IRISH GARDENING 



2 3 



beginning to develop, in after years the branches 

 and leaves shade the roots, and will naturally 

 provide their own mulch. Often, however, old 

 plants which have probably been flowering 

 freely for years will show signs of exhaustion in 

 the yellowing of the leaves, then an application 

 of leaf mould will generally put things right again. 



After the flowers are past their best it is 

 a good practice, too frequently overlooked, 

 to go over the plants and remove the young 

 seed pods, which greatly exhaust the plant. 



It may be well 

 to repeat an oft 

 given warning, 

 that Rhododen- 

 drons will not 

 g r o w where 

 there is lime in 

 the soil. 



R hoclode n- 

 drons are ex- 

 cellent t o w n 

 shrubs, seem- 

 ingly able to 

 withstand t h e 

 sooty deposit so 

 detrimental to 

 many plants and 

 perhaps enjoy- 

 ing the partial 

 shade caused by 

 the smoke pall 

 which overhangs 

 all large cities. 

 It would be un- 

 wise to say that 

 all Rhododen- 

 drons will stand 

 the impurities of 

 a town atmos- 

 phere, as prob- 

 ably only a per- 

 centage of the 

 varieties have 

 ever been tried, but the writer has seen a fine 

 bank of them thriving well within the smoke 

 area in Glasgow, and there also Cunningham's 

 White used to do well in the parks. 



In the matter of selection much must be left 

 to individual taste. In colour there is plenty of 

 choice, as there are white, rose, red, crimson, 

 scarlet and purple varieties, and great varia- 

 tion in habit and growth. There are, of course, 

 outstanding varieties, and a limited selection of 

 these is given below. 



As to the best time to plant, Rhododendrons 

 are wonderfully accommodating. The root 

 system, as stated above, is so compact that they 

 lift well at any time, and with ordinary care 

 will usually succeed if planted any time during 



mild weather. Probably early autumn and late 

 spring are the two most suitable seasons ; in the 

 latter case protection from drought is important. 

 Varieties.-- White or white with yellow or 

 dark spots — Mad. Carvallo, Purity, Mrs. John 

 Glutton, Sappho. White with rose edge — Helen 

 Waterer. Crimson — John Waterer and Cynthia. 

 Rose shades — Kate Waterer, Lord Palmerston. 

 Pink shades — Rosa Mundi (a dwarf variety), 

 Mrs. Stirling, Pink Pearl and Manglesii, the 

 latter perhaps a little tender. Scarlet — Don- 



I'latto by 



P^EONIA CAMBESSEDESI. 

 A New Paeony found in Majorca by an Irish lady. 



[C. F. B 



caster. Reel — Ascot Brilliant. Lilac — Lady 

 Grey Egerton, James Nasmyth and fastuo- 

 sum fl. pi. 



P^eonia Cambessedesi. 



Thf- new Pseonia is a native of the Balearic 

 Islands and Corsica, and was introduced to 

 cultivation by Miss Frances Geoghegan, who 

 found it growing in a very rocky and almost 

 inaccessible spot on Cape Formentor, in the 

 Island of Majorca, For some years Miss 

 Geoghegan grew the plant in her beautiful 

 garden at Donabate ; then, giving up the garden 

 there, she kindly presented it to the Glasnevin 



