74 



IRISH GARDENING 



ce])tinnalJy hroad, and of a dark, flossy yiccii, 

 rot glaucous, as in Eluwxil. 



G. Iharue flourisiies liere, and inci't'asfs in 

 ricli soil in a warm, sunny position, and 

 evidently enjoys a \n)(n\ roastinj^- during sum- 

 mer, such as it pi'ohahly gets in its nati\H^ 

 home in the Island of Xikai'ia, off the coast 

 of Asia Minor. Ji. 



Scilla bifolia. 



This dehghtful little Squill has been par- 

 ticularly attractive this season, and shoidd he 

 grown by all who love the flowers of early 

 spring. Of robust tlioiigh lowly growth, it 

 accommodates itself to a variety of soils and 

 jtositions, a])parently indifferent to A\hether 

 the soil be light or hea\y, the position sunny 

 or shadeil. In fact, tbeic is an advantage in 

 having it in various positions, as thereby the 

 flowering season is extended. It difl^ers from 

 iScilla f^ihirira in the smaller, more star-like 

 flowers, on longer jiedicels, and carried on a 

 stem A\hicli arises from between a pair of 

 leaves, the leaves being more numerous in the 

 Siberian Scpull. 



SriLLA nii'oLlA .\\a:.\ 



is a counterpart of the tyi)e in all but colon)', 

 and forms a pleasant conti'ast to the blue foiau 

 when planted in grou])s or colonies about the 

 Eock Garden or elsewhere in beds or borders. 

 A third variety — 



Scilla iukollv kosi;a 



eom|)letes a ti'io, wliicdi f(,)i' bt'auty and effec- 

 tiveness woidd be bai'd to beat, indeed. The 

 flowers of this latter are pink — if anything 

 rather larger than those of the others. One 

 can imagine ver\ beautiful pictures being 

 formed by ])lanting t-olonies of these three, 

 carefully associated with other spring flowers, 

 iuid sei)arated bv drifts of greenery. 



B. 



Suggestions for Bedding Out 



I woNuiOR Ikjw many examples of the stereo- 

 typed bedding out we shall witness during the 

 coming season, with its ever abundant straight 

 lines of Geraniums, Henry Jacoby, and Mrs 

 lV)lloch, and its edging of Blue Lobelia 

 and Sweet Alyssum? Surely Sfjmething 

 more original miglit be aii'anged by mo^t 

 gardeners? 



Probably expense n)ay enter into the con- 

 sideration of most amateurs. If it does not, 

 then let them try a bed of ordinary Begonias 



tbis summer as a eliaiige. These lor>]\ well 

 always with tbeii' dark coloured foliage, and 

 are of tine ap|)earance. 



If the beds ai'e a good width straight lines 

 sliould not be always employed. .\ Nai'iety of 

 j)lants look Well in half moons in tlic beds, and 

 tliese half moon designs should be of good size. 

 It matters not if the reader lias here to use the 

 Asters and Stocks, for with an alternation of 

 the Jacobea, the Pink, the Carnation, the An- 

 tirrhinum, and, with an edging of blue, yellow 

 ( r white ATolas, these plants do not present so 

 much sameness. Variety is everything, I be- 

 lie\e, if the summer beds are to look brighter 

 and different to what they did last year. 



Large clum]js f)f Calceolarias alternating with 

 Pentstemons look very well, and these are, (jf 

 course, often used for Ailing beds. 



E. T. Lllls. 



Weetwood, Ecclesall, Shetfleld. 



The Use of Annuals 



Till'; use of annuals for suimner bedding seems 

 only to have occurred to a few. I saw a garden 

 last summer in which a mixed border containing 

 mostly jinnuals and quite a few perennials took 

 my fancy greatly. This border was not very 

 wide, about four feet, I sliould think, but it 

 had glorious clumps of Love-in-a-Mist and 

 many another delightful annual. 



Annuals for summer bedding are bedded after 

 they have been transplanted once or twice. Our 

 winter stuff is not removed soon enough gener- 

 ally to sow the seeds on the beds themselves. 

 But by the time this ap])ears the nurserymen 

 will ])robably have boxes of various annuals 

 ready for sale, and tliese may be Clarkias, 

 Godetias, Jacobeas, Nemophilas, Phacelia cam- 

 2;anularia, Larksjnirs, Kaulfussia amelloides, 

 and many another. These should be i)lanted 

 out, many of them six inches or more apart, 

 in late May or early June, and the Kaulfussia 

 might well be allowed to be the edging. 



Perha])s tjie charm of a border of annuals, 

 instead of the jjerpetual (ieianiums is tlie fact 

 that it is sometliing out of the ordinary. You 

 do not see it wherever you go; you yourself 

 admire it every; evening by reason of the 

 delicious scents which rise from it ; and your 

 neiglibours when they see it are charmed. I 

 am (piite certain that all who try the annual 

 liorder for bedding out this season will be de- 

 lighted, so 1 close my article at this point. 



E. T. Ellis. 



Weetwood, E'jclesall, Sheflield. 



