IRISH GARDENING, 



53 



.May frosts. This latu date of sowing brings the 

 yuung iihmts very soon into the hot months, 

 Jience tlie necessity for deep cultivation and 

 manuring to jji-event the soil becoming dry, and 

 the consequent reduction ot the crop. 



Tile rows should not be less than IB inc'hes 

 apart, and the Beans should be G inches apart 

 in the rows, and not more than 3 inches deei>. 

 Some prefer to sow a double row of lieans in 

 the drill 6 inches apart, in which case the drills 

 should be 2 feet apart. The after-cultivation 

 consists of constant surface hoeing all summer 

 to maintain a loose surface and conserve 

 moisture, it should be borne in mind that the 

 object in growing Haricots is to reap a good 

 iiar\est of Beans, not to use the pods, as 

 \\ ilh Kidney Beans. In September the plants 

 nnist be pulled up, pods and all, tied in handy 

 bunches, and hung u]) in an airy place to dry, 

 subsequently extracting the beans from the pods 

 for use in winter. A well-known variety on the 

 Continent is the Dutch J^rown, but seedsmen 

 advertising in Irish Gahdknixg are able to 

 supply white and green \ arieties and Climbing 

 Haricots, which are equally valuable. iVllot- 

 ment holders should not fail to make an effort 

 to grow a breadth of Haricots. They might be 

 sown on the plot from w hieli autumn planted 

 Cabbages will have been removed by the end 

 of April. 



Flowers of March. 



Up to the middle of the month the weather has 

 lieen dry; at first without much sun, but during 

 tiie second week quite a pleasant warmth developed 

 (luring the middle of the day. Many i)huits came 

 into flower and this, coml)ined witli the l)righter 

 weather, had quite a Hvening influence, very 

 much wanted in these serious times. 



Azara Gilliesii, a rather micommon plant, with 

 sliining, ovate toothed leaves, was noticeable on 

 a shady wall, where it produced many short 

 racemes of bright yellow flowers. This is worth 

 noting as a good plant for a shady wall. For- 

 sytliias have been magnificent and fully main- 

 tain their position as charming early flowering 

 shrubs. The old and well-known F. suspensa, 

 with slender, flexible shoots thickly furnished 

 witli clear yellow flowers, is delightful on a wall or 

 in the open. 



F. intermedia, of stiffer liabit, is equally free 

 (lowering and makes a highly attractive ])ush; it 

 is eclipsed, however, by two newer varieties, viz. 

 — F. intermedia spectabiUs, a remarkably free 

 form witli flowers of a rich deep yellow; it is a 

 most striking plant, well meriting the varietal 

 name spectabilis. F. intermedia densiflora is of 

 similar habit, free flowering, as the name implies, 

 but the l)lossoms are pale yellow yet lieautiful. 



F. suspensa Fortunei atrocaulis should be in 

 every garden where shrul)S find favour. It is one 

 of Mr. VVilson's introduction from China and is not 

 the least precious of his many finds. The shoots 



of a year old are dark purplish fnown in colour, 

 and when carrying a large number of ))righ( 

 yellow flowers remarkable for their individual 

 size the bush presents a picture not easily sur- 

 passed. The lorsythias are extremely valuable 

 for planting among evergreens, and brighten up 

 odd corners while yet there is a touch of winter 

 in the air. 



Prunus triloba fl. pi., a double-flowered Apri- 

 cot, is almost full open as I write and presents a 

 most i)leasing sight lowering near the i'orsythias. 

 The flowers are soft pink borne all along the last 

 season's growths. It is not always so free in a 

 shrubbery, but succeeds admirably as a wall i)lant 

 in a sunny position, where it should be hard cut 

 back every year after flowering. 



Prunus tomentosa, weatlier permitting, will be 

 in fine form at Faster; a dwarf, densely twiggy 

 shrub, bearing innumerable small white flowers, 

 it is extremely ornamental and quite hardy. The 

 flowers, however, are rather easily destroyed by 

 heavy rains or rough winds, and it is advisable on 

 that account to plant in a somewhat sheltered 

 position. 



Prunus subhirtella autumnalis (P. Miqueliana) 

 referred to in a previous note, is now covered 

 with flowers, making a most delightful show. 

 This is a remarkable plant considering that it has 

 being flowering intermittently since December 

 and gives promise of continuing till April. 



Prunus subhirtella, the type plant, is in bud 

 and will be open ere these notes are in print. 

 The l)uds are red but open rose coloured, fading to 

 nearly white. 



Pieris floril)unda, often called Andromeda, is a 

 member of tlie Heath family, and is now covered 

 with abundance of its short racemes of white 

 flowers. It is an attractive plant but not so 

 handsome as Pieris formosa or P. japonica, wliicli 

 have pendulous racemes but which do not flourish 

 here, being much less hardy. 



Rhododendron prtecox has escaped injiuy by 

 frost so far as the middle of the month anyway, 

 and is well furnished with its rosy ijurple flowers. 

 It is partly evergreen, never wholly without 

 leaves but losing some during winter. It is a 

 beautiful early-flowering shrub, though some- 

 times the flowers are destroyed by frost : a 

 hybrid V)etween the tender ciliatum and hardy 

 dauricum. Of very different habit is Rhododen- 

 dron intricatum, a beautiful alpine, now covered 

 with innumerable small lilac-purple flowers. It 

 is evergreen, bearing tiny leaves and grows slowly, 

 bushes of a foot or so high forming a delightful 

 feature of the rock garden. Rhododendron 

 flavidum is xniique in its bright yellow flowers, 

 and is equally suitable for the rock garden, 

 where its dwarf stature and slow growth are in 

 keeping with the surroundings. 



Of early-flowering plants other than slirubs 

 nothing could have been finer than groups of 

 Tulip Kauffmanniana, often called the Water 

 Jiily Tulip from the resemblance of the fully oi)en 

 flowers to a ^^'ater Lily. What may ])e called the 

 common form is generally bright yellow with a 

 faint reddish flush on the outside of the segments. 

 In the variety called Gaiety the red flush becomes 

 more distinct, forming a band of red on the out- 

 side of the segments. The variety coccinea is, 

 however, the most beautiful, l)eing of a uniform 

 gorgeous orange red — a l)rilliHnt sight on a sunny 

 day. 



Narcissus bulbocodium, the hoop Petticoai 

 Daffodil, is a delightful little plant which seems 



