1 24 



IRISH GARDENING 



Hints to Amateurs. 



Hv R. M. roLLOCK. 



CAI-INATIONS. -Layering- tliese is ol'len iiiori' 

 satisfactory than cutting's, and as it can be done 

 round the plants it saves space. The materials 

 required should be prepai'ed beforehand, and these 

 will be — pegs whicli can be either made of wire, about 

 four to five inches long turned over at one end. or 

 wooden pegs cut from twig's of birch or privet. In 

 a discarded birch broom good pegs can sometimes be 

 found. A basket of fine soil— old potting material is 

 e-tcellent -a hand fork and a sharp knife. Fork the 

 soil lightly round the selected plants, and pick out 

 moderately strong growths to layer as close to the 

 centre of the plant as possible. Sprinkle some ol the 

 fine soil round the plants, and with the sharp knife 

 remove some of the lower leaves, then make a slit 

 upwards, about one .uid a half inches long, through a 

 joint ; peg this down and see that the tongue caused 

 by the cut reniaiTis open ; cover with soil and keep 

 moist. 



Cuttings. —Violas, Pansies and Penisleuions may 

 all be put in this month, and will root freely in a sli.uly 

 border without prolectiou. This and iie\l month 

 (.September) are best for rooting cuttings of trees anil 

 shrubs. Take the well-npened wood of this ye.ir's 

 growth, and where possible pull tluiii ofl'wiih a " heel 

 as described in July hints. P'irm llie soil in the ciilliui; 

 bed before inserting the cuttings, and cover with a 

 hand light, cap glass, or bell glass until rooted. lliese 

 should be shaded with matting or a coaling of white- 

 wash on the inside of the glass to keep off the hot sun 

 during bright weather. The whitewash is easily 

 rubbed off later on, but if put oil llie outside of I he 

 glass it will wash off during the first shower of r.iin. 



.\ll annuals gone out of flower should be cleared 

 away and burnt at once. They look untidy if left, and 

 their seed is of little use. It is far better to buy fresh 

 seed every year than to save one's own. 



Strawberry plantations may be made. Select strong 

 layers of good varieties, and plant eighteen inches to 

 two feet apart each way. Cut all runners not required 

 off the old plants and keep the plots free from weeds. 

 Remove all material used for netting and, if dry, 

 store. If the netting is stored wet. it will rot. Rasp- 

 berry canes which have fruited may be cut out, and 

 the young ones tied in, and where growing strongly 

 these may be thinned out to six or seven to each stool. 



Lavender may be cut as it opens. Place the heads 

 on sheets of paper in an airy room and let them dry 

 gradually. If Lavender dries loo quickly it soon 

 ■ becomes brittle and turns to powder in a short time. 



Towards the middle of the month the first potlinj; 

 may be made of Roman Mj'acinths and Freesias. 

 Place ten to twelve Freesia bulbs in a five or six-inch 

 pot of loam, sand and leaf-mould. Cover the bulbs 

 with about an inch or so of the compost, and place the 

 pots in .1 cold frame. It is unnecessaiy to plunge I hem 

 either in ashes or fibre. When they have made .in 

 inch or more growth tlie\' can bi* TH'minet.i to the 

 greenhouse. 



The same directions apply to Roman Hyacinths, 

 except that being larger bulbs fewer go to a pot, and 

 when potted they must either be plunged or put in a 

 dark place to encourage the making of roots before 

 throwing up a growth. They can be looked at from 

 time to time, and when well rooted they can be re- 

 moved to the greenhouse 



Plant the Winter .Aconite (Kranthis hyemalis). Crown 

 Imperials (Fritillaria imperialis), terra cotta and yellow. 

 F. meleagris, the "Snake's Head Tulip," and its white 

 varieties, and also the Grape Hyacinths (Muscari), 

 beautiful free flowering bulbous plants, which take up 

 little room and last well in bloom. 



Order bulb catalogues and make out orders as early 

 as possible. .\ selection will be given of Narcissus, 

 Tulips, &.C.. in next month's issue. Crocus, Paper- 

 svhitc Narcissus and Tulip bulbs for forcing will be 

 wanteil for early potting in .September. 



Cannas. 



I'^HK.SE handsome greenhouse perennials are 

 amongst the most effective plants for furnishing 

 I ho greenhouse and conservatory during the 

 summer in mihs. Their handsome foliage harmonises 

 well with the wirious other greenhouse plants, and 

 Iheir uncomnuui coloured blossoms, which show up so 

 well, gi\e great effect and last for a considerable time, 

 fheir culture is very simple, and with care they may 

 be had in beauty at almost any season. For winter 

 flowering strike healthy suckers in August, and grow 

 them on in small pots to flower in a warm house during 

 winter, when the flowers last much longer than in 

 summer. I'or flowering in late spring and during 

 sumniei the rhizomes may be potted in February anti 

 .March, using pots according to the size of the 

 rhizomes and the specimens required. For general 

 use pots from five inches to seven inches are a suitable 

 size to start the plants in, potting them in a rich com- 

 post consisting of two parts loain. one of well-decayed 

 manure or leaf soil and some sharp sand : place them 

 in gentle heat, and be careful with the watering until 

 thev have started to grow. !n potting, the growing- 

 point of the rhizome should be just covered and space 

 allowed for a later top-dressing, for the first and best 

 roots start from this point, and it is these that need 

 feeding. The conditions of success in pot culture are 

 to alternate the times of growth and rest, never to 

 overpol. and to use water carefully on newly potted 

 plants, .\fter flowering and when the foliage shows 

 signs of decay, water should be gradually withheld, 

 and during the winter months they may be stored in a 

 potting shed or oil a shelf in the greenhouse until the 

 \-oung- shoots start again. 



The following is a list of suitable varieties fin- iniloor 

 culture : -Varieties with dark foliage— Hlack Heauty, 

 Hronze Poitevine. Conseiller Heiderrick, Duke Ernst. 

 Evolution, Hei-man Fischer. Varieties with green 

 foliage — .\urea. Director Weber. Hermann .\ldinger, 

 Juanita, Jupiter, \'ictory. M. C. 



