IRISH GARDENING 



105 



The Arboretum. 



Rarely has early June pioved so inclement as 

 this year. For the first week at least showers of 

 hail were frequent, and a cold north wind ])lew 

 continually, conditions surely the reverse of 

 suitable for healthy growth. Nevertheless, most 

 trees and shru.bs have made wonderful progress, 

 though the tender leaves of some trees, par- 

 ticularly poplars 

 and maples, suf- 

 fered severely, 

 and one young 

 Chinese poplar 

 was nearly strip- 

 ped, what leaves 

 remained being 

 battered and torn 

 out of all recog- 

 nition. 



The chief flow- 

 ering trees at pre- 

 sent are Chest- 

 nuts and Thorns, 

 the latter re- 

 markably late 

 this year, but 

 none * the less 

 welcome. The 

 pink thorns are 

 very effective 



and hardly sur- 

 passed by any 

 other small tree. 

 The variety 

 known as Cratae- 

 gus oxyacantha 

 coccineaplena,de 

 spite its un- 

 wieldy nanie, is 

 very effective 



when covered 



with corymbs of 

 double scarlet 

 flowers. There is 

 an almost bewil- 

 dering number of 

 species of Cra- 

 taegus now, and 

 many are not 

 of much value 

 outside a bo- 

 tanic garden. 

 There is, how- 

 ever, a few of 

 tlie newer or less 

 known ones 

 which are deseiv- 

 iug of atten- 

 tion, especially by those responsible for the 

 maintenance of public parks, where objects of 

 j)ermanent beauty are likely to supersede the 

 fleeting charms of " bedding out." 



Crataegus Carrierei, though not new, might 

 still be more freely planted in parks and 

 arboretums. It makes a handsome specimen, 

 hearing in siimmer erect corymbs of large white 

 (lowers, followed by orange-coloured fruits in 

 auluimi. ('. cordata, also called the Washington 

 Thorn, is (|iiite an old species in cultivation, yet 

 seldom seen in the average park or garden. It 

 flowers later than most, as a rule, bearing corymhs 



of white flowers followed by deep red fruits, which 

 are very ornamental in winter. A couple of hand- 

 some new forms of Ameincan origin are C 

 Elhvangeriana and C. Barryana, which, judging 

 by young plants, are likely to be vigorous growers, 

 and will soon grow into fine specimens ; both 

 have large white flowers, and will be very effective 

 when they have attained some size. 



For clothing a dry sunny bank, few shriibs are 

 more useful than the Spanish Gorse, Genista 

 his panic a, a 

 dwarf prickly 

 evergreen. now 

 covered with gol- 

 (1 e n y e 1 1 o w 

 flowers. Easily 

 raised f r o rii 

 seeds, which are 

 best sown in 

 ]jots and put out 

 in their positions 

 w h e n q u i t e 

 small, there 

 slmuld be no dif- 

 licult y in raising 

 stock for any 

 purpose. The 

 saving of seeds 

 of shrubs is a 

 mattei- which 



sliould rec-ive 

 attention from 

 all, but especially 

 those who have 

 t o m a i n t a i n 

 large stocks for 

 planting. Of 

 course ornamen- 

 tal garden varie- 

 t i e s of some 

 shrubs cannot be 

 1" e 1 i e d on to 

 come true, but a 

 gieat many 

 s))i'(ies can. and 

 not infrequently 

 the seedlings 

 g r o w w i t h 

 gi'eater vigojir 

 and rapidity 

 than cuttings. 



Very beautiful 

 just now are the 

 many garden 

 varieties of Dier- 

 villa, or as they 

 are more com- 

 monly called, 

 Weigelia. They 

 are mostly 



shades of pink, though white and dark crimson 

 varieties are also cultivated. Some of the best 

 are Eva Kathke, dark crimson ; Candida, white ; 

 Abel Carriere, rosy carmine ; Floreal, soft rose : 

 Madame Lemoine, white, becoming pink, and 

 many others. Flowering in "June, they are very 

 welcome, and carry on the display commenced 

 in spring till the Philadi'lphuses begin to scent 

 the air. 



Some very beautiful Hose species are also 

 blooming now, notably Rosa Willmottiaj, with 

 line arching shoots furnished with neat foliage 

 and pink flowers. Perhaps the most striking. 



KHUTicosA Veitciiii (W. I'urdom S1!».) 

 A very early flowering form. 



