4 



IRISH GARDENING 



Dnless otherwise stated all the following have 

 similar Mower stem- and bracts. 



S. thessalica has attractive [tale grey blue 

 foliage, very spiky and thorny, like a strong 

 growing S. burseriana, its flower stems and 

 brads an- very similar tot hose of S. < rrisebaehii, 

 but shorter : it is a good grower. 



S. Frederici-Augusti has rosettes larger and 

 rounder than these of S. Grisebachii, and its 

 Mower stems are densely covered with iridescent 

 pink hairs: a mosl fascinating plant. 



S. Stribnryi is very near S. Frederici-Augusti, 

 but my experience of it leads me to agree with 

 .Mr. Reginald Farrer. that it is distinct. It is 

 supposed to cany its flowers in a candelabrum- 

 shaped head instead of, like Frederiei. loosely 

 down the stem ; but 1 lind one cannot always 

 depend on this, as I have seen (lower stems 

 growing in each of these ways at the same time 

 upon the same plant . 1 sent plants to < Uasnevin 

 and Tully — cuttings struck off the same plant, 

 and the former's Mower when I saw it was not 

 very typical, but the latter's absolutely so: 

 with me ii is a stronger grower than Frederiei. 



S. media, or calyciflora, is a Pyrenean, and 

 i- one of the few representatives of Western 

 Europe, nearly all the others hailing from the 

 Bast. I have received two varieties under this 

 name one similar to S. porophylla, but a little 

 larger, the other nearer to S. Frederici-Augusti, 

 but with very large rosettes and spike- of flower. 

 Mr. Farrer, who saw it in bloom lasl season, 

 suggested it might possibly have a little mixed 

 blood in it. Whatever it may be it is a notable 

 plant, and surpasses in size all its relations. 



S. porophylla. I have not got ;i Kew list, 

 and I am told that there is some uncertainty 

 about this species; but certainly the plants I 

 have are quite distinct from any others; the 

 rosettes are very round, of medium size, and 

 have a. habit of growing like small leaning 

 towers of Pisa: this is doubtless the result of 



their Italian blood, a- my plants are said to 

 ha \ e come from t he Arbriiz/.i. 



The true X. luteo-purpurea comes from the 

 Pyrenees and S luteo viridis from Transylvania • 

 the former ha- yellow flowers in purple calvces. 

 and the latter in yellow calyces; neither are 

 particularly interesting, except to the collector, 

 and the former is in addition a trap for the 

 unwary, as some nurserymen -cud out for it a 



form of S. sancta. | I go1 it twice and once 

 when I should have known better, I was en- 

 trapped into buying a Frederiei \u<_msti" 

 which turned out to be my old friend 

 S. apiculata ' I 



S. St ua it i and var. rosea are near to S. media, 

 but their rosettes ate -mailer and rounder, the 

 former has yellow flower stems. 



S. Bertoloni is halfway between S. porophylla. 



and S. thessalica. I see .Mr. Fatter thinks it 

 very dose to the latter, but with me the rosettes, 

 though somewhat similar, are much larger, and 

 the leaves narrow, lint quite Hat. whereas the 

 leaves of my S. thessalica are as thorny as 

 S burseriana. S. Bertoloni is one of the hardiesl 



and best doer- of the section. S. Gusmusii's 



rosettes are not unlike those of S. luteo-viridis, 

 but its flowers are of a light rose pink. I find 

 this the most difficult of the group to keep, and 

 with me it is inclined to die away unexpectedly . 

 S. Kellereri 1 have just received, but have not 

 seen it in flower : but Mr. Ball informs me that 

 it flower- very early, bearing wide open pink 

 Mowers on red stems ; it is a hybrid of S. poro- 

 phylla and S. burseriana. and resembles the 

 latter in growth, but has rosettes one and three- 

 i ptarter inches across. 



There are also S. Clarkei and S. Schottii (the 

 latter 1 think the result of a cross between 

 S. luteo-viridis ^and S. Frederici-Augusti), but 

 I have not yet got them. 



As to culture one would expect thai the 

 Fasterners inhabitants of Servia and the 

 Balkans — would demand the hottest spot one 

 could give them, but on the contrary with me. 

 S. media — the Pyrenean — alone will stand full 

 sun ; all the others do best in spots where they 

 gel the sun at intervals. (1. alas 1 have trees 

 near by.) I have one plant of S. Stribnryi in 

 full sun on moraine bul I lost S. Frederici- 

 Augusti and S. Gusmusii in the same spot, and 

 my successes are all in positions open and sunny, 

 but not torrid, very sharp drainage about Is 

 inches b -low them and planted in a mixture of 

 loam. grit, a little leaf-mould, and any quantity 

 of lime-tone chips, both incorporated with the 

 soil and freely sprinkled on the surface. In 

 such conditions they grow freely and remain in 

 flower for a long period. An occasional top 

 dressing of chip- and an occasional watering in 

 very dry weather are all the attention they 

 receive. I think it would be unsafe to plant 

 them very low down They certainly deserve 

 a choice spot in the rock garden, and show to 

 the bc-t advantage when grouped together. 



5^* 5^* C^* 



It certainly pays to only hand-pick weed- on 

 -mall rockeries. One i^ always getting interesting 

 seedlings. I came across lasl month on a dry 

 rock-work a self-sown hybrid Antirrhinum as 

 far as I can see it is a natural hybrid between 

 A. glutinosum ami \. siculum; the latter i- not 

 hardy here, ami I see tin- hybrid is wilting after 

 the severe frosl (22 degrees) that we had ; how- 

 ever, I have a few rooted cuttings which I praj 

 will not rot oil'. It is unlike A. glutinosum 

 ,-i compad ereel bush aboul 8 inches high, with 

 leave-, midway between the two parents, ami t lie 

 flowers cream with yellow lip, ami di-tinct dark 

 crimson splotch, a rather interesting plant. 

 Murray I toRNi brook. 



