IRISH GARDENING 



109 



Some Bulgarian Novelties. 



When crossing the Schipka Pass in 1911, with the 

 O'Mahony of Kerry, we came across a rather nice 

 broom called Genista spathulata. Unfortunately, 

 of the plants we collected, only one survived the 

 homeward journey, and this one, transplanted to 

 Glasnevin, has just been covered with a mass of 

 bright yellow flowers. At present the shrub is 

 small and less than a foot high, with a branched 

 and spreading habit. The stems are angular, 

 bearing lance-shaped leaves, and when fully open 

 the keel of the flower is in a vertical line with the 

 standard. 



Ranunculus illyricus is very distinct ; during 

 the early part of the year the narrowly trilobed 

 leaves are quite silvery and attractive. In June 

 glistening pale yellow buttercup flowers are borne 

 on stems a foot high. This Bulgarian Buttercup 

 grows well in the ordinary border or in peaty soil. 

 Near by is a form of Orchis latifolia, with large 

 flowers and very broad leaves heavily spotted 

 with dark brown. 



Ajuga Laxmanni, found growing among stones, 

 is more quaint than pretty, the plant grows a foot 

 high with soft hairy leaves placed in pairs at 

 right angles to each other ; the flowers are not 

 showy, but one lipped white and striped with 

 purple. 



Sempervivum Pittoni is quite one of the nicest 

 of the Housleek family, forming dense rosettes, 

 1| inches across, of incurving hairy leaves, and 

 seems a favourite with visitors. 



The wild Iris variegata of Bulgaria, is a 

 smaller plant in leaf and flower than the cultivated 

 varic ties : the standards of the flower are yellow, 

 and the falls heavily veined with purple. This 

 species flowers at the end of June, while Iris 

 melitta, a dwarf only inches high, produces its 

 smoky brown flowers in early spring. 



Dianthus Grisebachii has grassy leaves, and in 

 June and July throws up flower stems a foot high, 

 bearing clusters of flowers of a bright magenta, 

 spotted with small white dots, each flower about 

 three-quarters of an inch across. 



In July Dianthus noeanus, with spiny foliage, 

 follows, having white fringed flowers of no special 

 merit. 



Campanula orbelica flowers in early June, a 

 tiny plant only 3 to 6 inches in height, with blue 

 hanging bells. It has a large fleshy rootstock, 

 and is closely related to the true C. alpina. 



At the end of June Campanula moesiaca 

 flowers, it reminds one of the habit C. glomerata, 

 growing 18 inches to 2 feet high, and bears 

 clusters of flowers from the base to the summit. 

 The flowers are stalkless, erect, about an inch 

 long, of a beautiful pale blue, but unfortunately 

 it is only a biennial. — C. F. B. 



Oxalis adenophylla. 



Oxalis adenophylla is a recent and very 

 welcome addition to our rock gardens. Its 

 introduction, I believe, we owe to Mr. Elwes, 

 and it comes from Chili. It is a gem of the first 

 water, not a rival but a companion to the better 

 known O. enneaphylla. The charms of each are 

 so pronounced and distinct that they are only 

 enhanced by comparison. The foliage of both is 

 similar, but, whereas the flowers of O. enneaphylla 

 are pure white, those of O. adenophylla are rich 

 pink with a brilliant crimson centre from which 

 spring veins — at first distinctly marked and 

 eventually almost disappearing as the top of the 

 petal is reached. The contrast between the 

 flowers and the foliage is charming, and the tone 

 of the pink is far purer than any of the pink 



forms of O. enneaphylla rosea I have seen. 

 Unfortunately the plant is very scarce, and seems 

 likely to remain so, as it is difficult to propagate. 

 It does not form " scales " like O. enneaphylla, 

 but makes a smooth onion-shaped bulb, and 

 although Glasnevin has managed to divide its 

 plant it is not an undertaking one would recom- 

 mend to the unskilled. One must be thankful 

 that when one has got it that it is not difficult to 

 grow. The plant in the accompanying photo- 

 graph (see ]). 105) is growing in a peat crevice in half 

 shade, planted in a mixture of peat, leaf-mould, 

 sand, loam and gravel, and so far seems as cheei'ful 

 and willing as O. enneaphylla. 



Murray Horni brook. 



Garden Hybrids in Co. Dublin. 



At the end of June an interesting hybrid Geum 

 was flowering in Mr. Lloyd Praeger's garden at 

 Rathgar. Geum rivale (the Water Avensj seems 

 to have been crossed by a yellow-flowered Avens, 

 possibly G. rhaeticum, and the result is an almost 

 intermediate plant, with flower stems about 18 

 inches high, bearing wide open flowers of a 

 curious buff-yellow. 



At Glasnevin Meconopsis sinuata latifolia, a 

 blue-flowered biennial Poppy, with branching 

 flower stems, was crossed with Meconopsis 

 grandis, a perennial species with beautiful large 

 blue flowers, about 3 to 4 inches across, borne on 

 solitary stems about 2 feet high. The hybrid has 

 leaves similar in shape to M. grandis, but rather 

 more deeply toothed : the flowers are not so large 

 or so beautiful, although the hybrid has the 

 advantage in that several flowers open at the 

 same time. It remains to be seen whether the 

 hybrid will prove a good perennial. 



A Hybrid Snapdragon. 



I enclose a flower of an interesting hybrid 

 Snapdragon which has been kind enough to 

 sow itself in my garden. I have a plant, 

 9 or 10 years old, of Antirrhinum glutinosum 

 growing on the top of a very dry granite wall, 

 and at some little distance on the same wall some 

 dwarf plants of the ordinary garden Snapdragon 

 of mixed colours have been growing for a number 

 of years: for the last 2 or 3 years there have 

 appeared out of the top of my glutinosum plant 

 one or two spikes of the flower I enclose. I 

 thought that one of the ordinary Snapdragons 

 had sown itself there, and did not trouble to 

 examine it carefully. Recently Mr. Praeger 

 noticed it, and at once declared it was a hybrid, 

 so we climbed up and examined it, and surely 

 enough it was. It has the habit and foliage of 

 glutinosum, but the flowers are a pinky mauve 

 with a lemon throat. The plant is evidently 

 quite old, but has only recently struggled through 

 the foliage of its parent. I have cut the latter 

 away, and hope that in time it may produce some 

 wood suitable for cuttings. It would be impos- 

 sible to move it. It would be most interesting to 

 know if any of your other readers have had a 

 similar experience. I have 3 or 4 other very fine 

 10-year old plants of A. glutinosum on my 

 rockery, but have never had a natural seedling 

 before, though I know of a garden at Raheny 

 where it seeds freely. — " Rocks," Dublin. 



[Antirrhinum glutinosum, a native of Spain, is 

 not quite hardy in every garden, so probably the 

 Snapdragon will impart hardiness; in any case it 

 has given a bright colour to its offspring. The 

 hybrid is well worth taking care of, for it promises 

 to be a brighter and more effective plant than a 

 glutinosum. — Ed.] 



