IRISH GARDENING 



through the drainage hole of the pots. Stagnant 

 moisture is fatal to them — the fronds vei'.v 

 easily danij) off. If dusty tlicy may he well 

 syringed and left foi' ^niiie hours iu the open air 

 to thoroughly diy. 



'J'his autuuui 1 was on tlir County Autiim 

 coast, and in some eases there 1 found the Sea 

 Spleenwort as one usually sees it :— small — 3 to 

 I inches at hest — liard and leathery. The con- 

 ditions were just the same as in the Donegal 

 cave except that tiie .\ntrim caves were in lime- 

 stone (chalk) rocks. Hence I infer that though 

 the Sea Spleenwort will grow in calcareous soil 

 it does not lilco it, and does better with veiy 

 Httic, the lime dcriMMJ from water hciug as 

 nuicli as it cares for. 



Mr. Praeger truly says : salt spray spells 

 (h'atli to most Ferns. The first time I ever saw 

 Ontmnida regaJis growing wild was at Howth, 

 inaccessible in a kind of shallow (fissure) cave 

 facing N., opening on the sea, where it must 

 have been drenched with spray during every 

 storm on that shore. Again, in the Donegal 

 cave were manj- specimens of Osmimda and 

 Tjady Fern, so both of these can stand a 

 modicum of salt ; both of them also dislike a lot 

 of lime, though thev will put up with a 

 little. 



I enclose a specimen frond of Asplenium 

 marinum measuring nine inches, though it is 

 by no means the best, as owing to an accident 

 this year most of them damped off. 



H. C. D. 



1920. 



The year which has just closed has been a fate- 

 ful one in many ways, yet few will deny that 

 rarely has there been a more satisfactory one 

 from a gardening point of view. Crops were 

 abundant, of gf)f)d quality, and harvested imder 

 ideal conditions. True, the long drought was 

 trying in many gardens, yet most crops 

 prospered. Fruit and vegetables flourished 

 wherever reasonable cultivation was carried out, 

 and ornamental gardening revived considerably, 

 giving pleasure and instruction to many an 

 anxious worker in other spheres of labour. Rock 

 gardens in spring and early summer were 

 hardly ever more beautiful, and seemed to glow 

 with beauty, as if in thanksgiving for the end 

 of the war; and herbaceous plants were no whit 

 t)ehind. Whether the long warm summer of 

 1019 was the cause or not it is certain that a 

 greater wealth of bloom has rarely been enjoyed 

 in Irish gardens. Wliat of the year we have 

 just entered? Despite the fact that the general 

 outlook on the world reveals mutdi that is dis- 

 turbing there is ample evidence that gardening 



ui all its I'orms will go ahead. Tlic dcu]and for 

 fruit trees, ornamental sliruhs and tret's, al]mies, 

 herbaceous i)lants ami seeds is konwn to bo 

 brisk, and, indeeil, the demand can scarcely be 

 ]net. (lai'dcning has survived many a war and 

 many a pci iod of depression, and it will do so 

 again. To-day the love of flowers is greater than 

 ever, and never was there a keeirer ai)preciation 

 of the possibilities of our soil and climate. The 

 desire to be able to grow something is shown by 

 the ever increasing demand for allotments and 

 in the insistence that new houses should, as far 

 as possible, be pi'ovided with adequate gardens. 

 Let us then do everything in ovu- power to 

 enbourage gardening among all classes of the 

 community in large gardens, small gardens, 

 and allotments. There is no doubt whatever 

 that gardening has a beneficial effect on man- 

 kind, whether it be followed for pleasure or 

 jtrofit. The market grower and nurserj'man, 

 although lie has to work hard and be ever on 

 the alert to make ends meet seems to get more 

 enjoyment out of his business than tradesmen 

 in other lines. Those who own well-stocked 

 private gardens, and take an interest in them, 

 derive untold pleasure from their rock gardens, 

 rose gardens, herbaceous plants, &c., while the 

 professional gardener is notoriously an 

 enthusiast who, at the end of a day's work, will 

 go miles to see another garden. For long his 

 pay has been small in comparison to his know- 

 ledge and skill, but now there is an upward- 

 tendency and employers should read the signs 

 aright and see to it that skilled, trustworthy 

 men are paid in such a way that they can hold 

 up their heads among their fellowmen. 



Greenfields, Co. Tipperary, 



The Home of Mr. W. B- Purefoy. 



The mansion is covered to roof-top with 

 beautiful Climbers, including Clematis mon- 

 tana, Pyrus jaj)onica, Ampelopsis Veitchii, 

 Jasminum oflicinale, Jasminum nudiflorum, 

 Edwardsia, Fendlera ru])icola, Rose Gloire de 

 Dijon, Magnolia grandiflora, Tricuspidaria 

 dependens. Sec. To the right stands the con- 

 servatory, surrounded by a hedge of Escallonia 

 maqrantha. Inside are many good Climbers on 

 the. roof as follows: — Streptosolen Jamesoni, 

 Tacsonia \'an Volxemii, Ik)ugainvillea San- 

 deriana, Roses Marechal Neil and Niphetos, 

 Heliotrope, liapageira rosea, and the white 

 variety, &c. 



On the stages are fine specimen Fuchsias, 

 including Queen Mary and Triphylla; also 

 Calceolaria Burbidgei, Cinerarias in variety; 

 Nerines in variety ; Salvias, Primula sinensis, 



