IRISH GARDENING 



181 



with their different shades of ,\elluw, are the 

 most conspicuous plants of the border. Heli- 

 anthus nniltitlorus plenns is a good, compact 

 grower, Avith large dcul)le yellow flowers. 

 Bouquet d'Or and Sohel d"(Jr are two extremely 

 good varieties, ths flowers are larger and 

 ])rettier in form than in the ordinary double 

 form, the plants are also taller. 



The double Sweet Rocket. Hesjieris matronahs 

 fiore pleno, is a charming plant of neat habit, 

 about 3 feet in height, bearing flowers either 

 A\ hite or purple, which 

 are borne in dense 

 compact sjiikes. The 

 flowers, possessing a 

 delicious fragrance, 

 are excellent for cut- 

 ting. 



In the background 

 of the border the tall 

 ^tateh- H c 1 1 y h o c k s 

 are very effective, and 

 dou ble - flowering 

 forms can now be 

 had in almost every 

 shade of colour. They 

 are more effective in 

 the border than the 

 snigles, as they last 

 longer in bloom, and 

 m ore fl <^ w e r s a r c 

 expanded on the spike 

 at the one time. 



Lychnis chalce- 

 donica, the single 

 scarlet, and its variety 

 alba, both possess 

 double forms. The 

 double scarlet form is 

 the best knoA\n, and 

 is a good border 

 ])lant; the double 

 white is very pretty, 

 but is n.i)t A-ery well 

 known : lioth arc excellent for cutting. 



l^y intercrossing a n.umljer of natural s])ecies, 

 a considerable number of doul)le-flowering 

 \ arieties of the Pajony ha\c been raisc^l. These 

 hybrids are very free-flowering, and in ]w'mt of 

 colouring can be had in all the shades of white, 

 l)ink and red, some of whi(-h possess a cerlahi 

 fragrance. The numlK'r of varieties is consider- 

 able, and each year sees the addition, of many 

 new and improved varieties. A few good 

 ■\ arieties are : — Bonaparte, large flowers of a 

 brilliant rose ; Louis Van Houtte, rich crimson ; 

 Mm. Furtado, carmine ; Duchess de Nemours, 

 fragi-ant flowers of a beautifiO white ; Mary, a 

 good pure Avhite. 



riint 



Very handsome and free-floweiing are the 

 double Potentillas. They are very suitable 

 subjects for the fore-groimd of the border ; they 

 form large clumps from which rise the branched 

 flowering-stems, bearing fine double flowers of 

 great brilhancy, ranging through tho many 

 shades of yellow and crimson. 



The varieties are too numerous to men- 

 tion, one of the best of them being W. 

 RoUison, with flowers of a rich reddish - 

 orange. 



The double -flower- 

 ing forms of the 

 florists' P^rethrums 

 are indispensable for 

 the border, Avhere 

 during June and July 

 they give a grand 

 display. The flowers 

 are produced in great 

 profusion, and are in- 

 vahiable for cutting. 

 By thinning out all 

 weak-growing flower- 

 ingshoots, the remain- 

 ing flowers are greatly 

 improved in size and 

 quaUty. The foUow- 

 ing are a few good 

 varieties : — Aphrodite , 

 large white flowers ^ 

 one of the best; Mont 

 Blanc, an earlier 

 flowering variety, is 

 also a good white ; 

 La Belle Blonde is a 

 fine white, having very 

 large flowers ; Alfred, 

 0. good large- flowering 

 crimson, and Regale, 

 bright crimson red. 



The foregoing 'ist 

 of double flowers is 

 by no means com- 

 plete, but it will give some idea of the types 

 of doul)le-flowering plants most suitable for 

 the border. F. R. 



Erigerons. 



DuRiN(^ the past few years some tine varieties 

 of Erigerons have been raised ; they are all 

 ])erfectly hardy, of a neat habit of growth, and 

 are very floriferous. They are excellent plants 

 for the border, where, as they are not very tall^ 

 averaging fiom l.V-2 feet in height — they should 

 be given a place toward the centre of the boider, 

 and they give a i)retty dis])lay from July to 

 August. 



They thrive well in most garden soils, but the 



