104 



IRISH GARDENING 



July in the Alpine Garden. 



Hy RK,c.iN;\r.i> A. Malev. 



1ULV, at least with im'. is prc-emiiit-ntly the moiilh 

 of the Campaiuiias, and their white, through blue 

 to rich darli purple flowers make the garden 

 gay at this time, when the chief flush of the Alpine 

 flora is over. Fortunately their variety is almost end- 

 less, and one may have plants varying in magnitude — 



from the dwarf prostrate C. cenisia and C. Zoysii, 

 growing on the moraine, with their comparatively large 

 terminal flowers, only an inch or so high — through the 



rather larger and especially attractive C. pulla (although 



this is often earlier) to C. pusilla and C pusilla var. 



alba, which romps about in every odd crack in either 



shade or sun. and garlands those wee vertical crevices 



between the 



rocks which 



will beconu- 



evident from 



time to tinu'. 



even in the 



m o s t care- 

 fully -built 



rock g-ardeu. 

 Then, too, 



ill full sini, 



and neslled 



in between 



some proliTt- 



i n g rocks 



w h i c h will 



moderate the 



excessive wet 



in our win- 

 ters, and 



backed by a 



deep root run 



of very gritty 



s o i 1, h n m- 



niocks *:>i L'. 



g a r g a n i c a 



blaze forth in 



all their 



glory, and are particularly attractive owing to their 



neatness of habit arid brightness of colouring— the 



variety hirsuta is pretty, but, to me, not so pleasing, 



and somewhat less vigorous, possibly owing to the 



downy character of its foliage. 



Near by we have clumps of Campanula puUoides 

 and G. K. Wilson, both growing some four or six inches 

 high, and one mass of purple bells. These two are 

 very effective in the rich splash of colour they give us at 

 this time, and are extremely ea.sy to grow in moderately 

 light soil, consisting of loam, sand, and leaf-mould in 

 about equal proportions. 



On shoulders in the rock garden trail, in a charmingly 

 natural manner, masses of C. isopbylla, both white and 

 blue, hailing from Italy, though quite hardy if in a well 

 drained position, either in shade or sun, .md very 

 pretty their wide open shallow bells are as Ihiv m.-mtle 

 the outspread cushion of leaves. 



I tiiui slugs .are espcciallv fomi k^^ the flowers ol litis 



Camp.\m'1.a C".ARt;A.\lCA. 



plant, .ind a sharp watch should be kept at night, 

 when large numbers assemble for the feast, much to 

 the detriment of the patch the following day. 



This Campanula is the familiar one of the cottage 

 windows, and is often used for basket work by the 

 florist. The variety iNIayi, with shaggy (and often 

 variegated) foliage and deeper blue flowers, is 

 also very attractive, though perhaps a little less 

 vigorous ! 



In clefts between rocks in full sunshine, and planted so 

 as to make a vigorous patch of colour, that lovely 

 Campanula muralis (labouring under the terrible name 

 of portenschlagiana) claims our attention. 



This is a most beautiful plant, and an easily grown 

 owe in free open soil ; it flowers best with me, however, in 

 I'liU sun. The individual blossoms are very delicately 

 formed, and are equally lovely from a distance or upon 



close inspec- 

 tion. 



O^ larger- 

 flowered var- 

 ieties, C. car- 

 p.atica;ind tur 

 Muala make a 

 splendid feast 

 of colour, 

 r.mging from 

 white to deep 

 p u r p I e, are 

 easily grown, 

 a n A propa- 

 gatetl rapidl)' 

 b\' bi'eaking 

 up the cluuiii 

 in e ;i r 1 \' 



spii.lg. 



Ry the path 



etlge, where 



rare i" a n tl 



uivire easily 



vl a m a g e d 



pl.ants might 



be hurt, 



C. rotundi- 



f o 1 i a, t h e 



common Uairbell, grows, sending up its myriad lhr*.-atl- 



like stems, each supporting lovely bell flowers and 



rem.'iining in blossom iov a considerable time. 



The while form of the common Hairbell is very pretty, 

 and another charming variation is C. Hostii pallida. 



One other Campanula I must refer to — viz., C. 

 barbata — whose shaggy pale-blue flowers are most 

 dainty as they hang, three or four on a stem, which rises 

 from a losette of hairy leaves. With me this plant 

 usually dies out after two or three years, and is best 

 renewed by seedlings, which are easily raised. 



With a large number of these bell flowers, especially 

 C. pusilla, pulloides, G. F. Wilson, carpatica, and 

 isopbylla, I plant them both in full sun and partial 

 shade, thus securing a prolonged season of flowering, 

 since those in the shade are just coming into flower as 

 the fully exposed ones are passing, thus increasing the 

 value of this already indispensable and most decorative 

 f.iniih'. 



