IRISH GARDENING. 



187 



The Month^s Work. 



By T. E. ToMALiN, Gardener to the Eight Hon. 

 The Earl of Bessborough, K.P., Bess- 

 borough, County Kilkenny. 



The Flower Garden. 



Protection should be afforded to the crowns if 

 Gunneras and to any phmts or shrubs of doubtful 

 liardiness, such as Cassia, Solanum jasminoides. 

 Calceolaria integrifoUa, Criniims, &c. Dry bracken 

 fern is very suitalile for tliis purpose, and may be 

 placed thickly around the base of the plants, or, 

 in the case of shrubs and climbers, interspersed 

 amongst the branches. If the fern is then covered 

 over with green spruce houghs these w^ill keep the 

 maternal in position besides giving a tidy appear- 

 ance for the winter. 



Shrubberies that have become crowded should 

 now be re-arranged by transplanting some of the 

 shrubs and the judicious pruning of others. The 

 Escallonias may be cut down to within a couple of 

 feet of the groimd, and will then break and form 

 very shapely bushes in one season. When plant- 

 ing new shrubberies, ample room should be 

 allowed between the more important specimens, 

 and especially those that do not like transplanta- 

 tion. The intervening spaces may be filled up 

 temporarily with the conmroner shrubs, or even 

 by planting groups of Dahlias or Michaelmas 

 Daisies. 



Lily (if the Valley. — Beds of these become over- 

 crowded after a few years, and it is then best to 

 take up a portion of the plants, sort out the crowns, 

 and then re-plant, on a fresh site if possible, in 

 lines 9 inches apart, placing the crowns at 3 or 4 

 inches apart in the rows. The rest of the bed should 

 be similarly treated in subsequent years. If the 

 soil is poor, plenty of leaf soil should be added 

 before planting. A good topdressing of this to 

 established beds also will be verv beneficial. 



Clematit of the Jackmannii Section shoidd b*' 

 cut back without delay, as if this is deferred until 

 P'ebruary, as is sometimes advised, it will be found 

 that new shoots have alreadv pushed out above 

 the point at which they should be cut back, this 

 growth being, of course, at the expense of next 

 season's flowering shoots. 



Border CJirysantheminiis. — A few roots of each 

 variety should now be lifted and packed into 

 cutting boxes for providing cuttings for next 

 season. They may be kept in a cold frame for the 

 winter. 



The Rock Garden. 



Where deciduous trees overhang the rockery 

 care nuist be taken not to allow fallen leaves to 

 accumulate on top of tender plants, or these will 

 damp off. On the other hand, do not, in the passion 

 for tidiness, cut off the tops from the more tender 



herbaceous plants, nor the withered fronds from 

 'choice ferns. These form nature's protection to the 

 •:rowns from the frosts of winter, and should not be 

 removed until danger from this source is past. 



The Fruit Garden. 



Trt(// Trees. — Continue to transplant trees that 

 require it on all favourable occasions, and attend 

 to the priming and training of those that have not 

 been moved this winter. In pruning Plums and 

 Pears, which have not yet covered their allotted 

 space, it is important not to leave too long an 

 extension of the leader each season — 6 to 9 inches 

 being an ample length. If long shoots are trained 

 in without cutting back, their lower buds will not 

 break, and a large part of the valuable wall space 

 will be taken up with bare and unfruitful wood. 



Pruning should be proceeded with whenever the 

 weather is suitable — that is, when the work can 

 lie done in comparative comfort to the operator. 

 Ijet those trees which require winter spraying be 

 pruned first, so that advantage may be taken of 

 still weatlier in January to perform this work. As 

 a rule, we do not get too many days in winter suit- 

 able for spraying, and in the event of early vege- 

 tation in the spring, the trees soon become too ad- 

 vanced for effective spraying without risk of injury 

 to the buds. 



When the pruning of the larger fruits is finished, 

 the bush fruits should receive attention. Goose- 

 berries and Red and White Currants fruit- mostly 

 on spurs which are formed along the main 

 branches. Spur-formation is encouraged by cutting 

 hard back all side-growths of the previous season, 

 leaving the leading shoot about 6 inches long to 

 e.xtend the branch. Black Currants require quite 

 different treatment. These fruit on young wood 

 formed the previous summer, so that care nuist 

 be taken to leave enough young shoots their full 

 length, to furnish the bush, removing such of the 

 older branches as can be spared, and thinning out 

 the weakest of the younger shoots. This nuist be 

 done with judgment, so as to prevent overcrowd- 

 ing and to preserve a shapely outline to each bush. 



Cuttings of bush fruits are made by selecting 

 medium-sized shoots of the previous season, about 

 one foot long, at pruning time and, in the case of 

 Gooseberries and Red and White Currants, remov- 

 ing all tlie buds except five or six at the top. The 

 l)ase of the cutting should be cut clean across 

 immediately below a joint. In the case of Black 

 Currants none of the buds should be removed, 

 because with these it is important to encourage 

 the growth of strong shoots from the ground level 

 or below it. In planting the cuttings a trench 

 should be cut about 5 inches deep, and the 

 cuttings placed about one foot apart along the up- 

 right side. The soil thrown out should then be 

 drawn up to them and trodden firm. 



The fruit store should be ventilated occasionally, 

 and a thorough search made periodically for de- 

 caying or spotted fruits, which should be removed 

 before they contaminate others. 



The Veget.\ble Garden. 



On favourable days stir the soil between winter 

 crops of Spinach, Lettuce, Cabbage, Tripoli 

 Onions, &c.. and do not allow weeds to overgrow 

 the beds in which young seedlings are growing. 



As soon as the crop has been taken from batches 

 of Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Savoys, &c., let the 

 stumps be pulled up and buried in the quarter 

 which is being trenched ; they will rot down into 

 valuable humus, which will greatly increase the 

 fertility of the soil. The ground thus cleared 

 should then be ridged up for the winter. Roots 



