152 



IRISH GARDENING. 



leaves; Osmantlius mvrtifolius makes a neat 

 evergreen, with small, dark green leaves. Of 

 herbaceous })lants we noted large quantities 

 of such good things as Incarvillea Delavayi, 

 I. granditlora, Trollins napellifolius albus, 

 Cheiranthus alj)inus .Moonlight, Tritoma 

 modesta, Iris Douglasi + tenax in many forms ; 

 Crocosmia imperialis, immense quantities of 

 Irises, Delphiniums, and, in short, all that is 

 best in the way of herbaceous plants; tj'uly, 

 a great collection. B. 



Proustia Pyrifolia. 



This interesting Chilian shrub is a mcmbri' of 

 the great Compositae family, and is fairly 

 hardy, even on a north wall. During very 

 severe winters the shoots may be killed back 

 to half t/heir length or so, but new ones grow 

 away rapidly in spring. The shoots ai'e long, 

 slender, and a])parently adapted for rambling 

 through and over other shrubs, but do not 

 possess spines, and have no inclination to 

 twine. Lightly tied against a wall, the ends of 

 the shoots hang down, and the flower-heads arc 

 produced at the termination of the shoots and 



in the axils of the upper leaves. Individually, 

 the flowers are small, the petals white, anthers 

 reddish violet; the leaves are stiff, and of good 

 substance, shortly stalked, alternate, oval with 

 a sharp spiny point irregularly spiny-toothed 

 on the margin, and clothed with soft down 

 below ; the leaves assume different positions 

 on the shoot, some being almost erect and 

 others spreading horizontalh-. With some- 

 what the aspect of Mutisia, to which it is re- 

 lated, this interesting shrub is well worth trying 

 in the milder parts of Ireland. 



Late Flowering Shrubs. 



Elsiioltzia Stauntonii, a native of China, has 

 flowered rather well this year, and has been 

 noticeable rather, perhaps, because of the 

 scarcity of shrubs flowering in September and 

 October than from any great merit it has. 

 Each shoot is teiininated by a slender panicle 

 of small, purplish-pink flowers, distinct from 

 anything else in the way of shrubs at this time. 

 The leaves are lance-shaped, with a few coarse 

 teeth on the margins, and have a not un- 

 pleasant scent when bruised. A well-drained 

 soil and a sunny position are essential, and 

 even then the shoots usually die back more 

 than half their length diu'ing winter, but new 

 growths are produced from the base of the 

 previous year's shoots in spring. 



Caryopteris INIastacanthus, from China and 

 Japan, is one of the most satisfactory late 

 autumn flowering shrubs we have. It belongs 

 to the Verbena order, and forins a twiggy shrub 

 with opposite leaves, the current year's shoots 

 being terminated by corymbs of bright-blue 

 flowers in October. As inclement weather is 

 not infrequent during tlie |)eri()(l of flowering, 

 it is well to give this shrub a sunny, sheltered 

 position, where it will get the benefit of any 

 good weather there may bd^ and it is well worth 

 a place on a wall. It may be j^ropagated by 

 seeds or by cuttings of the young growths in 

 summer. 



Escallonia montevidenses has this year had 

 a fair chance to develop its large panicles of 

 wliite flowers. Here it is only a success against 

 a wall, though elsewhere, in tlie milder ])arts of 

 Ireland, it succeeds as a bush in the open. 

 The evergreen leaves are 2 to ;5 ijiches or more 

 in length, and up to an inch wide. A great 

 many strong shoots are produced during sum- 

 mer, and in the spring it is necessary to severely 

 thin out the previous year's growths, especially 

 those which have flowered ; the shorter shoots, 

 which did not flower the previous autumn, may 

 !)(• left to grow on. 



l)ursafia spinosa is an intcrestiu'r late (lower- 



