IRISH GARDENING 



99 



plant, with its thin, grey foliage setting off 

 tlie brightly shining, _\ellow flowers. 



Htjacintlnus aiiietli ijstiints, a little gem of its 

 tribe, its very narrow, grass-like leaves and 

 mealy stems crowned with small, pale 

 blue, shading to deepei' blue, bells. A native 

 of Spain and Italy. 



Large cushions of Oj-alis cnncaphijlht grow 

 m different asi>ects, cue, the largest, at the 

 foot of a tree. 0. adoiophyUa also seems 

 quite at home. 



These are only a few of the plants in this 

 liappy rock garden. Mr. Barton designs, 

 builds, plants and weeds his own garden, and 

 the secret of his success lies largely in the firm- 

 ness of his treatment. His stones do not 

 wobble, his plants are Hrndy planted and get 

 a good stamp in " fen- luck," which send off 

 they appreciate and it certainly is successful. 

 A " lucky heel " in the rock garden evidently 

 corresponds to a " lucky thimd^ " in the 

 potting shed. 



A short distance fi'om the rock garden 

 anotliei' side of the activities of The J^ush is 

 seen in a 16 acre field of gooseberry bushes, 

 where a motor ti'actor hummed till 10 p.m. 

 endeavoui'ing very successfully to make up f(jr 

 time lost by three months' continuous rain, in 

 preparing ground for potatoes (two* drills be- 

 tween each ]'o\v of (iooseberry bushes) which, 

 to the unusual accompaniment of the cuckoo's 

 note, are being planted tliis year in the North 

 of Ireland on the 7th day of June. 



w. r. M. 



Trees and Shrubs. 



June is <]uite a good month for flowering 

 shrubs, and where a repi'esentative collection 

 is grown there is no lack of beauty and interest. 



In warm positions by walls, or elsewhere, 

 Mdiere there is shelter and exposure to the 

 hottest sun, the Cistuses make a beantifid dis- 

 play ; though the individual flowers be evan- 

 escent yet they are produced abundantly and 

 in daily succession for a considerable time, and 

 thus are vahuible at midsummer. Among 

 others the following were noticeable from mid- 

 June onwards: — 



Ci.sfn.s rjijiriiin, with clusters of large, wdiite 

 flowers, the petals crimson blotched; C. cor- 

 harieits'iH, dwarf witli pui'e white flowers; ('. 

 vi())iHjic]icn.si.^, flowei's wliite, leaves narrow; 

 C. FIorciif'niiiH, dwarf with white flowers, 

 blotched with yellow at the base of the petals; 

 r. Jdilaiiifcnin, C. laurifolius and C. purjuircuH, 

 all well known, liave also opened their flfjwei's, 

 contributing their (piota to the month's dis- 



play. Deutzia longi folia has been the most 

 striking species of this fine genus during the 

 month. Growing from four to five feet high, 

 each arching branch clothed with corymbs of 

 large, pale pink flowers, it has proved a source 

 cf much pleasure. D. purpurascens, originally 

 discovered by Abl)e ]>elavay a good many years 

 ago, has lately been raised from seeds sent 

 home by recent collectors. One such plant has 

 flowered this year and is of a flne pur})lish- 

 rose colour, while others of the same batch 

 were nearl\- white though tinged with purple 

 on the outside. CJoitatis Fargesii and C. 

 Spuoncri, two free-growing, M'hite-flowered 

 species of recent introduction and of the 

 montana type, have again bloomed attrac- 

 tively, as has C. montana Wilsoni, also white, 

 and which will continue to bloom for some 

 time. C. fangutica is distinct and attractive 

 in its solitary, long-stalked flowers, which are 

 rich yellow, and are followed in autunm by 

 feathery fruits, which add to its charms. 



E.scalloniafi are remarkably attractive June 

 shrubs, persisting in flower for quite a long 

 time. Most of the species are good shrubs, and 

 it would be dilficidt to beat such fine species 

 as E. PliiVippiana, Avith pure white flowers, and 

 E. pterocUulDii , white tinged pink, but neither 

 are reliable in evei-y garden thoiigh particularly 

 fine where suited. <)f late years a number of 

 hybrids have been produced, and it must be 

 confessed that for vigour and usefulness they 

 are superior to the species. E. Ed in en sis, raised 

 in the Koyal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, is 

 remarkably attractive in its masses of pink 

 flowers. E. Exoniensis, a strong grower, bears 

 abundance of almost white flowers. E. Lang- 

 Icgcnsis, with abundance of carmine pink 

 blossoms, is a universal favourite, and E. Don- 

 ard Seedling, i:ii\\e pink, has been much com- 

 mended of late years. E. C. F. Ball, raised at 

 the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, by the 

 late Mr. C F. Ball, is likely to be a favourite 

 wdien better known ; with flowers almost as 

 large as those of niacntntlia, of a deep carmine 

 red, and with leaves much smaller than those 

 of niacrantJta, it is likely to prove a striking 

 and beautiful shrub. Rosa Mogesii, now fairly 

 well known to lovers of shrubs, has been very 

 beautiful from the middle of the month on- 

 wards. The long, arching branches, carrying 

 scores of large, deej) red flowers, made a 

 picture of great beauty, and one which may be 

 looked forward to annually. 



Of the many Philadelphuses now in cidtiva- 

 tion, especially garden hybrids, it is difficult to 

 select the best, but among the species note 

 should be taken of P. hrachgbotrys purpnr- 

 cscens. This is of particularl_\- gi'aceful habit, 



