34 



IRISH GARDENING 



angular, black stt-nis ct''. ircd w itli purr wliitf 

 riowfi's contrast well willi sprays of Cijduniii 



j(l ptDllCII . 



Of all the Prumis family with white tluwrrs, 

 /'. (lasijcdjjxt (the lilaek Ajiricot) stands out as 

 the most lieautiful, clox'ly followed l)y /'. 

 IJavididua uIIki , I', coin in iinia, 1' . spinot^it It. /)/., 

 P. aiKjiifitifoUit (the mountain cherry of the 

 Unitt'd States), and the well-known /'. i'/,s,s(/ /(//'. 



Of pink-llowerinf4 Prunuses the January 

 blooming /*. Ihi ridiniHi luhm. I'. Iiilchti and it-; 

 double form I'. (Iclii>^ccn)i, 1'. diii jjijddl n:-; 

 persicoides and /'. /H/-s/Vf/ are most effeeti\c. 

 Pf^UHUS tfiicrohpi!^ var. Smith I, generally 

 lirio\vn as P. Miqinliiiiia , which Ijravel}' flowers 

 from November until April, must not bo for- 

 gotten. Few gardens, however, possess a 

 plant large enough to yield bi'anches for decora- 

 tion. 



Eibes, Forsythias, especially F. sui^pennd , 

 and the black-stemmed F. sus])e)isa atrocdiiUa, 

 NuttdJia ccrd.sif()rnii>^, .ldHiiii)\inii inid'illoru ni , 

 and its better, if less known, form, 

 Jaii)i)indni Sivholdidiiu in , can all l)e used. 

 When cut, the barlv should be peeled two 

 inches up the stem, which should be sidit, and 

 fresh warm water given every third day, cutting 

 a piece frequently off the end of the stem. The 

 Avriter has tried all those na'med, and found 

 them to be satisfactory. Where gas or oil lamps 

 are used, flowers will last nuich longer if placed 

 in a cool passage when lighting up time arrives. 



The Daphnes. 



For all gardening ])eople tlie J)aidines have a 

 special charm. They \ ary in habit from tiny 

 alpine bushes a few inches high to robust 

 shrubs reaching a height of four or five feet. 

 Some are comparatively easy to grow, others 

 are less so and require somewhat carefid 

 treatment to ensure success. A considerable 

 number are evergreen, others are deciduous. 



Ilegarding cultivation, as hinted above, it is 

 •juite impossible to lay down any hard and 

 fast rule. It 'is a well known fact that certain 

 species will flourish in one garden and not in 

 another, and it is likely that soil and atmo- 

 sphere have a good deal to do with success or 

 failure. A moii»t, but not stagnant, condition 

 at the roots seems necessary for the majority, 

 and lime is considered necessary for many of 

 the si:)ecies, though I have not been able to 

 find out what foundation there is for this belief, 

 except that the greater number seem to be 

 native on limestone formations. To take the 

 charming Garland Flower as an example, this 



s])ecies — I). Ciitmuhl — seems to tloinish in 

 one place in loam with lime and in anotlu'r in 

 peat. Many p opie ha\e doubtless l)een 

 tdiai'nied with lln' handsoiue, h.ealthy clumps 

 of this s])ecies iniporicd from Holland, and 

 apparently grown in the rich, black, sandy 

 soil of that country; \>et, when [slanted in loam 

 in our own gardens such ])lants languisli after 

 a year or so. Mowever, quite a large pro|)or- 

 tion of tile hardy sj)ecies in eultixation grow 

 ipiite satisfactorily in onlinary loamy soil. 



Propagation is effected in a variety of ways : 

 by seeds of any when procurable, by layering 

 of such low-s])reading growers as F> . Blacjayand 

 and l>. I'ncoi inn , and indeed, any of the 

 species wliere suitaoly placed branches can be 

 brought in contact with soil. Many kinds may 

 be grafted on seedlings of L). \lezeveuin , which 

 is deciduous and, theoretically, should be used 

 as a stock for deciduous species only; at the 

 same time I have repeatedly grafted ever- 

 greens such as D. ])(i uphln'i un to IK Mczereuni 

 with quite satisfactory results. It is advisable 

 to graft as low down as possible. The beauti- 

 ful /). pelru'd (rupestris) also grows cpiite well 

 on Alezereum stocks. 



The following species and varieties are in 

 cultivation: — I). aJpiiid, a dwarf s})ecies suit- 

 able for the rock garden ; the leaves are about 

 one and a half inches long, lance -shajjed, and 

 broader towards the apex. The fragrant flow'ers 

 are white, ])roduced in early summer. 



/). ditdicd, from the Altai Mountains, grows 

 from one and a half to two feet high, and like 

 the preceding, is deciduous. The oblanceolate 

 leaves are quite smooth and the ffowers white. 



D. Blagaijaiid, from the mountains of 

 Eastern Europe, is a ])opular ])lant where it 

 does well. In habit it is dwarf and sjireading, 

 leaves evergreen, borne towards the ends of 

 the twigs. The flowers are produced in 

 clusters at the ends of the shoots and are 

 creamy white in colour, sweet-scented, appear- 

 ing in i\Iarch. This species grows in sun or 

 shade in moist, stony soil, composed of good 

 loam mixed with peat ; the shoots as they gi'ow 

 should be weighted down with stones, w'hich 

 have the effect of inducing them to form 

 roots towards the apex. 



D. caucdHica is a deciduous species hailing 

 from the Caucasus. It will reach a height of 

 three or four feet when flourishing, and is on 

 the whole more interesting than beautiful. The 

 oblanceolate leaves are smooth and of a light 

 green hue; the flowers, borne in heads, are pro- 

 duced in early summer. 



D. Ciirnriim, the Garland Flower, is one of 

 the most beautiful dwarf shrubs in cultivation 

 when flourishing and flowering freely. The 



