4 



IRISH UAIiDKMXn, 



Commelina coelestis. 



Tins is a \ci\- old inhal)i(;uU of uaidciis. and 

 (lcsiial)lc on "ar.'onnt of its lo\rl.\ .sk.\ ]A\\<- 

 llourrs. whu'li aiv |)i(idiiccd throiiLili summer 

 and on into late autnnui. 'I'lic plant irachcs 

 a luMjilit of abont 2 fvvi. and prefers a ]i,<j;lit warm 

 .soil, boin<i donhtfnily liaidy in liea\\- cold soils : 

 a narrow border at the base of a wall or in fiont 

 of tlie tfreeuhouse suits it admiiably. but else- 

 whore it llourislios {|uite well, proxidinu I he soil 

 does not become too eold and wet in winter. 

 The roots are tnberous. and if diiiieulty is ex- 

 ])erieneed in preserving them in the gronnd 

 through winter they may l)e lifted and stoivd in 

 dry sand and ke|)t away from fiost till s])ring, 

 when they may be rcphmted. 



HORTUS. 



Clematis Jouiniana, 



For late September and early October llowering 

 this is a robust-growing Clematis of great vahie 

 in our gardens for clothing arbours, screens, 

 fences, and tree stumps. Its parents are C. 

 Vitalba and C. Davidiana. In some gardens this 

 plant is grown as Clematis grata, a name which 

 properly belongs to quite a distinct and little 

 knoAvn species native of the Himalayas and 

 China. 



The flowers of C. Jouiniana are w hite, suffused 

 with a mauve tint, freely borne in long inflor- 

 escences up to some 2 feet long, made up of 

 terminal and axillary corymbs. Cuttings root 

 readily in a cold frame, and layers also j^rovide 

 a ready means of propagation. In a soil 

 abounding in lime, notably old mortar rubble, 

 the roots of the plants revel and produce 

 luxuriant growth. During February or early 

 March ample pruning is beneflcial and oftimes 

 xery necessary. A. 0. 



Hydrangea paniculata. 



The variety grandiflora is so much grown in 

 our gardens to-day we are apt to neglect the 

 species, which in some respects is a better 

 garden plant, notably from the fact that it 

 flowers later. Allowed to grow freely with little 

 pruning it forms a large spreading shrub 10 feet 

 or more in height and as much in diameter. 

 Pnmed hard in spring and liberally cultivated, 

 a dozen or more plants of this hardy Chino- 

 Japanese shrub make a beautiful lawn bed for 

 August and Sej^tember flowering. The pyra- 

 miclal inflorescences are composed of large 

 sterile and smaller fertile flowers, white, with a 

 faint creamy tint, followed when the flowers are 

 old with a pinky tinge at the edges. Soft cuttings 

 of this Hydrangea root readily in a propagating 

 frame during August. 



Camassia t,eichtlinj * 



A nitixc of Krilish Cohnnbia and California 

 belon-in- to the Older Liliacea-. this is a verv 

 eib'ctiNc. handsome bidboiis plant for t he border. 

 It is a tall and \ igorous growci-. the llowering 

 stems often attaining a height of 4 feet, witli 

 !l to 12 inches of (he ap(>x clothed with creamy- 

 white llowcrs. 'i'he llowfrs ai'e freely pro(hiced 

 throughout the snmmci' months, and besides 

 being objects of beauty in the bordei' aic ex- 

 cellent for cutting. 



This plant flourishes in most garden soils, 

 but does not do well in wet heavy soil, and 

 should not l)e planted in eokl, ex]K)se(l ])ositions. 

 Although the flowering s])ikes aie tall, staking 

 is seldom necessary, except when they are too 

 much exposed to winds. Pro])agation can be 

 effected by seeds, sown as soon as ripe in summer, 

 or kept over luitil s])ring. The seeds shoidd be 

 sown in light sandy, well-drained soil, and tlie 

 seedlings not distui'bed for a couple of years. 

 As the full-gi'own bulbs ])roduce offsets, the 

 removal and re])lanting of these offsets will be 

 found the most expeditious method of raising a 

 stock of flowering plants. This work may be 

 done any time from July to Octol)er. 



F. Ruse. 



Ceratostigma Willmottianum. 



This is a new Leadwort introduced from China 

 by Mr. E. H. Wilson, and named in conijiliment 

 to Miss E. WiUmott, in Avhose garden the lirst 

 plants flowered in this country. C. Willmot- 

 tianum flowers freely from August onwards imtil 

 cut by frost, which in sheltered positions may 

 not be mitil November or December. It is also 

 valuable cultivated in pots for the cool green- 

 house, growing the plants outside during the 

 summer, and bringing them under glass when 

 flowering commences. The colour of the blooms 

 may be likened to the ])opular Plumbago 

 capensis, the shade of colour often being de- 

 scribed as plumbago-blue, the subject of this 

 note having naturally a slightly deeper shade 

 out-of-doors. It is a much more robust species 

 than the older plant, Ceratostigma phunbagi- 

 noides (syn. Plumbago Larpentae), which was 

 first introduced from Shanghai in 1846. Plants 

 in Miss W'illmott's garden have reached a height 

 of 5 feet, but Avith us at Kew the growths were 

 cut back last November. The plants, however, 

 pushed up yoimg shoots freely from the base in 

 spring, and are now very bushy plants, 2 to 2| 

 feet in height. The soil should be well drained, 

 and comparatively light, a mixture of peat, 

 leaf-mould and coarse sand mixed with most 

 garden soils being suitable. Cuttings made of 



* Photograph sent, which we hope to reproduce 

 later on. — -Ed. 



