86 



IRISH GARDENING 



have been known to g-ermin.ite after two, .iiid even four, 

 yeafs from sowliii^. 



Mr. G. Smitli writes :— '■ Oui- plant of K. l.yallii was 

 received here in November, 1909, and learning; from my 

 father that he had seen cases where plants had been in 

 pots tor many years and only produced leaves I was 

 determined to try another plan, so I planted it out in the 

 boij garden in deep, rich soil, not too wet, but moist. It 

 made a few nice leaves in 19I0 and had no protection 

 during the wintei-, except .-i few laurel branches stuck 

 round the leaves, which remained almost evergreen, but 

 it was with no small amount of pleasure that I found it 

 throwing up a vigorous shoot in the end of May last 

 year, which gradually developed by June into the 

 beautiful flower heads depicted in the accompanying 

 picture ; they lasted in beauty for quite three weeks. 

 The central or first flower to open was somewhat 

 larger than the others which opened gradually around 

 it ; they were of a pure glistening white with a striking 

 bunch of golden stamens in the centre. There was 

 some seed formed, but as this showed an inclination to 

 drop before it was properly mature I am afraid it was 

 infertile. It was sown, however, but so far has not 

 made any appearance." 



Last April Mr. Smith writes again : — " The seed saved 

 here last year of Ranunculus Lyallii has germinated, 

 and I have now fifty or so nice healthy plants growing 

 well. Isn't that good? " 



The Bog Garden. 



By ReiunaI-D A. Malbv. 



A STRIKING feature in half shady places where 

 moist, leafy soil is available is made by the 

 Hodecatheons. D. Hendersoni is a parti- 

 cularly rich and pleasing form. Krom the smooth, some- 

 what Primula-like leaves rise many rigid stalks, each 

 bearing a shower of Cyclamen-like flowers, there being 

 frequently as many as twelve to fifteen blossoms on a 

 single truss. The petals are of a rich, rosy purple ; the 

 mouth of the corolla is yellow', decorated with a circular 

 lacing of red, while protruding from the flowers some 

 half or three quarters of an inch are the dark-coloured 

 stamens and the still longer stigma. The popular name 

 of "American Cowslip " or " Shooting Star" is, I thiTik. 

 by no means inappropriate. 



The natural habitat of the plant is the moist woods of 

 North America, though they seem to make themselves 

 as much at home in the rock garden in half shade in 

 soil composed of peat, leaf-mould, loam and sand, and 

 kept moist during the hot weather. I find it advisable 

 to split up the clumps and replant when they have been 

 in the ground three or four years, as they seem to have 

 exhausted the soil about the roots by then. Consider- 

 able care should be taken in doing this, as the roots 

 seem s-omewhat brittle and so liable to snap oft'. 

 Naturally, the season following such treatment the 

 plants cannot be relied upon to make a very brave 

 display. The succeeding .season, however, they show 

 their appreciation of their new conditions by flowering 

 profusely. The best lime for dividing and replanting I 

 find to be January and Februaiy, when llic roots are 

 beginning to be active again. 



In the bog beds, preferably near the pool. Trollius 

 asi.-tticus is a glorious mass oi' deep, rich yellow, and 

 gleaming within the partially opened globular cups the 

 orange coloured stamens are visible. The foliage, too, 

 is very decorative. If this plant, with its deeply 

 divided leaves, is backed by the large rounded leaves of 

 Senecio clivorum it makes a striking contrast, while 

 near the base of the Trollius the silver and green grass- 

 like foliage of .Arrhenatherum bulbosum looks extremely 

 well. .\11 three of these plants delight in ample 

 moisture, and with me seem to find peat, leaf-mould. 

 .'ind loam in roughly equal proportions very acceptable, 

 although they are not particular, provided the soil 

 is moist. It appears to me well to plant Trollius 

 europa?us, with its pale yellow flowers, some distance 

 awa)' from its deeper coloured relative, otherwise the 

 European form looks poor. 



So far as I have seen them the newer introductions 

 or varieties like T. "Fire King" and T. Fortuneii 

 though in some cases very rich in colour, lack that 

 great beauty of form, coupled with richness of tint, 

 which is so charmingly combined in T. asiaticus. To 

 me this double buttercup is one of the most glorious 

 bits of colour which May and June bring us in the bog 

 garden, while much later in the season the yellowish, 

 orange flowers c*f the .Senecio give us very nuicli the 

 same eft'ect. 



Mantling the surface of the pool, too, are the white 

 cymose infloresences of the Aponogeton distachyon— 

 the Water Hawthorn —very charmingly displayed among 

 the long green, floating leaves. It is surprising how 

 very freely the seed of this aquatic germinates, produc- 

 ing new plants by the dozen ; while near by the 

 striking three lobed leaves of Menyanthes trifoliata 

 emerge from the water, and among them the dainty 

 spikes of its fluffy flowers are seen, reminding us some- 

 what of a very refined horse chestnut bloom. 



Nothing more than a good loamy bottom to our pool 

 and full exposui-e to sunlight seems necessary to make 

 these two delightful water plants flourish. 



Correspondence. 



Mk. R. T. .Mf,ai;hkr, Huona \'1nI;i, Killiney, sends a 

 nice flowered spray of Acacia armata. This native of 

 Australia is usu<all_v grown as a greenhouse shrub, but 

 in the warmer parts of Ireland may be grown outside. 

 Our correspondent writes that it has formed quite a 

 large bush in the open in his garden, and has been 

 covered by masses of beautiful flowers. The shrub 

 measures over six feet high and the circumference of 

 the stem is ten inches around the thickest part. 



M. H. I'OLLlLii 1, Boyle — Your Tulips are attacked 

 by the Tulip iMould, called Sclerotinia or Botrytis para- 

 sitica. When the foliage has ripened take up the bulbs 

 and rub them well with a mixture of lime and sulphur, 

 and the following autunni plant the bulbs in a fresh piece 

 of ground. The old Tulip leaves and stems should be 

 burned, otherwise spores form and will endanger sub- 

 sequent bulbs which are planted. When badly attacked 

 hv this inouki il is bctlei- to Innn the bulbs and foliage 

 allof-ether. 



