly the increasing interest which has been taken 

 in Alpines during the last few years will result in their 

 much wider use and cultivation. 



I feel sure that (especially for the small garden) no 

 similar outlay will produce so much pleasure and 

 interest all through the year, and since the majority of 

 Alpines are perennials the\' will, with reasonable care, 

 increase, so as to form an ever-expanding source of 

 healthful amusement. 



Probably we owe more to the Sa.xifraga family than 

 to any other single section for a large amount of this 

 prolonged interest in our rock gardens. 



One can hardly point to a month when some member 

 ofthis huge family is not adorning our g.arden either by 

 flower, hummocks of silvery rosettes or cushions of 

 deep-green foliage. 



Among the earliest of this genus to welcome the 

 dawning year with their beautiful and cheering blossoms 

 are S. Burseriana and S. Stribnryi. 



The former is a native of eastern Europe, and grows 

 as a dense, hard cushion of erect, spiny leaves, of a 

 greyish-green colour, and about one inch high, from 

 which rise, in January or February, crimson stems, 

 each supporting a pure-white flower of satin-like 

 texture. 



It seems to thrive best in a position slightly shaded 

 from the mid-day sun, and in a very gritty compost, 

 fully 50 per cent, of which should consist of small stone 

 chips to allow of rapid drainage loam, sand and old 

 mortar completing the mixture in about equ.il parts. 

 Broken stone can with .advantage be placed around the 

 tuft lo keep it free from soil particles which are liable 

 to be splashed on to it by rain. 



It is a charming little plant for a choice corner of 

 I he rock garden, near the eye, and when in suitable 

 conditions is by no means "shy, " as the acconip.anying 

 photograph serves to show. 



The second plant referred to above, S. Stribnryi, 

 belongs lo the Kabschia section, and is one of the 

 newer red-flowered, encrusted Saxifragas, and a near 



