IRISH GARDENING. 



39 



Dickson (New 1915), after the first year, require 

 very little pruning. It will be sufficient to cut 

 the tips of the strong shoots and to remove 

 any weak laterals. These Roses, as well as 

 some of the Peniettiana class, like Lyon and 

 Willowmere, show a tendency to die back to the 

 stock. This may be often avoided by sparing 

 the knife. Many of the Noisette class such as 

 W. A. Richardson and Bouquet d'Or, especially 

 when growing on a wall, have the bad habit of 

 making head growth only, leaving the lower 

 stems bare. The only remedy for this is severe 

 pruning once every three years to promote 

 young growtli from the base. Moss Roses 

 generally should be severely pruned, and to 

 produce good results sliould be liberally 

 raamired. 



Except the delicate Tea Roses, all the others 

 can be pruned from the middle of March 

 onwards unless a sudden cold season interferes. 

 The position of the Rose trees, of course, will 

 liave a qualifying word on this. The last week 

 in March or early in April A\ill be time enough 

 for the Climbing varieties of the H. T. class, 

 such as Lady Ashto\m, La France, Caroline 

 T?stout, &c.. growing on walls or trellis. Some 

 of th? Climbing Tea Roses and their hybrids, 

 Reine P*Iarie Henriette, Mme. Jules Gravereaux, 

 Mme. Berard, Mme. Eugene ^"erdier. and others 

 can be pruned later still. 



Many of the Hybrid Teas and Hybrid Per- 

 petuals have their special failings which can be 

 learned with their cultivation. Some have 

 the knack of irregular growth — to be guarded 

 against in i)runing. This is about the only 

 fault of that splendid Rose Madame Abel 

 Chatenay. Mons. Joseph Hill, too, often grows 

 one long sloping branch and allows the rest to 

 die back. Gustave Regis resents severe pruning, 

 but if left to itself will prove very floriferous. 

 Grussan Teplitz behaves similarly. Frankarl 

 Druschki, Avhen it has reached full development, 

 ■will not take kindly if any but moderate pruning 

 is employed. Roses like J. B. Clark are apt 

 to produce split blooms if over-pruned, but 

 groA\ii freely A\ill give excellent results. George 

 Dickson sometimes grows long shoots un- 

 productive of blooms for the season unless 

 tipped before they have gone too far. '" vShy 

 l)looming Roses "' and Roses that flower well 

 only once during the season, such as Margaret 

 Dickson, UlrJch Brunner, Gloire L\^onnaise, 

 Mme. Gabriel Luizet, E. Ve.\Tat Hermanos, may 

 be spared the knife in a great measure. Let 

 them grow at will, and their short flowering 

 season will be a productive one. 



All the foregoing has reference solely to Rose 

 growing for decorative effect. Roses for 

 exhibition, of course, require different treat- 



ment. Much closer pruning is necessary to 

 produce a bloom fit to catch the judge's eye. 

 For the latter purpose one must be satisfied 

 with fewer Roses, but of more excellent quality. 

 And this can be secured by limiting both the 

 nmnber of shoots and of buds on these and by 

 accompanving liberal treatment. 



J. A. F. G. 

 (To be coyitinued.) 



The Alpine Garden. 



The mild weather of December and January, 

 having coaxed into bloom man}' March and 

 April flowerers, has now left us, and the plants, 

 realising too late that they have been deceived, 

 are doing their best to face the cold, wet days. 



In the alpine wood. Polyanthus and Primroses 

 are flowering in profusion, the old-fashioned 

 single deep pink P. "' Balmoral "' looking very 

 well naturalised under pine trees. 



In the garden, Primula cashmeriana and 

 Primula denticulata are flowering well, also 

 some very interesting seedlings of the former, 

 varying in colour from very deep purple to white. 



Primula rosea, planted beside the bog pond, 

 shows great promise of flower ; this Primula does 

 best here in a mixture of loam and peat, top- 

 dressed lightly with cow manure in the autumn. 



Of the Saxes in bloom S. retusa, in peat, is 

 remarkable. S. oppositifolia latina and S. o. 

 alba have also begun to open, the latter is 

 rather a " miffy " subject here. 



Sax. Haagi, S. Boj'dii, S. dalmatica, S. boryi 

 are amongst the most pleasing in bloom. Sax. 

 apiculata, S. sanata, S. Elizabethaea nd others 

 are making a fine show. 



Erica carnea and Erica Medit. hybrida are 

 giving good colour effect, and patches of the 

 double Primrose "' Arthur de Malines '" on the 

 hills give a good dash of purple. 



Sisyrinchium grandiflorum and Thlaspi bul- 

 bosum look very charming flowering side by 

 side. 



The outdoor work has been rather held up 

 owng to the condition of the ground, but a good 

 deal of attention has been given to the trees and 

 shrubs in the alpine garden ; many trees, having 

 grown too aggressive for the positions they 

 occupied, have been removed and replaced by 

 more suitable subjects. 



This work of replacing, thinning out and 

 pruning trees and shrubs in the alpine garden 

 is most important. If they are not watched and 

 '• kept in their place " they very soon lose their 

 character, and very possibly alter the character 

 of the rockwork. 



Deciduous trees and shrubs should, as far as 



