To6 



IRISH GARDENING. 



over till spring and put out at the first favour- 

 able opportunity. The majority will flower the 

 first summer, and worthless varieties may be 

 weeded out, the remainder being grown on for 

 any p\irpose desired. 



Lady-birds and their Larvae. 



Most people who own a garden or a plot are 

 familiar with the plump little insects called 

 T.ady-birds. They are easily recognised by their 

 hard, shiny wing-covers, often with two or more 

 spots. The larva is a curious crocodile-like 

 animal which seems to be very prevalent this 

 year, and many people ai^e alarmed to see 

 dozens of tbem crawling about crops of various 

 kinds. Often when the crop shows signs of 

 having been eaten by insects the Lady-bird 

 larva is at once suspected of being the culprit, 

 but this is not really the case. Both the adult 

 I.ady-bird and the larva live entirely on other 

 insects, and it is to seek these that the larvie 

 are so busy and prevalent round plants that arc 

 being eaten. Every encouragement, therefore, 

 should be shown to these busy little creatures, 

 which destroy thousands of injurious insects, 

 and are of the greatest value to all gardening 

 people. 



Fendlera Rupicola. 



Tins is an interesting shrub of the Saxifrage 

 family, and one which all lovers of rare shrubs 

 should endeavour to include in their collections. 

 A native of Texas and New IMexico, it is hardy 

 in sheltered positions and probably quite hardy 

 in the milder districts of Ireland, even ^\hen 

 planted in the open. The flowers are four 

 petalled, as shown in the illustration, and are 

 nearly pure white. The habit of the shrub is 

 thin and straggling, but it will reach a height 

 of 4 or 5 feet in shelter, and certainly more 

 against a sunny wall. The flowers are pro- 

 duced on short twigs arising from shoots formed 

 the previous year. The larger leaves are abouti 

 an inch long, less in width, but on the flowering 

 shoots they are much smaller and narrower. 

 Propagation may be effected by cuttings and 

 layers and occasionally by seeds, which are pro- 

 duced in some districts, and may sometimes be 

 imported. The flowering season is May and 

 'Tune. Dublin. 



Geraniums for the Rock Garden. 



Following the first big flush of spring flowers 

 on the rockery we have various other kinds of 

 plants which carry on the display into the 

 summer months. Among these the various, 

 dwarf species of Geranium are worthy of notice. 

 Most of them have showy flowers and some have 



ornamental foliage, alone, entitling them to a 

 l)lace in our affections. With few exceptions, 

 they are of comparatively easy culture, given 

 weli-drained soil and a sunny position. Pro- 

 pagation can usually be managed by divisions, 

 cuttings or seeds, as found most convenient. 

 The delightful little Geranium sessiliflorum, 

 from Australia and Chili, seeds about the rock 

 garden in a remarkable way, favouring the 

 edges of the paths and the chinks of stone steps. 

 It fomis dense little tufts of small green leaves, 

 amid which nestle the dull white flowers. 



G. cinereum and G. argenteum are a pair of 

 beauties which should be found on every rock 

 garden. The former has silvery grey leaves, 

 with purple red flowers or in some forms rose- 

 coloured, and the latter beautiful silvery leaves, 

 more deeply cut than the former, and flowers of 

 a rosy-pink colour. Both grow ironx 6 to 

 inches high. G. Endressii, with rosy flowers, 

 is ai taller plant, but \mless the soil be very rich 

 will not exceed a foot or so, and produces quan- 

 tities of rose-pink flowers. G. Fremontii is, 

 perhaps, a trifle coarser in growth, but rarely 

 exceeds 18 inches on the rockery, and has the 

 merit of producing its pink flowers late intq 

 autumn. G. grandiflorum grows about inches, 

 and produces any amount of blue flowers just 

 above the foliage. This species is rather ai 

 spreader, and should be planted in a pocketl 

 confined all round by stones. 



A pretty little native plant suitable for the 

 rockery is G. Piobertianum album, which suc- 

 ceeds best when left to itself, and seeds about, 

 generalh' affecting the more shady positions 

 The little white flowers contrast well with the 

 reddish leafstalks and dark green leaves. 



Geranium sanguineum is often foimd on rock 

 gai'dens, but the colour of the flowers is not 

 universally admired ; often described as crimson 

 or purple, it is more correctly called magenta. 

 There is a variety, however, with pure white 

 flowers, which is quite desirable, and the pink- 

 flowered lancastriense from Walney Island is a 

 general favourite. 



The Himalayan G. Wallichianum is a trailer, 

 suitable for trailing over a stone or down a 

 sunny bank. There is considerable variation in 

 colour among seedlings — some being purple, but 

 the best are bright blue, and the others should 

 be rigorousl,y discarded. 



G. Piussell Prichard, a hybrid between G. 

 sanguineum and the New Zealand G. Traversii, 

 is suitable for either rock garden or herbaceous 

 border. From inches to a. foot high, it forms 

 a dense mass, surmounted by innumerable 

 bright pink flowers. It flourishes in a sunny, 

 position in well -drained soil. Eaised by Mr. 

 ]\raurice Prichard, of Christchurch, Hampshire. 



