114 



IRISH GARDENING 



and C. rainoicuIoiiJcs is as bad as the worst 

 Linaria. Some of the smaller Campanulas, 

 such as C. Bcllardi (C. puailla or coespitusa of 

 gardens) C. Raddania and C. urvatica also 

 ramp about, but, being small, are not so de- 

 structive to their neighbours. 



Some Euphorbias run fiercely underground 

 and root deeply, and any broken taproot soon 

 sprouts again. 



Of " seeders," the Epilobiums take i)ridc ol' 

 place. Their seed pods explode and lodge 

 their seeds in all sorts of accessible and in- 

 accessible spots, and wherever they fall they 

 germinate. I ruthlessly weed up any of them 

 except E. Dodoncei, which, seems amenable to 

 reason and content with its own corner. 



A much admired plant is Glaijtonia uHari- 

 foJia from British Columbia. its quaint 

 crimson, saddle-shaped leaves and white 

 flowers striped with pink are unconmion, but 

 it seeds itself for choice in the heart of some 

 small twiggy pbmt and soon smothers it, but 

 it is easily weeded out. 



Erinus alpinus only troubles me in inoraine 

 soil; there every seed germinates, and it loves 

 to establish a colony over some hidden gem 

 like Campanula. Balneri. 



Corydalis lutca has the same seeding habit. 

 It affects rock crevices, where its pr tty, fern- 

 like foliage and yellow flowers, produced well 

 into autumn, are very effective, but it grows 

 with extraordinary rapidity, and must be 

 closely watched. 



An old Valerian on the wall is eeiually un- 

 trustworthy, and an innocent seedling soon be- 

 comes an enormous, leafy, wide-spreading 

 plant. 



Finally, one must be carefvd of some of the 

 Sedums. Some of the commoner ones like S. 

 albiivi are very difficult to manage; every suc- 

 culent bit that falls on the surface of the soil 

 roots and soon forms a strangling mass. 



The beginner will receive many of the 

 plants I have mentioned from his gardening 

 friends (?), and if he is wise and cannot plant 

 them on some rough bank where they can fight 

 each other he had oetter omit them all except 

 Cavipamda coUina. Otherwise he must be pre- 

 pared to make war upon them almost un- 

 ceasingly. It is, in any case, advisable for him 

 to put his small, slow-growing treasures in an 

 isolated pocket where he can keep an eye upon 

 them, as otherwise too frequently he will dis- 

 cover some rapidly-spreading Aubrietia or 

 Arabis over the spot where he thought a 

 treasure was secure from invasion. 



I find that I have omitted Cerastiums. 

 There are several in cultivation, and all those 

 that I have tried spread equally above and 

 below ground and kill everything before them. 

 For rouc;h banks thev are useful and effective, 



but no one witli experience of their devastating 

 growth would ever admit them within travel- 

 ling distance of their normal rock i)lants. 



MlKR.W HoilNIUKOOK. 



Notes from my Rock Garden. 



\\ !■: may t'Xpcct to ha\e lor some weel<s yet 

 many (if llic charming and interesting jjlants 

 that we can grow so advantageously in our 

 rock gardens. 



Here the July weeks have been full of 

 I)leasure, giving ns the best of the Campanulas 

 and Dianthi, and many of the endless beautiful 

 varieties of rock plants. 



I like to have a certain numl)er of one family, 

 then choose out a special favourite for ])ride of 

 place. From amongst my Hypericums I have, 

 I'ightly (jr wrongly, chosen H. rcpfan-s, of the 

 ])t(t)ithi, n c ijJ c ct us , of the Geranimns, (i. ar- 

 (jciitcui)i, followed closely by a. dwarf, pale bhie 

 Geranium with large flower labelled ibcriciiin, 

 of the Miiiiuhi.s family T specially de\ote at- 

 tention to M. radicana and tlie lovely crimson 

 varieties. 



A very early, July-tiowei'iiig plant is Curo- 

 ii'dla ihcricuni. The dazzling patches it has 

 given are now fading off. It is a useful ])lant, 

 being ([uickly propagated from side shoots, and 

 the colour, bright yellow, comes in ver_y oppor- 

 tunely. Young plants of " Miss Wihnott 

 PotciifiUa are now giving go(jd results. I have 

 found that this variety looks l)est when con- 

 stantly re-planted — it so soon assumes a 

 straggling, coarser growth, and the neat-grow- 

 ing little ])lants, with their fairly large, lovely 

 carmine, strawberry-like flower, with dark 

 centre, look most effective amongst grey stones. 

 Propagation from cuttings is <juite a simple 

 matter; if a little scrap of root is taken off with 

 the cutting the process is more rai)id. 



Xevy good results are ap])arent from a \en- 

 ture during last winter t(j incorporate a [nrnd 

 into the rock garden. The short spell of dry 

 weather proved that the work is most effectual, 

 and it promises to prove a great acquisition. 

 Already some Aubrietias and Gypsophilas 

 pink and white, have been planted with the in- 

 tention that they will hang down towards the 

 water, forming a beautiful drapery all along one 

 side of the P'ond. 



Miiiniliis rost-a, JjitntcUi and others, with 

 suitable li'ises, Grasses, and the lovely varieties 

 of Cijpri pcdiu III and Epipacius palusiris are in 

 tile ))lanting. This latter little white and lilac 

 tci'i'esti'ial Orcliid is vei'y lovely when floweriuL; 

 in a good chun]). Less or more of it should 

 always be grown when possible; it is quite an 

 easy plant in any kind of damp soil, and I have 

 seen it blooming well in ordinary rock garden 

 soil. Am.\ranthe. 



