IRISH GARDENING. 



43 



Eschscholtzia, orange, yellow, and a very pretty 

 pale pink. Godetias. in many colours, 12 inches. 

 Gypsophila elegans rosea, excellent for cutting, 

 12 to 18 inches. Sweet Peas. Linvim grandi- 

 tlorum, Scarlet Flax, 12 inches : sow in full sun. 

 Malope, Mallows. pink. Mathiola tristis. the 

 " Xiyht Scented Stock " : not much to look at, 

 but very sweet in the evening. Mignonette. 

 Nigella '* Love-in-a-Mist," blue, 18 inches to 

 2 feet. Oniphalodes linifolia, grey foliage and 

 pale blue flowers. 12 inches. Poppies of all sorts 

 and all colours. Virginian Stock, in several 

 colours, and will do anywhere. These can all be 

 sown now. and a successional sowing made later 

 on. 



Half-hardy annuals, or such annuals as are not 

 sufficiently hardy to germinate in the open, or 

 cannot be depended on to do so. may be raised 

 indoors. They can be sown thinly in pots, 

 boxes or pans, and when tit to handle, if the 

 ground is free for them, they can be pricked 

 direct into the open or into other pots boxes or 

 pans until the spaces which they are to occupy 

 are free On no account should they be left so 

 long in their pots as to become " pot bound " or 

 starved. A small hot-bed is a great addition to 

 a garden, especially where seeds are raised, but 

 it also has its drawbacks, as seedlings so raised 

 cannot be put directly into the open ground, but 

 require to be gradually hardened oft' in a cold 

 frame. Among some of the most useful half- 

 hardy annuals are the following : — Asters, 

 Alonsoa " The Mask Flower." red, 12 to 18 

 inches. Stocks. Xemesia strumosa and " Blue 

 Gem," all beautiful bright colours. PeUmias. 

 Phlox Drummondi, in separate colours. Sal- 

 piglossis make very pretty subjects in a border, 

 growing 18 inches to 2 feet high, but require 

 staking when fully grown. Scabious. Venidium 

 calendulaceum. rather flat growing, with vivid 

 yellow flowers, and seems to stand any amount 

 of transplanting. It must be planted in full sun 

 to get the best effect. 



Fruit Treks. — The fact of planting fruit trees 

 against a wall points to two reasons — either that 

 the variety is too tender to stand alone, and 

 therefore requires the protection of a wall, or 

 that it flowers so early in the year that if in the 

 open it would be liable to injury by frost, wind 

 or hail. Peaches and apricots are usually 

 planted against walls in this country, and these 

 will be the first to bloom, and will therefore 

 require some protection against the elements. 

 There are various ways of doing this, but the 

 protection will only be necessary at night or 

 during very heavy rain or hail in the day time. 

 Late frosts are responsible for a lot of unset fruit 

 blossoms. Old bast mattings, an old sheet, 

 several layers of old garden netting, or any such 

 material can be used. Put in two strong pegs at 

 the top of the wall about a foot further out than 

 the spread of the tree and attach the covering 

 securely to these (if necessary, put a third in the 

 centre). The two bottom corners of the material 

 may also be tied to pegs in front of the tree, 

 about 18 inches from it. This keeps the covering 

 well out from the flowers, and at night it must be 

 tied tightly down. During the day it can be 

 rolled up and tied either on the top or at one side. 

 Another method, and where available an excellent 

 one, is to utilise the lights of garden frames, 

 raising them slightly on bricks and lifting them 

 off and on as required. If the weather is dull 

 and sunless, as it has been lately, there will be 

 few insects about to fertilise these earlv fruit 



flowers, and it is advisable and interesting to do 

 it artificially. A really soft brush or a rabbit's 

 tail on the end of a stick will do, and with this 

 gently dab the flowers, but it must be done very 

 gently and carefully so as not to injure the flowers. 

 If there is more than one tree of a kind it is a good 

 plan to exchange the pollen, as some trees may be 

 sterile to their own pollen. 



Strawberries and raspberries may have a 

 mulching of manure put round their roots. Stir 

 the soil round the roots and put on the mulch. 

 In the case of raspberries this should be of good 

 farm yard manure, but for strawberries stable 

 litter or manure with plenty of straw is best. 

 The manure will soon wash down and nourish the 

 roots, and the rain will wash the straw clean, on 

 which the fruit will lie, and it will also help to 

 retain moisture about the plants during the hot 

 dry weather. 



Hotbed. -- This is one of the most useful 

 means of raising plants or seeds. The usual size 

 is that of an ordinary garden frame light, and 

 when ready for use the actual bed itself should 

 be a foot or so beyond this all round. Two loads 

 of fresh stable manure with which there is a good 

 deal of straw should be sufficient, and this should 

 be- on the premises a week or so before hand. It 

 should be placed in a heap, out of sight, if possible, 

 and all hard lumps broken up and if dry watered. 

 Turn it all over at regular intervals, as it will 

 heat rapidly when left in this heap. When it has 

 been well turned, and seems to be of the same 

 moisture all through, the hotbed itself may be 

 begun. Spread the manure in layers, and as each 

 layer goes on it must be trodden firm. When all 

 the manure is on, the heap should be about 1 feet 

 high, and to ascertain the heat, put a stake down 

 the centre ; after a short period remove this, and 

 if it can be comfortably held in the hand the heat 

 is satisfactory. Over this mamire put about 

 6 inches of soil, put a thermometer inside, and 

 place the light on to the frame. Seventy- five 

 degrees is too hot. and if it attains this, apply 

 more water and leave the light open. When the 

 heat settles down and keeps steady the cuttings, 

 seeds or whatever is wanted may be put in. 



Roses may be pruned towards the end of the 

 month. Full directions for this is given else- 

 where in this number. 



Ivy on walls may be trimmed in. It is quickest 

 and best done with a pair of shears, and will very 

 soon lose the ugly appearance it will have after 

 the clipping. If* not cut back now the strong- 

 winds will strip it from the walls. Grass edges 

 may be cut. and any irregularities straightened. 

 Sweep, roll and cut lawns, resow thin spots, and, 

 where necessary, a topdressing of good line soil 

 may be given. 



Greenhouse.— Cinerarias will be in full flower, 

 and will have to be watched carefully, as they 

 will dry out quickly in the bright sun. Give 

 them plenty of water. Keep a watch on greenfly, 

 and when necessary spray or wash w r ith Quassia 

 Extract, which can be had in small tins at a very 

 moderate price. 



To the ordinary amateur, with only a small 

 garden, the bulbs' which have flowered in pots, 

 either soil or fibre, are of no use for growing in the 

 same wav again the following year. In time, if 

 grown on in spare ground, they will make good 

 bulbs again, but this can only be satisfactorily 

 done where there is room. In that case they 

 should be taken out of their pots as soon as they 

 leave the greenhouse and planted in rows in a 

 spare bit of ground and left undisturbed. 



