IRISH GARDENING 



55 



How to Grow Hyacinths for 

 Exhibition, 



By Reginald T. Harms, Saintbury, Killiney. 



Give your order early to your seed merchant, 

 the end of June or beginning of July, so as to 

 enable him to get the well -seasoned bulbs which 

 should not be too large. The medium size heavy 

 bulbs are better than the larger bulbs, and give 

 better results. 



The bulbs will arrive about end of September 

 or beginning of October ; they should be placed 

 on a cool shelf until the time of potting. If you 

 intend to exhibit and the date of show is about 

 20th April, the best time for potting is about 

 the middle of October. 



The soil should be light and rich good loam, 

 with a very liberal mixture of old rotten horse 

 droppings and a little leaf-mould and sand. 

 If old pots are used they should be well washed ; 

 if new ones they should be soaked in water for 

 at least three or four days before being used. 



Before potting clear off all small bulbs or 

 offsets ; place a piece of sod over the hole of 

 the pot to prevent the worms getting in and 

 the roots from growing out ; then fill with soil, 

 leaving the apex of the bulb just above the 

 surface and press the soil firm. The soil under 

 the bulb should not be pressed before it is 

 planted ; a little sand under the bulb is very 

 beneficial. After potting give a good watering 

 and place them in some out-of-the-way corner 

 where they can have protection from frost by 

 covering them with about 6 or 8 inches of sand 

 or fibre. Ashes I do not recommend, as their 

 material contains a good amount of sulphur, 

 which generally means a failure in having 

 good flowers. They should not be left in this 

 position longer than ten weeks, by which time 

 the leaves and flower spike will be pushing 

 into life. 



Remove them to a cool greenhouse or frame, 

 one facing north is the best. Keep close to the 

 glass at all times, admitting plenty of air : an 

 occasional watering with weak liquid manure or 

 soot will be most beneficial when the flower 

 spike is showing colour. 



In order to exhibit in a class, say, 12 Hyacinths, 

 all different, you would require at least 15 

 varieties — nine or ten bulbs of each. 



Be careful and choose the best named varieties, 

 for some varieties come into flower sooner than 

 others. By attending the shows you will soon 

 find the varieties most suitable for exhibiting. 

 I attribute my continual success at the R. 

 H. S. Shows to following the above simple 

 rules. 



Notes, 

 Variegated Dogwoods. 



Cobnus ai.ba var. Spsethi was raised at the 

 notable Berlin nurseries some years ago, and has 

 proved itself to be almost the best ornamental 

 deciduous shrub with variegated leaves which 

 we, possess for the variegation remains constant 

 throughout the whole season. The leaves are 

 large, having a very broad and irregular margin 

 of gold, and the foliage is not liable to be scorched 

 like more tender shrubs. 



It is seen to the best advantage when planted 

 in a mass or bed situated in an open position, for 

 the more sun it gets the richer and brighter will 

 be the colour. When the desired space is covered 

 it can be pruned back, and the resulting foliage 

 will be liner ; this should be done in April, for 

 the bright red bark gives a, cheery look through 

 the winter. 



To increase the stock-layering is the surest way ; 

 select strong, half-ripened growths, strip the 

 leaves off at the base, tongue the shoot, and peg 

 down as for Carnations, afterwards supporting 

 the shoot above ground w T ith a small stake ; when 

 well rooted the layers can be severed from the 

 parent and planted out. 



C. 31 as elegantissima is the tricoloured variety 

 of the Cornelian Cherry ; the yellow flowers open 

 on the leafless twigs in early spring, wdiile the 

 green and gold leaves are suffused with pink. 



This shrub can be used for conservatory 

 decoration with as good effect as Acer Negundo, 

 standards being especially appreciated for this 

 purpose. 



Chorozema varium. 



This is one of the beautiful hard-wooded green- 

 house plants which has partly fallen into neglect. 

 From above its holly-like foliage rise brilliant 

 sprays of pea-shaped flowers of an unusual colour, 

 the standard being of a tawny orange with a 

 yellow eye, and the keel bright carmine. In a 

 temperature of 40° to 50° the flowers open con- 

 tinuously from February to 31 ay, small plants 

 one foot high being as free flowering as those 

 three feet in height. 



As it is of a half-climbing habit, the best effects 

 may be obtained by training on a small pillar, 

 a trellis, or a balloon-shaped stand, but it should 

 not be too formally tied, as it thereby loses the 

 grace imparted by the pendulous shoots. It also 

 forms free-growing bushes ; these should be 

 pruned after flowering, and when starting into 

 growth, repotted, giving ample drainage and 

 using a fibrous compost of half peat and half 

 loam with plenty of sand. The plants should be 

 potted very firmly, for loose potting is a frequent 

 mistake in the culture of hard-wooded plants. 

 Towards the end of summer they may be plunged 

 outside in a sheltered position to get the growth 

 thoroughly ripened. 



C. Chandleri is an improved form, and C. Lowii 

 has larger flowers of a deep colour. 



Propagation may be effected by cuttings taken 

 from the new growths after pruning, and inserted 

 under a bell-glass with a good bottom heat. 



