ip 



IRISH (lAliDENiNG 



Hints for Amateurs. 



liy 1{. .\1. INn.l.ocK. 



(il.ADIOLI. — What better effeel ciiii !..■ liad llian 

 t liat produced l)y a jiroup of tliese in late surmnci- ! 

 'I'liey should iiuleed he more jjeiu'rally <.m'o\vii. as 

 tli«-y l\ave all the (lualilics ueei'ssary to eiu'ouraiie 

 |)laiitln.ii and eertaiu suecess. They are iiol ex- 

 pensive, as a stoek once laid in will last for >fais 

 under careful treatment, and they seldom fail 1o 

 liloom if the corms are slroni;- and health). 

 IMantiniisiiould he done in March in well pirpai-,.,! 

 uround. and ^'enei'ous treatment will \>r wril 

 repaid. (iood stahh- manui'e well worked iu with 

 Ihr soil at (liLi-in- time is what thev enjoN. 

 (iladioli can he ha. I in separate .-olonrs an.! in 

 named varieties, and these can he planted on the 

 ediies of shrubberies mixed in with dwarf shrubs 

 m clumps in the herbaceous borders, or in nursery 

 lines in the reseive f^arden for picking and decora- 

 ti\e ])urposes. Planting single bulbs should he 

 avoided, in all cases sevei-al should he |)lanted 

 together, from five to ten oi' more conns, and. if 

 possible, keep th(> colours together, the effect by 

 so doing is intiiutely greater. Where the locality 

 Is dr\' and the corms are strong, it is not necessarv 

 to nit vearlv. hut if lifting has to he done thev 

 slu.uld he stored in a well ventilated shed, not left 

 HI iu'aps. but spread out. so that the air can pass 

 freely through them. 



MoNTBKETiAS. — Here again are bulbous plants 

 which from want of proper treatment are seldom 

 seen good, and are usually found in rather a 

 neglected part of the garden. Montbretias can 

 now. like many otlier good garden plants, be had 

 in distinct colours, even in nanied varieties, and 

 siniie of these are a beautiful shade of soft yellow 

 with large flowers two inches across, very different 

 to the old forms found in gardens. The complaint 

 generally is that they go to leaf, forming a large 

 clump of green with practically no flow^ers. This 

 is the case when neglected and not properly 

 treated. To have them good they should be 

 lifted and divided every year. There is no 

 necessity to store them or to dry them, but they 

 must be lifted, separated, and only the large 

 corms replanted. By so doing they have room to 

 develops and every conn will flower. Good soil is 

 essential, but they will do quite well in semi-shade 

 where many other plants would not thrive. When 

 left in the ground for several years, they inci'ease 

 rapidly and become so crowded that they are 

 unable to produce flower spikes. 



The Rose Garden 



Mildew. — This is the greatest enemy of Roses in 

 autumn, and one which, if allowed to go un- 

 checked, very soon puts an end to the Rose season 

 by causing the leaves to fall. I know of no better 

 preventive than spraying once a fortnight with 

 a solution of potassium sulphide at a strength 

 of two ounces to three gallons of water. The 

 sulphide being usually in lump form is better if 

 pounded up and dissolved in a little hot water, 

 thereafter reducing to required strength with cold 

 water ; apply with and ordinary garden syringe 

 or a small hand -sprayer, and thoroughly wet 

 the leaves. It is an advantage to keep on spray- 

 ing even when no more flow^ers are hoped for. 

 because the leaves wdien thev fall carrv the 



sj)ores of th.' m ildew to the soil below, where they 

 are read>' to spre.ad infection the following spring. 

 These late-pi'oduced spores are known as resting 

 sjxu'es. and are si)eciall\ adapted iiv natui-e to 

 witiistand file MNciities' <ii wint.'i:' obviouslw 

 tilerefor,'. it is wise to I |e,|i|eii(i\ lake up tlie 

 dead leaves as thev fall, and Imrn them, thus 

 still further reduring the danger ..f infeetiun in 

 spring. Latel\. ->h(>wii\ weather and lieavv 

 dews at nigiit ha\.' <au-.d 1 1 la n \ lat .-formed binl's 

 to .iei-a\ hel'.ir.' .i|H'nin- and 'nian\ m.)r.' fulh' 

 .l.'V.-h.p.Ml t.. pa>s ..s.r v.'rv .piiekly. To 



k.-.'p th.' bush.s n.'at an. I attractive as 

 h.ng ;l^ possibl.'. th.'s.' sh..ul.l b.- removed 

 p.riodi.allx . as witli warni.la\s numerous good 

 hl.M.ms will still oi..-n. It ' is a remarkable 



fa.t that autumn blooms, wld.h on liybri.l Teas 

 .■s|).'.iall\ . ar.' oft .'U fr.M'l\ pr.i.luc.-d. are generally 

 richer in c.ilour than thos.' in-.xluced --nrlier in the 

 \.'ar. All late flowering Ramblers of the Dorothy 

 I'eikins type should be tinnned out- as soon as 

 all the flowers ar.' ov.r. and the strong young 

 shoots coming fr.nn th.' base tied in and made 

 secure against wind. The amount of thinning 

 to be done depends on the position and the space 

 to be covered. Strong young shoots proceeding 

 from a point higher up on the flowering shoots 

 may be left if required for extenson : as a matl.-r 

 of fact, where suflicienl s|)ace is available to 

 allow the shoots to ramble at will, very little 

 pruning may be required. A sharp lookout 

 nv\ist be kept for suckers, which frequently 

 appear in autumn, removing all as near the 

 point of origin as possible. Hybrid Perpetuals 

 wnich flowered early in the season often make 

 long, strong shoots during summer, and it is a 

 good plan to reduce these by a tliird of their 

 length to prevent them being blown about, and 

 thereby loosening the plant at the root. 

 Varieties which are pegged dow^n. of course, 

 cannot be so treated, but should otherwis.> be 

 secured against damage. 



H. 



Notes for Novices. 



Vegetables. — Late varieties of potatoes must 

 be lifted as soon as possible when the weather is 

 flne. The best means of storing the tubers 

 safely throughout the winter is to pi'epare a pit 

 in a sheltered position in the open. Cover evenly 

 with 2 inches of wheaten straw, and above this 

 lay on several inches of soil, making it firm and 

 neat as the w^ork proceeds. The onion crop may 

 be drawn up and the bulbs laid out thinly on the 

 surface in a warm airy situation which will give 

 them every chance of ripening w^ell. so that they 

 may remain firm and plump during winter and 

 early spring. Turn over the bulbs on alternate 

 days while they ai'e lying in the open until they 

 are ripened off thoroughly. Then tie them up in 

 bunches and hang in a dry airy shed. Bulbs 

 with thick necks should be used first, as they 

 will soon deteriorate in quality. The onion 

 brake may be planted out with early spring 

 cabbage. Little preparation of the soil will be 

 needed with the exception of hoeing and clearing 

 the ground of weeds. Cabbage will withstand 

 the winter much better in firm ground than they 

 would do if planted out in looser soil. A few days 

 after planting hoe one inch deep between the lines. 

 Carrots that have reached full proportions should 



