IRISH GARDENING. 



95 



The Month^s Work. , 

 The Flower Garden. 



By Chakles Coppen, Gardener and Forester to 

 Lord Carew, Castle Boro', Clonroche, Co. 

 Wexford. 



The formal flower beds are usually situated close 

 to the dwelling-house of tlir owner, ])e it castle or 

 cottage, and this l)uil(liiiL; will luive to influence 

 our judgment when selecting suitable colours to 

 fill the beds. If the building be covered with 

 green climbers one can use any colour, but if a 

 white or grey building one has to be carefid to get 

 the best results. A red brick building is also a 

 difficult background for good results of our 

 summer flowering plants, most of which are gaudy 

 enough to require toning down with nature's 

 greenery. In filling vases be sure to fill them 

 with as many plants as possible, leaving room on 

 the surface for the watering which has to be done 

 so frequently during the summer. The flower 

 beds will be filled as quickly as possible and 

 watered in the evenings for about ten days, until 

 the plants show signs of growing again. Round 

 beds are usually much better filled with one 

 subject, with perhaps a single row of edging in a 

 different and shorter plant. Small and quaintly 

 cvit beds in grass are also better filled with one 

 subject. These can always be carpeted with 

 some trailing plant, if the beds are so shaped that 

 a full effect cannot be got. 



Herbaceous plants of the autumn flowering 

 type of Asters, Helenivmis, 6cc., will require 

 staking, and any tall plant as it reaches the height 

 necessary. This work should never be neglected, 

 as our whole year's work is destroyed with the 

 first rough wind or heavy thunderstorm. 



If the Wallflowers and SWeet Williams and 

 other biennials were not sown at tlie end of May 

 they must be sown at once. W alKloweis should 

 be transplanted when the seedlings are three 

 inches long, and the point pinched out of them 

 as soon as they are re-established to ensvire bushy 

 plants and an even flowering next spring. 



Mignonette should be sown in pots in a shady 

 corner for flowering in the greenhouse all the 

 winter. 



Carnations of the perpetual type planted out in 

 beds during May will, if the weather be dry, 

 require several good soaldngs with water. 

 Dahlias from spring cuttings must be planted at 

 once. A little'^ new loam chopped up with the 

 manure usually dug into the prepared stations for 

 the Dahlias gives good results, and, when 

 glowing fi'eely. ;> little fertilizer once a fortnight, 

 Willi copious waterings with liquid iiianure every 

 diy day one can find time. 



Sweet Peas are growing freely and attention to 

 disbudding and watering must be given by those 

 who wish the best results or to take them to 

 flower shows : they must also be shaded for 

 flower shows if the weather be bright. "^Phis is 

 done by stretching scrim or floral shading, as it is 

 sometimes called, over wires that are stretched 

 over the tops of the lines of Sweet Peas. 



Crocuses and all early flowering spring l)ull)s 

 can. if necessai'y to remove them, he lifted and 

 dried in the sun during the end of the montli. Tii 

 July. May flowering Tulii)s. of bolli Collage and 

 Darwin tyjX's. should be lifted and I'ijiened in 

 llii- sun. These "^Pulips inci-eas(> and niultii)l\ 

 every year, and are invaluable for cut flowers. 



Cuttings of all the free growing spring flowering 

 «ul)jects on tlie rock can be taken with advantage 



this month : other subjects which do not grow 

 at all well, I find it wise to take off small portions 

 of the plant with a root, if possible, during June, 

 and grow in pots all the winter to make up any 

 gaps which may appear next spring after the 

 winter's frost and rains. 



Carnations of the border type must be staked, 

 disbudded, watered, and a pinch of Bentley's 

 carnation manure given to each plant, with the 

 hoe to loosen the soil after this work is done. 

 Annuals sown out on borders must be severely 

 thinned, and a watch kept for slugs. 



All the Aubrietias, early flowering prostrate 

 Phloxes, the free growing Saxifrages and many 

 other ;May flowering subjects on the rock garden 

 will have to be cut over during June to remove 

 flowers, and in most cases it is wise to shorten 

 back the plants severely at this time. As this 

 occurs in a season wliich is sometimes hot and 

 harsh, I find it ne(e^^;ii\ to sjjrinkle these plants 

 in the evenings to encourage a new gi'owth. If a 

 hose can be brought to bear on it and a soaking 

 gi^'en it \vould be better. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By T. E. ToMALix, Gardener to the Earl of 

 Bessborough, Bessborough Park, Co. Kilkenny. 

 Strawberries. — In the event of dry weather, 

 these will be greatly benefited by copious 

 waterings with liquid manure during the time 

 when the fruit is swelling. This must, how- 

 ever, be discontinued immediately colouring 

 coirlmences. The nets shoidd be placed in 

 T-osition in good time, as birds often attack the 

 fruit before it begins to colour. Plants in pots 

 that have been forced may be planted in the 

 open after being well hardened off. The ball of 

 soil should be reduced and allowed to soak in a 

 tub of water before planting. These plants will 

 provide a few good fruits again in September, 

 and will make .splendid plants by next season. 



Orchard Trees. — The fruit on these should 

 be thinned in good time if the crop is heavy, 

 removing all malformed and injured fruits first. 

 Apples, such as Beauty of Bath, nearly always 

 carry many of these useless specimens, which, 

 if they are' allowed to ripen, lase up the energy 

 of the tree without gi\^ng any return for it. Do 

 not thin plums until they have finished stoning, 

 a. id even then leave plenty to allow of a final 

 thinning when a little more than half grown : at 

 this stage they will be very useful for green plum 

 jam. Thinning of the fruit is especially neces- 

 sary in the case of young and newly-plaiited 

 trees, which may be stunted in growth for > ears 

 if allowed to fruit too freely the first season 

 after planting. A few specimens only should be 

 iert on each to ascertain if the trees are true to 

 name, and perhaps to provide a dish foi' the 

 fruit-room collection. Hoeing should be per- 

 severed with whenever the weather is dry, both 

 to keep down weeds and to ai-rate the soil. 

 Hoeing will also obviate the bad effects of 

 drought to a great extent. 



Trees planted this year should be well watered 

 during prolonged dry weather, afterwards apply- 

 ing a midch of strawy manure or cut grass for 

 as far out as the rcKtts extend. 



Dania-c is often caused by large birds alighting 

 on ncwJN le-grafled trees. A good way of- pro- 

 vi<iinu- auainst tills is to drive a stout stake to 

 them, ai)out two feet higher than the scions. 

 with a small i)iece nailed on the top in the shape 

 of a capital T. Before I took this precaution I 

 had several grafts ruined by crows resting ou 



