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IRISH GARDENING 



Roses. 



Ceanothuses. 





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By O'DoNEL Browne, M.D. 



HAVE often wondered why all the 

 text books one comes across on 

 Roses extol, in nij' opinion, the 

 maiden flower so much. Is it because 

 they have seen maiden blooms so 

 much in the nurserymen's stands, or 

 is it because one man has written such 

 in his book and others have copied it ? 

 ^y /v^-pi ^ know that this has happened in 

 JL) ■^^^iT'^nl^l niedical text-books, so, I presume, 

 " that this has happened in Rose litera- 



ture. When I beg^an rose growing- I 

 tfot the idea into my head that, if 

 maidens were grown, I would have 

 perfect flowers off all my plants. 

 The first year I r.in a good many 

 standard Teas, and the flowers were 

 the best I ever cut. Then I turned 

 to seedling stocks, and I found that 

 the flowers were poor, but growth 

 was, 'on the whole, far superior to that 

 on maiden standards. Then I heard 

 an argument about maidens on the 

 seedling and briar cutting as stocks. 

 1 drifted to the briar cutting, using 

 this as the only stock for my Roses, 

 and I found that flowers and growth 

 with me were the best. This year I 

 had very promising growths, and fine buds set when 

 I left home for my holiday, and I was set wondering 

 when I heard that only one flower off all my plants had 

 been in our stands at the Rose show in Dublin. Truly, 

 the Rose is a tantalizing flower to have to deal with. 

 It is like a lot of people one meets who are always 

 promising one a good deal and who never keep to their 

 promises. Why then bud them? The answer is that 

 you have the trees growing as maidens for one half 

 the cost (or less), and you can shift them in the early 

 autumn more expeditiously than you can bought 

 plants, and you can do this most important opera- 

 tion as you find the opportunity. You have a lot 

 of chance work when you order from a nursery ; 

 your plants may arrive when weather conditions 

 do not suit, and if you have your own maidens 

 you can move them from their nursery lines to their 

 permanent quarters far earlier and far quicker and with 

 less check to them than if you buy. I know the 

 nurseryman will growl at this article, but you can keep 

 him at bay by every year getting some of the novelties 

 from him. Then, if you have your maidens you can 

 propagate as many of each variety as you like, and 

 get what you want at a small cost. Roses, like human 

 beings, want to get used to a purticular climate before 

 they thrive. By raising your own briarouttings, and bv 

 budding them where they are eventually to remain, 

 you have the satisfaction of knowing that your Roses 

 have been given the best possible chance, and you will 

 find that you have your trees for far less than you 

 would get them from some (not all) nurseries. It takes 

 more time but who minds time if your flowers are good. 



By J. W. Bksa.nt. 



IN all collections of select and beautiful shrubs 

 Ceanothuses are sure to find a place. Though 

 some of the species and varieties are not hardy 

 enough to grow as bushes in the open, yet they are 

 far moie worthy a place on a sunny wall than many 

 commoner things which are frequently planted there 

 quite unnecessarily. A rough division of the genus 

 may be made into evergreen and deciduous species. 



The former are mostly spring and early summer 

 flowers, and well-flowered specimens present a charm- 

 ing spectacle. A warm, loamy soil is eminently 

 suitable to the growth of Ceanothuses, and a free 

 exposure to sun and air conduces to floriferousness. 

 This will be readily understood when it is known thai 

 most of the species hail from the warmer parts of 

 America. The deciduous species, of which there is a 

 large number of hybrid forms, flower in late summer 

 and autumn. They are generally hardier than the 

 evergreen kinds, and though the shoots may be killed 

 back somewhat in winter they "break" again in spring 

 from the base, and have several months in which to 

 make growth before flowering. 



The growth and time of flowering decide when and 

 how to prune. The evergreen species do not call for 

 too much attention in this respect. When young they 

 may be shortened back immediately after flowering to 

 form bushy specimens, but mature specimens will only 

 require occasional attention to maintain them in shape 

 and within their prescribed limits. 



Deciduousispecies, on the other hand, should have the 

 previous season's shoots shortened back more or less 

 according to the position in which the specimen is 

 growing. .Any dead wood, of couise, will be entirely 

 removed. 



Specimen beds or groups are highly eftective in the 

 pleasure grounds, while, as noted above, well-grown 

 wall plants are not less charming. Ceanothuses may 

 be increased by means of cuttings and layers, and in 

 the case of true species by seeds. Cuttings of hall- 

 ripened shoots removed with a "heel" in July or 

 August may be rooted in ;i close frame or luuler a 

 bell-glass, but the process is hastened if a gentle 

 bottom heat can be applied. 



Evergreen Speiies.— Ceanolhus ilivaricalus, a 

 native of California, makes a good wall shrub. It 

 bears smooth, oblong leaves on spiny branches and 

 pale, Olue flowers which arc produced in summer. 

 C. Fendleri, found through Colorado, .New Mexico, and 

 Arizona, is, perhaps, the most distinct of all. Of 

 rather slow growth, it has withstood several winters in 

 a shrubbery at (il.'isnevin. The branches are still and 

 spiny, the young ones covered with a minute grev 

 pubescens. The leaves are small and pointed, the 

 under surface furnished with soft, while down. 

 The flowers are white, produced on short side shoots 

 in July. C, p.ipiUosus, from California, is distinguished 

 by its long, narrow leaves being covered on the upper 

 surface with minute nipple-like projections known as 

 p.ipili.e. Il is a good specie-, for wall culture, though 

 it is thriving in a shrubbery at lllasncvici. The llowers 

 are of a prettj- bright blue colour, C. rigidus, also 

 from California, is a striking species, which is provingf 



