26 



IRISH GARDENING. 



"mortar " too closfly al)out tho roots. The 

 uliole thing is watered from above, so that 

 moisture trickles tlu'ough and permeates the 

 structure completely, but never stagnates and 

 gets too wet. Then with air circulating about 

 them from the adjacent ventilators, they will 

 luxuriate and show a beauty never seen in pot- 

 gi-own plants, nor indeed in any other way. 



At one end of the main rockery it may be 

 desired to form a cave, at the furthest back and 

 darkest corner — this, for the growth of Killarney 

 and other filmy ferns. If so, do not make the 

 mistake of !\aving it too low down. Build a 

 l)reastwork up from tlie floor 18 inches or 2 feet 

 with rough stones :ind old bricks, filling the 

 interstices with very wet general com})ost. spores 

 (if other ferns will soon settle on tliis and cover 

 it> with beautiful verdure: fill the space beliind up 

 to witliin a few inches of the top of the breastwork 

 with stones, broken crocks, ttc.,then a thin layer 

 of fine cinders, and next a layer of peat. Tlien get 

 a large sod of peat, or better, some of the outer 

 fibrous husks of cocoanuts, if they can be obtained; 

 sink them in a tub of water by tying on a brick, 

 and leave them there for a week, at least, till they 

 are thorougldy soaked through, then get the 

 rhizomes of Killarney fern, pin them down close 

 to tlie fibre with wire (or hairpins) and lay them 

 on the peat bed. filling the spaces betwec^n tho 

 sods or husks with lumps of jjeat. Syringe the 

 whole two or three times a week. The roof of the 

 c.ive should be about 2 feet to 2-i feet above the 

 breastwork in front. The ferns then can be seen 

 and attended to without inuch stooping, and no 

 furtlier protection or closing in is needed. If 

 sandstone sides and roof can be provided, the 

 ihizonies will soon creep all over it. 



Xotliing now reMuains l>ut to select and jilant 

 our ferns, and our future success will largely 

 depend on the care witli which we have made all 

 the preceding ])reparations for their reception. 

 We are apt to Ije in too great a hurry to get our 

 phiuts and have them growing, but it will be 

 round tiiat the employment and interesl, entailed 

 ill pro\iding for them will be ;) great nr.d real 

 joy. and the after cari' ol them will be (•ai-ri<'(l on 

 wit! I the greater zest. 



In selecting our plants we would suggest that, 

 at first at least, none but evergreen forms are 

 chosen. If this advice is taken, we think it will 

 not be regretted. Tlie appearance of the house 

 during the long winter months, bright and 

 brilliantly clotlied tlvroughout with gracefid 

 forms in all sliades of green, will excite wonder 

 and admiration, far beyond that which will be 

 given to it in summer. 



It is crue that the exclusion of deciduous forms 

 will deprive us of many very Ijeaiitiful things : 

 but. then their time of beauty is soon succeeded 

 by a jicriod of decay, and then a longer period in 

 wliicli they are entirely lacking of interest. The 

 space they occupied in all their glory is now- 

 vacant and unsightly, and nothing can be doiu' 

 in the meantinu> to improve it. Tliert^ are ])lenty 

 of others one would then like to liave in their 

 places, but we remember what they were, 

 and think of what they will be, so cannot 

 bear to root them up, and so endure tliem still 

 longer. 



Again, avoid introducing the common fornis 

 of our larger growing native ferns ; they are 

 easy to obtain, so the temptation is great to 

 gather them ourselves and raj)idl>' furnisli our 



house. Later oit you may find an odd corner to 

 be filled up w liere you may place one, but it will 

 be soon found tliat space is too precious, and 

 that we have no room for them. 



Also be content witli one specimen of each 

 kind, thus you will become familiar with a large 

 range of varieties, though ^■ou may not have 

 great space at your disposal. 



When planting, intersperse thos(> with light 

 feathery foliage amongst those witli heavy 

 foliage, tlie effect will be much better ; also, as 

 mentioned before, select small and low-growing 

 forms for the lower spaces in the lockery, the 

 larger-growing ones being reserved foi the higher 

 places, otherwise the smaller kinds will be 

 smothered and obscured from sight. I'his makes 

 it unnecessary, and indeed inadvisable, to have 

 the slope of the rockery steep ; the lower the back 

 jiart can be kept the better, as the higher the 

 ferns are the less is their beauty seen. If you 

 have the opportunity, Adsit a nursery where ferns 

 are made a special feature, make a note of the 

 type of growth of the various foi-ms, l)oth as to 

 size and density of the foliage, for the plants you 

 buy will probably be quite small, but may grow 

 to a very large size in a couple of years. For 

 instance, the Jioyal lern (Osmunda regalis) may 

 be bought in a small " thumi) i)ot." but unless 

 you have almost unlimited room, it is quite 

 unsuited foi your rockery, beautifid though it is. 

 It will grow to such an immense size that it will 

 overshadow e\ eiything within a. couple of yards 

 of its centre, and not only so, but its roots will 

 spread so far that th.ey will rob and kill every 

 plant even further away : then, if you decide 

 to remove it, a ou will find a hard day's job before 

 > ou. and w ill have pulled down ;i large j)art of 

 ihe rockery before your object is accomplished. 



We will now indicate some ferns suitable for 

 an unheated fernery, with a rockery. We say 

 advisedly for a rockery, for we are conscious 

 that some Avill survive a frost there that would 

 perish in pots. Pots will be iienet rated )iy frost, 

 when they are standing on shel\ cs. that, would not 

 reach the roots in the rockei'y. Here they are 

 protected by the foliage covering the v.-hole 

 mound, by the large mass of soi and by the 

 rocks themselves under which the roots lie far 

 out of its reach. All the ferns we select will be 

 evergreen forms, and will be I'oughly cla.ssified 

 as to their habiti of growth into low, medium and 

 tall. Many others will remain that ma.A- be tried 

 when more experience is gained, but a suflicieiit 

 numl)er will b(> hert^ given to make a good stai't , 

 and all have ])een tried undii' Ihe conditicuis laid 

 (low n. 



Low (iiJowiNC l'"(iHi\is. 



Adiantaim capillus veneris. Asplciiium fon- 

 tanum, A. adiaiitum nigrum. A. la.nceolatum, 

 A. marinum. A. rut a mia-aria, A. septentrionale, 

 A. trichomanes nigrum, A. t. viride. A- fla,belli- 

 folium. Blechnum spicant, Camptosorus rhizo- 

 ))hyllus, f'eterach oflicinarum. Oystoiiteris fragilis 

 (this, tliough deciduous, is included, as under 

 glass it is almosti evergieen. and is invaluable, 

 as its dainty seedlings ajqiear everywhere) ; 

 Davallia buUata, (good for the wall) ; Doodia 

 aspera, I), caudata, Gymnogramma triangularis, 

 Ilymenophyllum tunbridgense (for cave) : Lo- 

 maria alpina, Polypodium dryopteris, P. jdiego- 

 pteris, P. cajcareuin (these also arc; deciduous. 

 ])ut are included as tliey will suit the wall ;\n(] 



