IRISH GARDENING 



35 



smooth, dark-green leaves are 1 ance-shaped, 

 tliickly placed on the twigs. The llowers pro- 

 (hiced in May are borne in many-tlowered 

 chisters at the ends of the shoots and are rosy- 

 pink in colour, with a delightful fragrance. 

 Not an easy plant to grow in every garden. 

 A moist but amply-drained, loamy soil niay be 

 recommended. Soils naturally deficient in 

 humus or moisture-retaining material would 

 probably benefit by an admixture of peat. 

 There are one or two varieties of this species, 

 notably D. Cneunini major, which is claimed 

 to be superior to the type and is usually offered 

 in catalogues as such, wliile D. Cneoniiii 

 Vrrloti has more glaucous leaves and smaller 

 Hower lieads. I have not seen the white variety 

 reported some years ago. 



/). Daupliiiu is an evergreen reputed to be 

 of hyl)rid origin. The leaves are from two to 

 three inches long, dark green and shining. The 

 riowers, borne at the ends of the branches in 

 few flowered clusters, are reddish purple and 

 very fragrant. Grafted on /). Mc^crctiin this 

 hybrid grows strongly and flourishes in moist 

 soil with some shade. The branches are very 

 easily l)roken by strong winds or heavy falls of 

 sJiow and a sheltered position is advisable ; 

 flowering in February and March. 



/). (Iciil.ird, a native of China, would, no 

 d(iul)t, flourish in the milder parts of Ireland, 

 hut is for all practical purposes a greenhouse 

 shrul) ill most places. 



/). (inidiunt, a native of S. W. Europe, is an 

 evergreen with narrow, lauce-sha])e(l leaves. 

 It grows from one and a half to two feet higli 

 and produces pink flowers in summer. 



/). LdurcoJa, the common Spurge Laurel, is 

 fairly often met with in gardens. It will reach 

 a height of three or four feet when flourishing, 

 and is an evergreen. The leaves vary up lo 

 three or four inches in length, according to ihe 

 \ig(jur of the specimen, and are abruptly 

 narrowed towards the point in some leaves, 

 though more gradual in others, and here at 

 least, much smaller than those of 7). pontica, 

 witli whicli it is sometimes confused, but this 

 may be a question of health. 



The flowers of D. Laiircola are yellowish 

 green, produced in the axils of the leaves 

 towards the ends of the shoots. They appear 

 early in the year. The \AV\ety Philip pi is a low- 

 growing, bushy plant, the leaves more closely 

 arranged and smaller than in the tyjie. 



D. Mezereuhi is probably the most popular 

 Daphne in cultivation. A deciduous species 

 growing four or five feet high, it is a beautiful 

 object when the shoots aie well furnished with 

 fragrant, purplish-red flowers in February. The 

 pure white variety is not less beautiful and 



seeds freely, coming quite true from seeds as 

 far as I have seen. There is a variety, grandi- 

 flora, which I haw not seen, reputed to flower 

 in October. 



D. udura is an evergreen growing up to four 

 feet high under greenhouse conditions, which 

 seem to suit it best, but it is likely that in the 

 south of Ireland it would flourish in the open. 

 The flowers are reddish-purple and very sweet- 

 scented. In Wicklow, and in the south and 

 west, this delightful shrub should certainly be 

 tried. 



D. pctnica (/). nipcstris) is a tiny little 

 alpine evergreen lately become popular with 

 lovers of alpines. Of twiggy habit, it bears 

 small thickish leaves and produces clusters of 

 pink, sweet-scented flowers at the ends of the 

 twigs. It can be })ropagated by grafting on 

 seedlings of D. Me.zereuni and should be 



worked " as low as possible ; a sunny position 

 in loamy soil is recommended. 



/-). pontica, native of Asia Minor, is a robust 

 evergreen, more vigorous here than the Spurge 

 Laurel. The leaves vary in size up to three or 

 four inches in length, of a dark, glossy, green 

 colour. The flowers are yellowish green, pro- 

 duced in sjn'ing. A useful plant for moist 

 shady j)ositions flourishing in the shade of trees. 



/). rctiisd, introduced from China some years 

 ago, is an attractive, slow-growing species suit- 

 able for the rock garden. The branches are 

 comparatively stout and sturdy, and the dark 

 green coriaceous leaves are from one to two 

 inches long. The flowers, produced in late 

 spring, are borne in clusters at the ends of the 

 branches and are reddish-purple on the outside, 

 much paler within. g Dublin. 



Notes from my Rock Garden. 



The early days of February have shown much 

 promise of the beauty that will unfold in the 

 weeks to come. 



Saxifrages are thickly set with buds in 

 different stages of advancement, while there is 

 one of the Burseriana section in full bloom. 

 White, round, well-shaped petals, the stems of 

 brightest red and the foliage silvery, faintly 

 green. S. apiciiJain, of the same section, will 

 be the next to bloom, the buds now showing 

 the primrose colour well. 



Of the mossy section, " Red Admiral " will 

 be one of the first to bloom ; it is a pity that 

 its lovely ruby crimson changes colour so 

 quickly. The l)eautiful Arkwrightii comes 

 soon after and lasts long. The white, large 

 blooms have a peculiar form of their own. The 



