154 



IRISH GARDENING 



spent hops fioiii the l)iewery, leaves from the 

 woods. sweepin<;s from the roads, vegetable refuse 

 from our own jjardens, and sliidge cake from the 

 sewage works? Why not use these? 



First of all, about senweed. This can bt> used 

 to t'ke out manure, but not as a eomi)lete substi- 

 tute. About two parts of seaweed mixed witli one 

 of manure c-an l)e dug in for most vegetables with 

 excellent results, especially in the case of ])eas and 

 beans. 



Heat from th(> moors is somewhat acid. But lime 

 or chalk freely mixed with it will counteract this. 

 Mix a week or two Ix'fore use, and if, when .some 

 is throwji in the water, blue litnuis paper is turned 

 red, more lime will l)e required. 



Spent hops from breweries should be well satu- 

 nited with house slops and dug in at once for 

 ])otatoes ;ind other strong-growing crojjs. 



Leaves can be mixed with nuinure from the 

 stable or farmyard to helj) it out, in the proportion 

 of two ])aits to f)iu^. 



Svveej)ings from the roads should be well soaked 

 either with strong liquid manure or with urine 

 from cow-byres, if availa])le; otherwise, well 

 moisten it with slops. This material must be 

 buried deeply to prevent the weed seeds it con- 

 tains germinating. 



Vegetable refuse (except potato tops) can be 

 dug in as soon as it has rotted down, either alone 

 or mixed with seaweed or stable manure. 



Sludge cake is grand stuff, and will produce truly 

 magnincent crops, especially in the lighter soils. 

 Break it up to a coarse, wet powder and use at the 

 rate of one to two tons per .'{()() square yard ])lot. 



The culture of such crops as Carrots, long Beet- 

 root, Parsnips, Salsafy, and Scorzonera is to be 

 coiiunended this year, as these require very little 

 in the way of aninud or vegetable manure. 



Gilia coronopifolia 



This delightful i)lant charms everyone with its 

 l)eautiful crimson scarlet flowers in Septeml)er. It 

 is best treated as a l)iennial, and is often slow to 

 germinate. Seeds should be sown, if possible, in 

 August, but in any case during the autumn j)re- 

 vious to flowering. The plants form at first a rosette 

 of finely divided leaves, from which during the 

 following siunmer arises the flowering shoot, also 

 furnished with fern-like foliage. Towards the to]), 

 when three to four feet high, side branches often 

 form, and on these as well as on the nuiin stem 

 the flowers are produced. Slender stakes are 

 necessary to support the plants, which are liable 

 to be weigluxl down by lu^avy rain. 



Clematis Orientalis var, tangutica 



This remains tlu' best of the yellow-Howeied 

 Clematises. When visiting Mr. Richard Smyth at 

 Mount Henry, Dalkey, Co. Dublin, in the middle 

 of September, 1 was rewarded l)y the sight of a 

 huge mass of tliis fine variety, bearing many hini- 

 dreds of its ))eautiful flowers mingled with the 

 silvery fruits of earlier blooms. Never before have 

 I seen, it in such wild profusion of flower and fruit. 

 Mr. Smyth cuts hard bac-k the annual growths 

 every spring, and so obtains vigorous young shoots 

 which flower freely in late sianmer and autumn. 

 Dalkey is a favoured locality, with a mild climate, 

 a soil free from lime, an elevation well above sea 

 level, and views of sea and momitain hardly 

 equalled anywhere. 



Mr. Smyth has a great liking for succulent 

 plants, and cultivates many successfully out of 



doors. His little desert garden, full of many inter- 

 esting things l)efore the war, is now an' oliject 

 lesson on the climate of Dalkey. Mr. Smyth was 

 absent from home on duty with the navy for nearly 

 four years, and during that time tlie desert garden 

 looked after itself. When he came home some 

 things were goiu\ and all were smothered in w-eeds ; 

 but many luid survived, and are now in full re- 

 covery. Among others I saw recently were Aloe 

 innpiirnnd rd rieijafa , a fine, big, healthy plant; 

 Jieschoineiiii Jfecosteiiinut, Opniifids of several 

 kinds; d'asfi'iiti sp.; Seinperri ri( iii mlioreiini in 

 variety; < 'i>ti/h>(l<jiiH or Kchereiias of various 

 kinds; Mexican Sediims. Seiteiios of sorts, and 

 other interesting jjlants. Very soon this feature of 

 Mount Henry will regain its ])re-war interest, and 

 we <'an look forward to many beautiful plants 

 flowering therein. 



HORTUS. 



Lobelia Tupa 



Though lacking somewhat the gi'ace and elegance 

 of the Cai'dinalis Lobelias, this is, nevertheless, a 

 strikingly handsome ])lant for early autiunn flower- 

 ing. It is quite perennial, and flourishes in sun 

 or shade, but it may suffer during a very cold 

 winter in a damp, retentive soil. It is better, 

 therefore, to plant for permanency in a sunny 

 position in well-drained soil, and, if found neces- 

 sary, the roots may be lightly protected in winter. 

 The leaves are larger than those of L. cunliinilis, 

 and are furnished with soft down. The flowers are 

 rich crimson, and the plant will reach a total 

 height of four feet or more according to local cir- 

 cumstances. 



Roses from Cuttings 



Many roses strike readily from cuttings, more 

 particularly the ramblers of the Dorothy Perkins 

 class. October is an excellent month to insert the 

 cuttings, and practically any short, well-ripened 

 growth will root. It is prefera))le to utilise short side 

 growths which can be removed with a " heel " of 

 the main branch. Many of these may be detached 

 when the roses are being thinned out after flower- 

 ing. At that time many old flowering growths are 

 removed, and from these cuttings can be obtained, 

 tying them into bundles correctly labelled, when 

 they may l^e heeled in until a suitable place and 

 time is found to plant them. 



Cuttings of many of the stronger Teas and 

 Hybrid Teas, dwarf Polyanthas, and other decora- 

 tive varieties may be put in at the same time, and 

 quite a fair percentage of them will root and make 

 useful bushes in the course of a year. They are 

 then available for replacing weaklings in the beds 

 and borders, or they may be used as a reserve 

 stock to supply cut flowers. A sheltered, but not 

 over-shaded, position should be chosen, the soil 

 deeply dug and well broken, afterwards firming 

 and raking level. Willi a s])ade open a narrow 

 trench, nine inches deep, and if the soil is inclined 

 to be retentive put a couple of inches of sand in 

 the bottom for the base of the cutting to rest on. 

 Make the soil firm when filled in and level the sur- 

 face as each row is inserted. Cuttings 12 to 15 

 inches long are suitable, and they should be 

 planted nine inches deep, but if shorter cuttings 

 are used they may be planted shallower accord- 

 ingly. The cuttings should be about 9 inches 

 asunder and 2 feet between the rows for rand)lers; 

 for dwnrfs 9 inches by a foot will be suffic-ient. 



Rosa. 



