140 



IRISH GARDENING 



Roses. 



By O'DoNKL Browne, M.D. 



WHAT with the absence of suti and an abundance 

 of rain, things have for a long while looked 

 might}' glum, and poor Roses have suffered. 

 Indeed, when Naas Show came near the fatal day one 

 looked and felt dismally sad. Then there came some 

 kind angel, and during the few days flowers came 

 where flowers never promised. It meant watching and 

 catching every promising bud and shading it. But I 

 found out that shading alone with a Jeffrie's shade was 

 not enough. The air seemed saturated with moisture. 

 and this got even under the shades and gummed up 

 opening blooms and started at the blooms' junction with 

 the stalk, a regular brown, spongy rot. When we came 

 to cut I was surprised to see such quality and substance 

 in the flowers. Red Roses seemed very good and 

 promising, due no doubt to the dark weather and 

 absence of sun-bursts. There were two very good 

 stands put up in the twelve open, and competition was 

 very keen. At one time it looked an even money chance, 

 but I am glad to say the judges were nice, and gave me 

 a first, and my old rival from Celbridge was second. 

 In my box I had Mrs. David McKee, Hugh Dickson, 

 Dean Hole, Lyon, Mme. Wagram (my old stand-byj, 

 Mme. Charles de Luze, \V. E Lippiatt. Mrs John Laing, 

 Countess of Calcdon, .Mme. Melaine Souperl, Mildred 

 Grant, Mrs. T. Roosevelt. My best were McKee, Roose- 

 velt, Caledon and Melaine. My rivals were very 

 strong in W. -Shean, Edward Mawley (very good), 

 Druschki, Lyon, Mme. Hector LeuiUot, Hugh Dickson. 

 In the smaller class Mrs. Stephen J. Brown won easily 

 with nice clean flowers. In fact, despite the wea- 

 ther, all Roses shown were more clean than I have 

 seen them in other years. rurning to the trade 

 exhibits, we had .Messrs. Ellis of Grafton Street and 

 Alexander Dickson of Newtownards. Messrs. Ellis 

 had numerous vases of Mme. .Abel Chatenay, with 

 grand foliage, though the flowers were small. They 

 had also bowls of Wichurian.is, such as Dorothy 

 Dennison, white and pink, Dorothy I'erkins, ."imerican 

 Pillar, all bcautifull)' arranged. Their e-xhibit was most 

 tastefully got up -harps, crosses, wreaths, bridal 

 bouquets, all made up most artistically. They were 

 awariled the gold medal, and right well they earned it. 

 Messrs. Dickson had six tripotls of Wicluu'iania Roses, 

 beautifully clean ; and then in front they had four 

 twenty-four Rose boxes. Their flowers were very 

 massive and heavy. Here one also noticed cleanliness. 

 Eoremost and unrivalled stood their celebrated new 

 seedling, George Dickson (of which I wrote pretty fully 

 in a previous article). I never saw such flowers in my 

 life as they had. Truly, this is a magnificent variety, 

 and will last for ever and for aye. Heavy, enormous 

 substance, shape globular, with a good centre, colour 

 dark clarety-purple. With a regular bloom as a grape 

 has, on the inside of the petals, this Rose created a 

 perfect furore all day. We were told that they were 

 only second-class flowers — all I can say is that third 

 class would satisfy me. This Rose came out at oiu' 

 guinea H plant this spring, but catalogues this autumn 

 ha\'c not s.aid as \'el what the price is to be. -Ml I can 



say is that it will be cheap at any price. That it is a 

 good laster I will readily confess. I brought the best 

 flower home, and to test it I put it on my mantelpiece, 

 and there it remained in statu gut>{or several days, and 

 on any of those days it would have shown well. How 

 the price will cope with orders for it this autumn I do 

 not know. The growths as I have seen it are enormous, 

 as thick as my Stylo pen. It does well as a cutback — 

 another most useful adjunct. Truly, this Rose has a 

 future. Other " news " I saw and raved about were 

 Geoft'rey something or other — I cannot remember the 

 surname. It resembles George C. Waud, but is larger 

 and fuller. Their stand had fine Lyons, Caledons, 

 Roosevelts, Wauds, Lippiatts, Druschkis, and a great 

 many more. They won the cup presented by Bertram 

 H. Barton, Esq., D.L., and right well they put up their 

 stand 



Regal Pelargoniums. 



Bv W. H. Grken, The Hermitage Gardens, Duadrum. 

 appropriate name for this section 



'"T~^KL'L\ a most appropria 

 I of one of the most deli 



!lightful and useful green- 

 house plants we have. .As an early summer 

 flowering subject it has few rivals, coming into bloom 

 just as the spring bulbs and forced plants are finished, 

 and making a fine display for three months. The 

 cultivation is very simple. Cuttings taken in spring, I 

 find, is the best method of propagation. These should 

 be taken from plants that were started into growth the 

 previous autumn. Cut at a leaf joint, place them 

 singly in small pots if possible ; if enough of these are 

 not available, place two or three round a three inch 

 pot in soil consisting of fine loam and leaf-mould equal 

 parts, with a good dash of silver sand, well mixed. 

 When the cuttings are inserted place them on the 

 greenhouse shelf, give them a thorough good watering, 

 and keep them slightly shaded ; in a few weeks they 

 will become sufficiently rooted to pot off singly into 

 three inch pots. The cuttings placed singly in small 

 pots will take a size larger, using a smiilar compost, 

 preferably a little rougher loam ; give a good watering, 

 aud place the plants back on the shelf, giving air 

 freely ; also pinch plants that are inclined to grow 

 long to keep them bushy. Keep a close watch for 

 greenfly, to which they arc very subject ; fortnightly 

 fumigalings will keep this in check. When the final 

 potting lakes place use a good rough porous compost 

 similar to previous pottings, with a little Clay's 

 Fertilizer added ; a six inch potful to the barrowful of 

 soil is sufficient, making the soil in pots moderately 

 firm. When ihe plants are flowering freely, give 

 weekly applications of diluted farmyard mainire 

 water, .\fter the flowering season is over, place the 

 plants on their sides in a sunny position for a period of 

 rest, prune them hard back. Keep on the dry side 

 till growth commences, then shake the old soil away 

 .uid place them in small pots. .-\s growth advances, 

 re-pot into flowering'pots of about seven oreight inches. 

 With regard to varieties, all are very attractive : many 

 of the older ones are still favourites. .\ few special 

 varieties may be mentioned, viz. :— Vulcan, N'icar of 

 ICxmouth, .\ndre I.eurct. lie.uitv, Gencial d'.\mande. 



