70 



IRISH GARDENING. 



trailing plant hardly rising to about six 

 inches above the ground, now to be seen in 

 good flower at Glasnevin. Daphne blagayana, 

 another trailer, shows its white clusters of 

 scented bloom in JNIarch. Forming carpets of 

 colour we should mention Lithospermum pros- 

 tratum, gentian blue, and lasting for many 

 months; and Polygala Chamgebuxus, yellow, 

 and its purple variety, as well as P. Vayredae, 

 probably the best of the genus, dark red and 

 very striking. 



It will be hardly necessary to include in 

 tliis list any detail of the numerous spring 

 bulbs that grow in our gardens and nestle 

 near our trees and shrubs, adding beauty and 

 colour to the scenery. Crocuses in the winter 

 and in the early months of the year ; Snowdrops 

 and Leucojum vernum in February', followed 

 by the blue Chionodoxas, Scillas, and Grape 

 Hyacinths; with Dog-tooth Violets, white, red, 

 purple, and pale yellow, some graceful Fri- 

 tillaries and gorgeous Tulips, the beautiful little 

 mauve and yellow Romulea Clusii, and then 

 the Daffodils whose variety is endless. Besides, 

 there are some of the Cyclamen, red ; Anemones 

 of many colours and sizes; Sanguinaria cana- 

 densis, the " Blood-root " of the Poppy order, 

 white ; the dainty Shortia galacifolia, the 

 curious purple parasite Lathrsea Clandestina; 

 Irises of whic'h there is a good description in 

 a recent number of Irish Gardening ; Trillium 

 or " Wood-Lily," Primulas of various kinds, 

 and last, but not least, numerous Saxifrages. 



J. E. of B. 



Flowers of April. 



Up to the sixteenth the weather was vanable 

 and, on the whole, cold, with very little sun- 

 shine until the thirteenth, when the sky cleared 

 somewhat, and things looked brighter. Never- 

 theless, the cold continued, and on the night 

 of Sunday the fourteenth a sharp snap of frost, 

 viz., 8°, made the Daffodils look sick. Up till 

 then they have seldom looked better, and great 

 masses of Emperor, Empress, Sir Watkin, 

 Barrii conspicuus, Albatross, Seagull, Lady 

 Margaret Boscawen, &c., looked beautiful in 

 the grass. In beds some of the finest varieties 

 were White Lady, Noble, Great Warley, 

 Valeria, Diana, Florence Pearson, and many 

 others. These are to be seen in the Botanic 

 Gardens at Glasnevin, where groups of the 

 finest kinds in cultivation are annually planted 

 in a large bed or border convenient for inspec- 

 tion. There the relative heights and time of 

 flowering can be noted by visitors, as well as 

 the particular points of beauty in each variety. 



Near the Daffodils a border is planted with 

 Wallflowers in blocks of different varieties, in- 

 cluding Giant Yellow, Cranford Beauty, Blood 

 Red, Ellen Willmott, Orange Bedder, Euby, 

 White Gem, &c. Double Daisies, Pansies, 

 Alyssum, and Forget-me-Not help to brighten 

 these troubled days, and are a source of delight 

 to many of the wounded soldiers from the 

 hospital near by. 



Many trees and shrubs have added their 

 quota to the month's delights, and man}' still 

 are opening. The following are mentioned in 

 the order they were jotted down in a note- 

 book day by day, as each happened to strike 

 the eye. 



Syringa afline was early in evidence, and is 

 a useful early flowering Lilac of open habit 

 and bearing thyrses of lilac pink flowers. 

 Flowering at the same time was Syringa pin- 

 natifolia, a comparatively new introduction 

 from China. It is not likely to have any great 

 interest for any except botanists and collectors, 

 the flowers being small and not very con- 

 sjiicuous. The chief interest lies in the pinnate 

 leaves. 



Euptelia Franchetii, also froin China, at- 

 tracted notice in a shrubbery from the leafless 

 branches bearing numerous clusters of reddish 

 chocolate-coloured flowers, which, on close ex- 

 amination, are found to be merely bundles of 

 stamens — Whence male flowers; no female 

 flowers were to be seen. 



The Exociiordas ferm a useful set of early 

 flowering shrubs, and succeed well as wall 

 plants. Thej are, hoM'ever, quite hardy in the 

 open, but they flower rather later; E. grandi- 

 flora is beautiful when furnished with its pure 

 white flowers borne in erect racemes, and makes 

 a fit companion to B. macrantha, equally fine 

 with large white flowers, and E. racemosa 

 Wilsoni, which differs from the others in the 

 more drooping inflorescence. E. Giraldii so 

 far has failed to justify expectations concern- 

 ing it. Of slower and more compact growth 

 than the other species mentioned it also flowers 

 but sparingly, and the flowers are by no means 

 so beautiful. It may, however, improve with 

 age, or perhaps requires a sunnier climate. 



Diervilla praecox maintains its position as the 

 earliest flowering " Weigelia," and early in the 

 month was a mass of pink flowers. 



The Brooms were much in evidence, and show 

 great variety in habit and shade of yellow. 

 Cytisus biflorus, praecox, purgans and albus were 

 conspicuous among the larger growers, while 

 among those more suitable for the rock garden 

 were C. Beanii Kewensis and Ardoini; of the 

 latter there is a remarkably fine example in 

 Mr. Lloyd Praeger's garden at Eathgar. It 



