IRISH GARDENING 



The Crimson Satin Flower. 



Brevoortia Ida-maia. 

 Most nurserymen's catalogues list this unique 

 plant as Btodisea coccinea, by which name it 

 was for long known in gardens. A native of 

 California, it is one of the prettiest and most 

 striking of bulbous plants flowering in summer. 

 It is suitable for a small border where it will not 

 be overgrown by coarser plants, or it may be 

 cultivated in a sunny, well-drained pocket in the 

 rockery. The bulbs, which are comparatively 

 small, should be planted about three inches below 

 the surface, placing a little sharp sand above and 

 below them. They should be left undisturbed as 

 long as possible, and will flower regularly every 

 year when established. The flowers, which are 

 produced several together on stems about fifteen 

 inches high, are tubular, of a brilliant crimson 

 scarlet, tipped with green — a combination at once 

 striking and effective. G\rdener. 



Salvia turkestanica superba. 



Within the last few years this handsome Sage 

 has become commoner in gardens, and is well 

 worth some attention by those who value hardy 

 plants. The only disadvantage is that the plant 

 is only biennial. Seeds, however, form a ready 

 means of increase, so that it is easy to have a few 

 plants coming on. A close watch must be kept 

 on the seeds, as, like many others of the same 

 family, they drop while apparently still unripe 

 or ripen suddenly in a day or two and may be lost. 

 Reaching a height of three feet when in flower, 

 S. turkestanica superba is useful in the her- 

 baceous border, and makes an attractive group 

 for a considerable time. As in some other Salvias, 

 the bracts surrounding the flowers form the 

 showy part of the inflorescence, being pale pink 

 in colour. The leaves borne by the stout stems 

 are large and hairy, giving the plant a hoary 

 appearance, which adds considerably to its 

 attractions. 



B. 



A Valley in the Rockies. 



Ix the wonder world of the Canadian Rocky 

 Mountains there is a valley where the ptarmigan 

 live and breed. This region has been named 

 Ptarmigan Valley, and its guardian peak. 

 Ptarmigan Mountain. In the wild area thus 

 named after a bird will be found one of the 

 thousand beauty spots of Canada, including every 

 type of scenery that belongs to a mountainous 

 area — turbulent rivers, fed by glacial tributaries 

 leaping in headlong flight to the lower levels on 

 their way to the sea ; alpine meadows carpeted 

 ivith a profusion of flowers, canyon depths and 

 forested retreats opening into expansive valleys, 

 cliffs, peaks and rocky ramparts. There are 

 beautiful lakes, deep-hearted pools, and there are 

 signs of wild life on every hand. The hunter is 

 rarely met with, still more rarely the artist and 

 the naturalist, but the day is coming when this 

 will be one of the favourite holiday haunts of the 

 North American Continent. — Canadian Xeics 

 Items. 



Irish Show Fixtures. 



Co. Clare Horticultural Society. Fruit and 

 Fann Produce Show at Knnis, or 4th October. 

 Hon. Sec, Rev. R. Scott, Enms. 



Intermediate Characters in Various 

 Hybrid Species of Iris.* 



I- — The writer crossed various species of Iris 

 to determine if Mendelian laws were valid between 

 different species. The results with numerous 

 pairs of characters showed no dominance but onlv 

 a blending of characters. 



Iris boissieri, bulbous, with the beard of the 

 sepals in the form of long straggling golden hairs 

 0.117 to 0.234 inch in length, crossed with I. 

 tingitana having no trace of hair gave a hybrid 

 with' hair distinctly visible to the naked eye but 

 less than 0.0585 inch in length. 



I. tectorum (which has a tuft in place of hair) 

 crossed with I. cengialtii (a hairy type) gave a 

 hybrid with a light violet coloured tuft bearing a 

 short hair. 



I. xiphium (with perianth tube) crossed with 



I. tingitana and I. filifolia (having perianth tubes 

 0.975 and 0.507 inch respectively) gave hybrids 

 with perianth tubes respectively 0.507 and 0.234 

 inch long. 



I. clarkei with solid stems crossed with I. 

 chrysographes with the internal cavity of the 

 stem occupying about half the diameter, gave a 



* I. Dykes, W. R. (Do Mendel's Laws hold 

 Good for Crosses between Species), in The 

 Gardeners' Chronicle, Vol. LVIII., No. 1500, 

 pp. 196-197, London, September 25, 1915.— 



II. Mottet, S. (Les Iris intermediaires) in Revue 

 Horticole, Year 87, No. 30, pp. 582-583, Paris, 

 November 16, 1915 



H you wish to GROW ROSES and other flowers 

 TO PERFECTION, use 



NON- 

 POISONOUS 



"ABOL" 

 INSECTICIDE 



This is the best and cheapest way, 

 for besides being the World's best 

 pest destroyer and the finest known 

 remedy for MILDEW on ROSES. 

 &c.. "ABOL " has manurial proper- 

 ties which impart health and vigour 

 to the plants through the foliage, 

 thus helping them to withstand 

 fresh attacks. USED IN THE 

 ROYAL GARDENS and recom- 

 mended by experts, h pt-, 1/- ; 

 pt, 1 /6 ; qt.. 2/6 ; 

 igal..4/-; gall., 7, 6. 



Gratis & Post Free 



Re;\ders should write for 

 ''In a Perfect Garden." 

 Illustr.ated guide to Gardci 

 Pests, sent on receipt o 

 postcard. 



Of all Nurserymen &c 



Sole I'rops. and Mfrs.,E. A WlHl 

 Ltd., 57 Beltring, Paddock Wuo.l, K. 



