68 



IRISH GARDENING. 



The earliest iii tlie Kabseliia faiiiilv to bloum 

 were Eldoxiana, Haagii, Boryii and Irvingii — 

 all these were slightly in advance of apiculata 

 and Elizabethae. Irvingii is a most vigorous 

 doer here, and flowers over a long period. 

 Boryii is not so vigorous, but was early and its 

 white blooms are borne on very short stems. 

 Borisii. Paulinae and Faldonside have done well, 

 and are very beautiful. Saxifraga oppositifolia 

 was a mass of blossom in oMareh — it has been in 

 its present position for six years, has grown into 

 a large patch and shows no sign of going off. 

 It gets liberal top dressings of sand and peat, 

 which no doubt contribute to keeping it healthy 

 and vigorous. 



Saxifraga Salomoni is still a very shy bloomer 

 here ; it makes a brilliant mat but nothing more. 



Of the Englerias I think S. Htuartii (a hybrid 

 of media) is the most satisfactory for the rock 

 garden — it has not got the fine rosette of Grise 

 bachii, but it grows well, can be easily pro- 

 pagated, has come through the winter first rate, 

 and is now full of flower spikes. The flowers are 

 belhshaped and in a nodding cluster. The sepals 

 are orange-red, the flowers yellow, and a group 

 of half-a-dozen plants is a very attractive object. 

 S. thessalica has not flowered this spring; pro- 

 pagated plants seem to take two or three years 

 to attain the flowering stage. Petrocallis pyre- 

 naica had the protection of a piece of glass 

 during the winter, and is just coming into 

 flower. It is remarkable for- the sudden manner 

 in which it awakes towards the end of March 

 and puts on a new robe of brilliant green. 



Oxalis enneaphylla has already two or three 

 early blossoms ; along with its variety rosea 

 and adenophylla it thrives and increases well 

 'here. Some self sown seedlings are appearing, 

 and, strange to say, not below the ledge on 

 which the plants are, but higher up the rock 

 garden, and some distance away. 



Morisia hypogoea is showing its bright yellow 

 flowers on a cushion of dark green, and the 

 rare Astilbe simplicifolia is just breaking 

 through. 



Anemone blanda scythinica, variety rose^a, 

 was a picture in February, and lasted a long 

 time, the type, white with blue reverse, was 

 later, but is still in flower. 



Androsace sarmentosa and chumbyi, some 

 protected from the winter rains, and others left 

 to take their chance, are both growing vigor- 

 ously and fvdl of buds. 



The tender Veronica hulkeana lias come 

 through the winter uninjured, and the long 

 branching spikes filled with buds will soon be 

 opening, 



In a wind-swept garden the ]-)rotection 

 afforded by a stone is priceless to some plants, 

 particulaily to the more tender J.thionemas 

 and smaller Ijithospermums. — J. HARPrn- 



SCAIFE, 



Flowering Plants in the 

 Early Spring, 



Two lists of January flowering plants have 

 been recently given in Irish Gardkxixg, and 

 by some omission neither of them included 

 Eranthis hiemalis, the Winter Aconite, a well- 

 known small carpeting perennial with a fine 

 leaf and with a daintj- golden bloom, which is 

 very effective at the beginning of the year. 

 Nor was Aponogeton distachyon, the Cape 

 Pond-weed, mentioned; this is a hardy aquatic 

 with white fragrant flowers of a jjeculiar shape, 

 emitting a scent like hawthorn. Nevertheless, 

 from the lists already published, it Avill be 

 seen that there is quite a quantity of plants 

 available to brighten the garden even in the 

 dead season of the year. But as the days 

 lengthen into early spring, the volume of colour 

 displayed by Nature increases at a rapid rate, 

 and by the end of'April there is such a wealtli 

 of bloom to be seen that it is diflicidt, within 

 the limits of an article, to give any adequate 

 description of the numerous plants which 2:)ro- 

 duce it. The mention of a few of them that 

 are hard}', at all events in the milder districts 

 of Ireland, may, however, be of interest, and 

 in doing so we proj^ose to confine ourselves, 

 though not entireh', to those that are less 

 generally known. 



The flowering season of the magnificent genus 

 Pihododendron extends from December to June, 

 and during those months, whenever the weather 

 permits, there is a constant and ever-varying 

 succession of bloom to delight the eye. New 

 species are being introduced with bewildering 

 frequency, so that it is almost impossible to 

 reckon up the full number that have been 

 already biought to this country. Some of them 

 have not yet produced their bloom in Europe, 

 like Pi. calophyton, and it may be years before 

 this remarkable tree-shrub, said to grow 50 feet 

 high, will give us any real idea of its full value. 

 Others 'have already flowered, and of these both 

 E. Eiriei and E. sutchuenense should be noted 

 for their singular beauty. The former a rich 

 purple with a dark blotch ; the latter with ;i 

 larger truss, a lighter rosy-purple also stained 

 by a darker blotch. As the}' unfortunately 

 o])en towards the end of February or beginning 

 of March, the bloom is too often marred by 

 frost. The flowers of E. lutescens, bright yellow, 

 are also worthy of notice ; as well as those of 

 E. racemosum, small and numerous, of a pink 

 colour. Allied apparently to this last species 

 is another which sometimes goes b}^ the name 

 of E. oleifolium, white, somewhat larger, and 

 very floriferous; it is not the true E. oleifolium 

 of Franchet, but it is distinct and ;vell worth 

 growing, and eventually it is to be hoped that 

 botanists will give us its correct name. Coniing 



