90 



IRISH GARDENING. 



plants, Aiihi-it'tias iiie indispcnsahlc Ajj- 

 pnrt^ntly all the uuinerous colour varieties now 

 in (_-u!ti\at io)i are descenHed from A. dcltoidea, 

 and a brilliant display they make dining the 

 latter end of April and through Alay. More- 

 over, few ])lants are more aceonnncjdating in 

 their cultural requirements. They will thrive 

 in sun or shade, and are by no means fastidious 

 regarding soil, but prefer good drainage. Pro- 

 pagation of the various varieties is best effected 

 l)y cuttings which root readily in sandy soil 

 under handlights, or in a close cold frame. 

 When the plants pass out of flower towards 

 the end of May, they should be cut over with 

 a pair of s'heep shears to encourage new growth 

 for next year's flowering, a.nd to keep the 

 clumps within bounds. The young growths thus 

 produced make good cuttings in July and 

 August, simply pulling them off the old stems 

 and trimming the ends slightly, when they may 

 be forthwith dibbled into the cutting bed. One 

 good watering will suffice till roots are formed 

 if thej'^ are kept shaded. When rooted, admit 

 air freely, and when growing well either pot 

 up for future use or line out into beds to lift 

 as required. 



There are many varieties, of which the fol- 

 lowing is but a selection: — Dr. Mules, rich 

 violet purple, a glorious variety, in the writer's 

 opinion still unsiu'passed ; P. Barr, striking red- 

 dish purple, and most effective; Lavender with 

 large lavender blue flowers of rare beauty ; 

 Perliinsoni, fine violet blue large flowers; 

 Hendersoni, an old variety of much merit for 

 spring bedding producing dark purple flowers ; 

 Souv. dc W. Ingram, a good variety with rosy 

 violet flowers ; Leichtlini, with crimson flowers ; 

 Fire King, a form of the last, but with more 

 intense crimson-coloured flowers; Mocrheimii, 

 l)eautiful soft rose-coloured flowers; Mrs. 

 Lloyd Edwards, fine bright purple flowers of 

 large size; Lissadtll Pink, a good ro«y pink 

 form; and Bridesmaid, hlush pink. Thus, it 

 will be seen, there is considerable variety in 

 colour, and a beautiful display is possible when 

 Aubrietias are used in harmony with Alyssums, 

 Arabis, and many other spring flowers bloom- 

 ing at the same time. 



EocK Cress. 



Intermediate Irises. 



This is a comparatively new race of garden 

 Irises raised within the last twenty years or 

 so, but only becoming known within the last 

 ten years or less. The first steps taken in the 

 raising of these hybrids seem to have been 

 taken by Mr. W. J. Caparne, of Guernsey, 

 who crossed the dwarf early flowering pumilas. 



chanueiris, &c., with the later floweiing taller 

 glowing varieties included under the collective 

 name Germaiuca. There is now a score or 

 more of these hybrids in commerce, and the^' 

 are among the most valuable of May flowering 

 border plants. They vary somewhat in stature, 

 some being comparatively dwarf, while others 

 approach the " Germanicas " in height, but 

 their greatest value lies in their flowering just 

 when the dwarfs are going over, and before 

 the majority of the taller bearded Irises come 

 in. Ordinary well cultivated garden soil and 

 a sunny position is all they require, but like 

 the other tall bearded rhizomatous Irises, they 

 will not tolerate stagnant moisture, and prefer 

 lime in the soil. Although valuable in the 

 herbaceous border, where they should not be 

 overgrown in summer by coarser plants, there 

 is no doubt that the intermediates, like others 

 of their kind, flourish best, and show to greatest 

 advantage when grown in beds or borders by 

 themselves. The Iris garden was becoming- 

 fashionable before the war, and will yet come 

 fully into its own. There the " intermediates 

 would have a fitting place, and would give a 

 good account of themselves, " between times." 

 The following are representative, and can be 

 purchased cheaply: — Canari, pale yellow; 

 Fritzjof, standards light blue, falls dark purple 

 blue; Ivorine, ivory white, a fine large flowered 

 variety; La Charniante, white with blue at the 

 base of the standards, and slightly suffusing 

 the falls; WaJhalla, standards light blue, falls 

 fine purple violet, flowers large and handsome ; 

 I ng eh org, a pure white of great beauty, and 

 Sarah, a comparatively dwarf hybrid with 

 lovely pearl white flowers. A number of others 

 are to be found in catalogues, which may be 

 consulted bj' those interested. Messrs. Wallace, 

 of Colchester, specialise in Irises, and issue a 

 special Iris catalogue. 



Grower. 



Tulips, 



In common with many other kinds of plants, 

 Tulips this year are surpassing themselves in 

 vigour and beauty. Not for several years back 

 have the Cottage and Dai'win Tulips been so 

 brilliant and gay. Masses of them shooting up 

 among the bush green-foliage of the herbaceous 

 border are an inspiring and cheerful sight. It 

 matters not whether they have been in posi- 

 tion for years or only planted in the autumn, 

 the general improvem.ent on recent years is 

 most marked. That beautiful Tulip Clara 

 Butt is now, in the middle of May, a glorious 

 sight, a mass of lovely salmon pink; Pride of 

 Haarlem, cerise, is also fine; Suzon, pale rose; 



