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IRISH GARDENING. 



liowevor. is Kos.i Mnyrsii, a sturdy ^n'owcr. 

 Itfiiriiiij: mosf hfaiililul siiii,'k' llowcis of a fine 

 tlark vt'lvfty red. sini,dy or in i)niis. all aloiii;- 

 tlit> last vt'aV's liraiiclu's and on side growths of 

 older hram-lu's. 



Karly in June on.' of \\u- prdlirsl sl\iul)s in 

 t ho jrardt-n uas Kosa lluij;onis, an ixt rcnicly 

 pretty species, with ciiarming bright yellow 

 Mowers of fjood size, and among the earliest of 

 the single roses to opi-n. Not less striking is 

 K. si)inosissiina var. altaica, often called !•!. 

 gratnlitlora. A rohnst grower. s|)i"(Vidiiig freely 

 hv nnderuronnd '■runners." this is usnalK llie 

 earliest IJose to llower. hearing in May and 

 early .lune large creamy while flowers whicii at 

 (Mice attract attention. 



IVrha])s the sweetest of tlie .1 une-(lo\\ cring 

 Ix'oses is Hosa rugosa and its varieties and 

 liyhrids. The tyjie has p\iri)lish rose-colouicd 

 flowers, very fragrant, and not the least of its 

 charms lies" iu the beautiful bright red fruits 

 which follow in the autumn. Some of the forms 

 or hybrids of this species are very desirable, 

 such as th(^ double- white Blance de Coubert ; 

 ("onrad Ferdinand Meyer, with huge silvery 

 pink blooms : Hose Apples, with fine trusses of 

 carmine ros(> blossoms produced through sum- 

 mer and aulunui. as well as numerous others 

 which n(H'd not b(> dilated on at present. 



Several interesting Spiraeas have been flowering 

 lately, notably S. llenryi, a vigorous shrub, 

 Ijcaring corymbs of white flowers on year old 

 shoots. It is a native of China, named in honour 

 of Dr. Henry, now Professor of Forestry in the 

 Royal College of Science, Dublin, and to whom 

 we are indebted for the first discovery of a great 

 many Chinese trees and shrubs, seeds of which 

 were subsequently sent home by ^h\ Wilson. 

 S. Wilsoni is similar to S. Henryi, bvit shows 

 certain minor botanical differences which serve 

 to distinguish it. All the honours, howcA^er, do 

 not go to new introdvictions, for in S. bracteata, 

 an old and valued species, we have one of the 

 best .Tunc-tiow eiiii-: spi-cies : the lual corymbs 

 of white ll.iwci- ;irc produfed ;ill along the pre- 

 vious years growths, and a wcll-giow n specimen 

 is ciuite a pleasing sight in June. Numerous 

 other less showy species are now flowering, and 

 quite a number of late ones are giving promise 

 of a good show. Next month I will mention 

 some of the best of the later flowers, as the 

 Spiraeas generally are worth some attention 

 fi'orn those who want the most out of their 

 slirvibberies the season through. 



Perhaps the most strikng shrub now coming 

 into flower here is Olearia niacrodonta " large 

 leaved variety." I do not know any other name 

 for this form, but it is ahundantly distinct from 

 the ordinary form, be'arin- linxcs twice as large 

 as the latter and large CDiymlts of white flowers, 

 making altogether a very striking object and a 

 wonderful contrast with the tiny compact form 

 known as O. macrodonta nainor. 



A good deal of priming is always looming 

 ahead ; all the early flowerers as they go over 

 should have the old flowering growths cut out 

 or cut hard back, as the case may be. If not 

 doing as well as desired, a good soaking of liquid 

 manure will help the new growths, or, failing 

 this, apply ordinary water, and mulch with 

 manure. One of the shrubs to be thus dealt 

 with at present is Rubus deliciosus, alluded to 

 some time ago. This is a gem among shrubs, 

 and should be well looked after. 



liilacs which have finislied flowering now will 

 benefit by thinning out in the case of old bushes, 

 and vounger ones which mav be thin enough 

 should a< h'asl have the old" flower heads re- 

 movd. 15.. Dublin. 



Notes for Novices. 



\'|.;(;|.:TAni,i;s.- Tlie middle of the month will 

 be a good time to make a sowing of cabbage, 

 wliich should come in foi' consumi>tion during 

 winter and eail\- s])ring. Select an earlv border, 

 preferablv one from which earlv i)otat"oes have 

 just been removed. Bring the soil into fine tilth 

 and make it level. Draw out lines (>ne inch deep 

 and at one foot apart, sow the seeds modei'ately 

 thin, and cover lightly. The variety l<'lower of 

 Si)ring is one of the best and most reliable for 

 this particidar sowing. Young plants of broccoli 

 and sprouts that were planted out in rows in the 

 open last month must be given close attention 

 as to watering and hoeing. If slugs are trouble- 

 some, dust the plants with fresh soot or lime in 

 the evening. Make good all Ijlanks from time 

 to time. Continue to make small sowings of 

 lettuces and radishes every ten days or so. A 

 few short lines of Orange Jelly Turnip may be 

 sown once a fortnight. Finch out the points of 

 broad beans as soon as the first few jiods are 

 noticeable along the stem. By so doing the 

 energy of the plajit is more directed towards 

 the development of the pods, and, therefore, 

 brings them quicker to maturity. Earth up and 

 stake successional rows of peas. Give copious 

 supplies of water to young celery plants in 

 trenches, and feed the most forward with liquid 

 manure. Stir the soil frequently with a small 

 hand fork, and dust the foliage occasionally 

 with fresh soot to ward off attack.s of the celery 

 fly. The onion bed will be much benefited by 

 the application of farmyard liciuid manure and 

 soot water twice a week. Vegetable marrows 

 will require close attention, as they slioidd now 

 be growing freely. Pinch out the points of the 

 strongest growths, and see that no greenfly is 

 present on the undersides of the foliage. Con- 

 tinue to flU up every available plot of land with 

 the variovis green vegetables required for Winter 

 and spring use. Take advantage of dull, showery 

 weather for planting out, with the view of en- 

 abling the plants to become quickly established. 

 Fruit. — Peach, nectarine, and apricot trees 

 that are g^-owing against a sunny wall must be 

 given copious supplies of water every few weeks. 

 Break up with a fork, to the depth of a couple of 

 inches, the surface soil at the base of the trees, 

 and mulch with two inches of half rotten cow 

 manure. By so doing, this will keep the ground 

 in a cool, moist condition for a longer period, 

 and thus prevent any check to growth during a 

 prolonged spell of drought. Feeding with soot 

 water and liquid manure once every week will 

 improve the size and quality of the fruits. 

 Syringe the foliage late in the afternoon after a 

 warm day. Tie in all young shoots that will be 

 required for bearing fruit next season. Cut 

 clean away the strong sappy growths as well as 

 others that are surplus. Apple and pear trees 

 may now be examined with the view of cutting 

 back laterals and svib-laterals. It is bad prac- 

 tice to do the whole of one tree at one operation. 



