ii8 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Ononia fiuticosa is an oruamental shrub of 

 the Pea family, and closel}^ allied to the com- 

 mon Rest Han-ow. It requires a well-drained 

 sunny position, such as an elevated position on 

 the rock garden or a sunny border. The leaves 

 are three-parted, and the flowers, produced in 

 the greatest abundance, are pink, and make a 

 charming display in early July. Seeds are pro- 

 duced freely, and germinate readily. 



The PliiladeJ phases are now so numerous, if 

 we include hybrids as well as species, that it 

 would ser\^e no useful purpose to enumerate 

 them all. Many of the old species are still 

 \i;v\ fine where they can be allowed to develop 

 into large bushes, but many cf the new hybrids, 

 especially the doubier, and semi-doubles, are, 

 perhaps, more oraamental and floriferous, and 

 likely to appeal to tliose whose space is limited. 

 Of the older species, none has been more 

 pleasing this year than P. Lewisii: a tall grower 

 of gi'aceful habit, the branches wreathed with 

 racemes of \\''hite flowers, which have little or 

 no scent. 



The following hybrids have more or less 

 double flowers, and are of exceptional merit 

 for flowering in July: — Virginal, Argentine, 

 liouquet Blanc, and Glacier: purpiireo-macul- 

 latus forms a pretty plant, bearing abundance 

 (jf white flowers, blotched at the base of the 

 petals, with rosy purple. It is apparently a 

 hybrid of P. Coulteri, which has the same 

 colouration at the base of the petals, but here 

 is hardy only on a wall. 



A better plant than either is P. Qlillet de 

 Pour pre apparenth* of similar origin, but 

 with larger flowers than purpureo-inacullatus, 

 the blotch being deeper in colour. 



Plagianthus Lyallii, a New Zealand plant, is 

 extremely beautiful when in flower, Init, exc'ei)t 

 in the mildest localities, is only hardy against 

 a wall ; for this purpose, however, it is very 

 useful, and the clusters of pure white flowers, 

 each with a central mass of yellow stamens, are 

 very beautiful, and never fail to call forth ad- 

 miration. 



The slirnbl)y Potentillas are now faii-ly 

 numerous, and constitute a very pretty and 

 useful group of spring and summer flowering 

 shrubs. 



The majority of the more useful varieties are 

 considered to belong to P. jruUcosa, but they 

 vary in colour and time of flowering. The 

 white varieties — viz., P. Veitchii and P. frit- 

 fic()sall,a — flower earlier than the yellow forms, 

 and though flowering to some "little extent 

 (hn-ing the summer, do not keep up a display 

 so long. The best of those flowering now in the 

 niiddle of July are — P. /. niicrandra, with deep 

 yellow flowers, and larger leaves than the tyi>o. 



and also of dwarf habit; P. f. ucJtrulenca, 

 flowers soft pale yellow; and P. f. Vihnuriniana, 

 a delightful plant, with silvery leaves and 

 creamy white flowers, not pure white, as in 

 Veitchii. 



P. Friedrichseni is a good ])lant, with pale 

 yellow flowers; reputed to be a hybrid between 

 P. fruticosa and P. davtirica. 



P. davurica is a useful and pretty little plant 

 of dwarf habit, bearing smooth leaves and 

 white flowers; it is well suited for the rock 

 garden or front of a shrub border. 



Spartiian junceuni, the Spanish Broom, is 

 one of the glories of the garden from July 

 onwards for months. It must have a well- 

 drained, warm soil and a sunny position to do 

 really well. The typical plant will grow 8 feet 

 high, and is somewhat apt to become bare at 

 the base. When first planted it should be well 

 pruned back for several years to induce it to 

 fonn numerous branches. The round, Rush- 

 like s'hoots are deep green in colour, and bear 

 in July and onwards abundance of rich yellov,- 

 flowers of rare effect. There is a dwarf variety 

 — viz., Spartium junceum nanum — which 

 forms a useful shrub for some ])ositions. 



Sgringa japonica is a July flowering " Lilac," 

 in good soil making a very large shrub or small 

 tree. It forms large, pointed, opposite leaves 

 of ami)le proportions when the plant is vigorous, 

 and produces large panicles of showy white 

 flowers in Juh'. 



Veronicas are legion in gardens — from the 

 tiny, low growers of the Bidivillii type to huge 

 bushes, like V. Traversii or T'. salicifolia. 



Of those flowering in July, the following is a 

 selection of the best :—V. anomala, up to 3 feet 

 or more in height, with slender branches, 

 clothed with small, dark-green leaves, and 

 l)earing at the ends of the shoots clusters of 

 pure white flowers; T'. rahaiensis, a stout- 

 growing bush of the Traversii type, with M-hite 

 flowers; V. Dariviniana, dwarfer than the last, 

 flowers in I'acemes, white, with a faint tinge of 

 blue, and purple anthers; T'. Matthewsii, a low- 

 spreading plant, with thick leaves, and nume- 

 rous short spikes of white flowers; V. pscudo- 

 Travemii, with leaves much broader than those 

 of V. Traversii, the flower racemes also being 

 longei' and narrower, \\hilc the flowers are ])iu'e 

 white; I . Tni rcr.sii is vciy well known, and is 

 one of the hardiest, l)earing ai)undance of white 

 flowers tinged with blue; T'. LeiviNii has still 

 longer leaves and racemes, the latter made up 

 of numerous bluish white flowers; V. Kuhg 

 Tinge is a pretty garden variety, bea)-ing nume- 

 rous racemes of white flowers, suft'used or 

 tinged witli reddish purple. 



B. 



