^54 



IKISH GAUDEMNC; 



Solierolii. whirli Ix-loii-s t.. tlit- X.-ltlf (.lih-r. and 

 comes from Corsica ami Sardinia : it forms a 

 dense, yet spon<^y. ^'reeii mat. thi-outrli wliicli llic 

 strong Mowers of the ('okl\icvims easily (ind tlicii' 

 way. It forms rather too tliick a mat tliouiih for 

 the true Crocuses, which liave slenderer and less 

 I'ohust llowtMs. 



A most deliuditful little plant wiiirli is (.pniin^ 

 its flowers just new is Oxalis lohata. a pivtlv 

 little Chilian species, with lovely f,'<.lden-yellow 

 flowers. The i)lant matures its growth in the 

 sprin>j; and early summer and then disappears foi' 

 a rest until the flowers appear a<j;ain in .Septemhei'. 

 and will continue t > open successionilly for some 

 week.s. Quite close to it another interest inij; and 

 very pretty plant has commenced to open its 

 flower.s — viz.. Leucojum autumnale. a charmin<i 

 little bulbous ])lant from the .Mediterranean 

 region. Tin- dainty wiiite flowers are produced on 

 slender haii'-like stems some (5 to S inches hi.uh. 

 and in a sumiy spot sheltered by a stone, and 

 where the soil is gJ'itl.v i»'i'l never wet it is Hourish- 

 ini; and increasing. 



Amonij lar^jjer plants fiowerin;j; now Stat ice 

 latifolium is conspicuous with its wide spread ini;- 

 inflorescences of tiny llowers. It is a plant for 

 the border, except where the rockery is large 

 enough to hold plants that want so much room. 

 Sediim spectabile is quite attractive now. and is 

 a good plant, particularly if one can get hold of 

 the true dark red form. Gentiana asclepiadea is 

 very showy, but. again, cannot be recommended 

 for a small rock garden. 



While looking at the new rockery in St. 

 Stephen's Green Park, Dublin, the other day. two 

 plants attracted me particularly — one was Cam- 

 panula Warley White, which I had not seen 

 before, and I can only ('.csciihe it as like a white 

 form of Campanula ha> loduciisis tloic plena. It 

 will be a most attractive plant I feel sure, when 

 grown in some quantity. The other plant was 

 Viola cornuta tliuringiaca, a pretty form of the 

 Horned Violet, having pretty blue and white 

 flowers, and these in such quantity as to be 

 conspicuous at some distance. All the plants on 

 this rockery looked remarkably healthy and 

 flourishing, and it has become quite a feature of 

 the Park. B. 



The Black or Berry-bearing Alder. 



The planting of Rhamnus frangula L. in cop- 

 pice woods is recommended as being more pro- 

 fitable than other species. Even before the war 

 the supplies of this wood for charcoal making 

 were inadequate to meet the demand for smoke- 

 less powder, and prices reached from £10 to 

 £14 per ton. 



The most suitable soil is a moderately good 

 loam, but it may be expected to thrive where 

 the hazel grows well. Propagation is by means 

 of seeds sown in boxes in a cold frame or in beds 

 of well drained soil out of doors. The young 

 plants should be placed six inches apart in rows 

 one foot apart, and when about nine inches 

 high they should be cut back to induce branch- 

 ing near the ground line. When cutting a 

 plantation, care should be taken to cut the 

 branches as close as possible to the root stock. — 

 Bull, of Ag. I))teUirfenrc and Plant Diseases, 

 December, 1915. 



The Rose Garden. 



With the advent of October the Hose grower will 

 take stock of his successes aiul failures during the 

 past season, and also <»f his reipiirenn-nts for next 

 y<'ar. as there is no better month for i)lanting than 

 .November. .Now that the days arc get ting shorter, 

 he will liave less time to spend among his 

 favourites, pait iculai-ly if engaged in other 

 business during the day. \o tinu- should be lost, 

 therefoic. in completing notes of any alterations 

 reipiire.l as well as of varieties which are to be 

 discarded or renewed. The same varieties do not 

 glow ('(pially well in all gardens, and it is largely 

 a matter of individual experience finding out 

 which are most satisfactory. Personal taste al.so 

 has considerable influence, and as varieties are so 

 numerous nowadax s it becomes a case of choosing 

 those we likt' best and testing them in our own 

 jtarticular soil and situation. 



Very soon now the Rose catalogues will be with 

 us — some indeerl are .already to hand in conjunc- 

 tion with the l)ulb catalogues, and the longer 

 evenings provide an opportunity of studying 

 them. .Most of us will i)erchance look through the 

 catalogues, but alas I j)resetit circumstances will, 

 I fear, tend to restrain our desiic to tri/ a )iew one, 

 but we must keep our beds and borders full, if 

 ]>ossil)le, so perhaps an old favourite may be 

 duplicated — one which, say, flovvei"s lon,g and 

 continuously or is valuable for cutting, or the 

 colour may seem desirable and worth repeating 

 in another part of the garden. 



In this connection I may here present a short list, 

 made in mid-September, of varieties which have 

 flowered freely all sumnier. and were even then 

 giving a fine show of good flowers : — Countess 

 Clanwilliam, petals flamed and edged red, becom- 

 ing pink at the base ; William Cooper, rich red, a 

 fine robust variety : Mrs. Archie Grey, a nice 

 yellow of good form ; Grace Molyneux, cream, 

 apricot and flesh coloured, a charming combina- 

 tion and a fine grower ; Jonkheer J. L. Mock, 

 carmine pink, a strong grower ; La Tosca, silvery 

 pink, a free bloomer ; Viscountess Folkestone, an 

 old favourite of mine, and still, I think, hard to 

 beat, pale salmon-pink ; Lady Alice Stanley, a 

 gold medal Rose and worth it, described as coral- 

 rose, inside pale flesh, a description that no more 

 than does it justice ; Mad. A. Chatenay, looked 

 upon as an old variety now. but, in my opinion, 

 still unsurpassed either for bedding or cutting, 

 of a delicate carnune-rose, and producing through- 

 out the season an enormous number of lovely 

 sweet-scented flowers on good long stems. 



Those wiio like to l)ud a few Roses annually 

 sliould ordci' a few stocks with their Roses, as to 

 be successful tlie stocks should be well established, 

 and that is best achieved by planting them 

 early. 



Arrangements should also be made now to have 

 a sufficient supply of well decayed manure avail- 

 able when wanted. This may be done by storing 

 it up now if facilities exist in your garden for so 

 doing ; if not, then place your order with a local 

 cowkeeper or farmer for delivery when it is 

 required. 



As recommended last month, rake up all leaves 

 periodically and burn them, so as to get rid as far 

 as possible of the mildew flend. B. 



