IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME XI 



No. 122 



Editor-J. W. Besant. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



APRIL 

 1916 



Border Carnations 



By Charles Coppen, Castle Boro', Clonroche, Co. Vi^exford. 



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A FEW years ago we were told that the newer 

 race of Perpetual Flowering Carnations had 

 sounded the death knell of our old friends — the 

 Border Carnations. Although I have grown over 

 150 varieties of the Perpetual Flowering 

 Carnations, I still have the same affection for 

 my old favourites. In their short season of 

 about six weeks, in the middle of summer, when 

 all the choicest gems in our gardens are doing 

 their best to outshine each other, they still hold 

 pride of place. Nothing we have compares 

 with their beauty of form, of colour, in its 

 wondrous range, and startling, yet always 

 harmonious combinations. 



To those whose garden is situated in a lime- 

 stone district and freely drained, almost all the 

 varieties of Carnations are easilv grown ; others 

 less fortunate must comply with the following 

 simple rules if they wish for success. Lime is 

 essential, and if this is added in the form of old 

 mortar rubble the plants will revel in it. Even 

 when lime is naturally present, a dressing of 

 mortar rubble brings better results. 



Waterlogged soil is death to all Carnations, 

 and if the garden is situated on a pan of hard 

 clay subsoil, the Carnation beds must be raised 

 above the ordinary level of the garden and 

 shallow trenches made between them on the 

 same principle as was commonly used in growing 

 potatoes on the ridges ; beds made 5 feet wide, 

 with alleys 2 feet wide, the alleys excavated 

 about 9 inches, and the soil put on the top of 

 the beds to raise them, will grow the plants very 

 well, and ensure their roots being freely drained 

 during the winter months. All the necessary 

 cleaning, staking and disbudding will be done 

 from these alleys, and the cutting of the Howers 

 also. 



The next operation is to trench the beds at 

 least 2 feet deep, a moderate amount of well- 

 rotted farmyard manure to be worked into the 

 bottom portion of the trench, aiid the top 

 9 inches of soil to cover down all the manure, 

 so that the roots of the plants cannot come in 

 contact with the fresh manure during winter, 

 and not until they are growing freely in the 

 spring ; in fact the manure, until it becomes 



decomposed and well blended in the soil, is of no 

 use to the carnation. Tlie Border Carnation, 

 as I shall try to emphasise again, is not a 

 gross feeder. Tliis digging should be done as 

 long as possible before planting time, to allow 

 the soil to settle down naturally. A good 

 S3'stem is to measure out the beds 5 feet wide 

 and plant four lines 15 inches apart, the plants 

 to be 18 inches apart in the lines ; this gives an 

 appearance of a full bed, and as all operations 

 are done from the 2 feet alleys between the beds, 

 the extra distance between the plants in the 

 lines gives more comfort in attending to the 

 plants. 



If possible to get wood ashes or ash from 

 burnt garden refuse, a dressing of this would 

 be beneficial when planting, and if some went 

 down round the roots so much the better. 

 Planting should be done the last week in 

 September or the first week in October ; plant 

 firm, but avoid planting too deeply. An 

 occasional look over the plants after frosty 

 weather and the firming of any which have been 

 lifted by the frost will be of service. Once 

 March give us a few dry days, a light hoeing of 

 the surface will help to aerate the soil ; a 

 light sprinkling of soot and bone meal in equal 

 parts at the same time will be of service, 

 especially if lightly hoed in ; this will be all the 

 feeding required until the flower spikes begin to 

 run up in Ma 5'. A teaspoonful of Bentley's 

 Carnation manure to every plant may be 

 sprinkled between the plants at that time, and 

 again after the flower s^iikes have been dis- 

 budded in June. A light hoeing after each 

 application will assist the plants, but on all 

 occasions hoe the soil very lightly. The 

 Carnation is a surface rooting plant, and does not 

 want its roots chopped off. 



If the flowers are needed for special purposes 

 they should be disbudded to one flower. If for 

 cut flowers or garden display, the side buds 

 should only be taken out to 10 inches down the 

 stem, leaving the lower side flowers to develop 

 later. Should it be deemed necessary to protect 

 the blooms for special purposes, a few wires 

 stretched over the bed and a thin covering of 



