IRISH GARDENING 



151 



The rock garden is full of interest, and con- 

 tains a remarkable collection of plants adapted 

 for rock work. In addition to many choice 

 alpines well grown, many of the dwarfer Rho- 

 dodendrons are now being accommodated there, 

 and look extremely well, and naturally so, 

 since nearly all of them are ixiountain plants 

 in their native habitats. 



Many other new Chinese trees and shrubs 

 are being tried, and as years go on Eowallane 

 will become more and more one of the most 

 interesting places in Ireland. 



Rostrevor House. 



With a comparatively mild climate and a 

 magnificent situation, Sir John Ross has fully 

 availed himself of his opportunities. There is 

 little doubt that here we have the largest col- 

 lection of plants, growing in the open, in the 

 whole country. Many have written of the Ros- 

 trevor House collection, but it seems inex- 

 haustible, as each visit reveals some new 

 addition, or some hitherto unnoticed specimen. 

 There is never time to take special notes of 

 each, with the result that our jottings incline 

 to become a mere list of plants seen. However, 

 Sir John has of late given readers some idea 

 of his enormous collection, and we need do no 

 more than allude to the many treasures it was 

 our privilege to see, without any attempt to 

 describe each. In the nursery yard Parsonsia 

 albiflora on a wall was flowering freely 

 rambling over other shrubs; Dryandra formosa, 

 figured in a recent issue, was noted, likewise 

 Beshcorneria yuccoides, a noble specimen ; 

 Iris gracilipes was flourishing in ordinary 

 garden soil, in a hot, sunny position ; a young 

 ])lant .of the rare evergreen oak, Quercus 

 Vibrayeana, from China and Japan, was noted, 

 and a new species of Cupressus collected by 

 Forrest ; Abies sachalinensis nemorensis is a 

 new Fir collected by Wilson ; Podocarpus 

 acutifolius will bo an addition to the other 

 species which flourish in some parts of Ireland ; 

 Calycotome infesta is an interesting spiny 

 shrub for a warm, sunny spot; the old 

 Eccremocarpus scaber, scorning the necessity 

 for soil, has established itself between the 

 bricks at the top of a wall, and rambles freely ; 

 Stachys coccinea, so often killed in some locali- 

 ties, loves the warmth at Rostrevor. On the 

 hill between the house and garden Dacrydium 

 Franklini flourishes — a fine specimen — and near 

 it Tetraclinis articulata from Morocco flourishes 

 in company with Hakea ulicina, 10 ft. high ; 

 Cinnamomum Loureirii from Cochin China was 

 also noted, and one could not but remark the fine 

 ])lants of Geraniimi anemonaefolium flourishing 

 luxuriantlv alwavs in shade. Rhododendrons 



are a feature at Rostrevor, and all tlie old, as 

 well as the newer, species are represented; 

 we noted particularly Rh. basilicum, Rh. 

 spinuliferum, Rh. Keiskii, Rh. oreodoxa, and 

 Rh. halense as little known species, but there 

 were scores of others, many of them large 

 specimens. 



The China Tea plant Camellia Thea (C. 

 theifera) is interesting, and makes a nice shrub, 

 and equally interesting is the rare Australian 

 Actinostrobus pyramidalis ; Weinmannia race- 

 mosa will apparently make a handsome ever- 

 green, as will Dacrydium Cupressinum, and 

 D. Colensoi from N. Zealand; the spreading 

 form of Libocedrus decurrens is of much in- 

 terest compared with the narrow, columnar 

 habit of the better known form. 



These are but a few of the beautiful and 

 interesting plants noted, but they will serve 

 to show the remarkable range of the collection. 



Daisy Hill Nurseries. 



This remains still the most remarkable com- 

 mercial collection to be found anywhere, and 

 it is impossible, in the course of one brief visit, 

 to examine a tithe of the plants in the nursery. 

 Miscanthus japonicus is a tall, handsome 

 grass of rare effect, and well suited for orna- 

 mental planting; a fine specimen of Dicksonia 

 lanata was noted in a cold house or shelter ; 

 Rubus irenseus is a fine bramble with large 

 handsome leaves, and nothing weedy about it; 

 Fagus Cunninghamii, one of the New Zealand 

 Beeches, is well grown and stocked at Daisy 

 Hill ; and the new Olearia oleifolia is declared 

 by Mr. Smith to be much hardier than 0. 

 Haastii. Ferula orientalis and F. neapolitana 

 are tall, handsome Fennels suitable for wild 

 gardening. Rosa Nuttalliana is a favom-ite at 

 Daisy Hill on account of its exquisite fragrance. 

 The uncommon Helwingia japonica was noted, 

 and fine specimens of Cotoneaster acuminata, 

 Sorbus alnifolius, Prunus nanus, and P. 

 Georgicus, Betula globispica, an uncommon 

 Birch, and the equally rare Betula Medwediewi, 

 often difficult to establish; new Barbemes, 

 Cotoneasters, Roses and Rhododendrons are 

 being raised in quantity, and in a few years 

 there will be an enormous supply available for 

 distribution. ^fany fine specimens of Abies 

 ]\Iariesii, some five feet high, were noted, and 

 grand plants of Fitzroya Patagonica, four to 

 five feet in height ; Leucothoe recurva is an 

 interesting dwarf shrub rarely seen in gardens, 

 but well adapted for peaty formations or loamy 

 soil free from lime; Stuartia virginica and 

 Andromeda tetragona were also noted, and a 

 most distinct form of Castanopsis — viz., C. 

 chiysophylla rar. ohtusifolia, with almost round 



