i6o 



IRISH GARDENING 



Av inter. Cut as inufh of the old wood away as i-an 

 1)0 spared, tying in the young shoots quite six 

 inches apart. 



Pusli on with root-pruning where necessary; 

 endeavour to get this done ))efore winter sets in. 



The Pleasure Grounds. 



Spring Bedding.— As the beds become vacant of 

 summer occupants complete the planting of 

 Wallflowers, Myosotis, and other spring flowering 

 subjects. 



Canterbury Bells, Sweet Williams and Aquilegias 

 look well planted in large masses in the herbaceous 

 borders, and should be planted out this month. 



Border Chrysanthemums. — Late flowering sorts 

 well set with buds may be lifted and placed in pots 

 or laid on peach house borders, covering the roots 

 with soil. Such plants will supply a lot of cut 

 flowers before the pot plant comes into bloom. 



Begonia Tubers, when properly dried, shoidd be 

 1)0.xed up and some loose soil or leaf-mould placed 

 over them. There will be less danger of dry rot 

 attacking them. Winter them in some cool, frost- 

 proof shed. 



Geranium Cuttings that have been standing out 

 in the open should be made safe now; a cool, airy 

 house and plenty of light suits them best. Water 

 with care during the winter or many will damp off. 



Herb.\ceous Borders. — Keep the borders tidy by 

 the removal of spent flower stems; any alterations 

 may be taken in hand towards the end of the 

 month. Old plants may require splitting up, and 

 when replanting choose the outside pieces, which 

 will prove more vigorous and give finer flowers. 



KocKERiES.— Clear off all fallen leaves from 

 amongst the plants — as some of the tender subjects 

 soon decay if these are left to accunuUate — and 

 bury them. 



Lawns. — Grass mowing will be over for the 

 season, but regular sweeping and rolling will be 

 required to keep the lawns in good order. 

 Thoroughly clean and oil the mowing machines 

 before putting them away for the winter. This 

 work could be reserved for a wet day. Keep the 

 walks cleaned from fallen leaves and twigs, main- 

 taining as tidy an appearance as possible. 



Shrubs. — Towards the end of the month the 

 plantings of shrul)S may be proceeded with, pro- 

 viding the soil is in a suitable condition to allow 

 lifting with the least damage to the roots. Plant 

 firmly and water well to settle the soil amongst the 

 roots. If bright days follow, spray well overhead 

 to encourage root action. 



Lysimachia Henryi 



This is quite an indispensable plant for autumn 

 flowering in the rock garden. Of low, trailing 

 habit, it flourishes in a slightly raised position, 

 where the roots will be moist and where the shoots 

 can lie out over a stone. It will grow luxuriantly 

 during summer in boggy gromid, but winters better 

 imder somewhat drier conditions. The flowers are 

 rich yellow, and at present, in the middle of Sep- 

 tember, the plants are full of bloom, and will con- 

 tinue while the weather remains mild. Cuttings 

 root readily at almost any time during the growing 

 season. 



Lavatera ** Loveliness.*^ 



Wheiie a bright, strong-growing plant is required 

 for a late sunnner and autunm display nothing 

 could excel this beautiful Lavatera. Sown where 

 it is to flower, as with other annuals in April, it 

 will grow to u height of four feet in ordinary 

 garden soil, and flowers profusely almost into 

 winter. The young plants should be thinned out 

 till they stand nine inches apart, thus giving each 

 adequate room to branch. The colour is of a rich 

 rose pink, well set off by the bronzy green foliage. 



The Newer Gentians 



Quite a number of Gentians have come into our 

 gardens since Mr. Wilson and others took to hunt- 

 ing China for good plants. Some, like (t. onuita, 

 had been known before, because, like many other 

 Chinese plants, they are connnon to the Himalayan 

 region which links up with China; but until their 

 introduction from China little seems to liave been 

 known aVjout them except to botanists. What is 

 the secret of the cultivation of these Gentians? 

 Occasionally one hears of spreading mats of <t. 

 onidta or of (t. sino-ornatd, if there he any differ- 

 ence, but there is an absence of reliable informa- 

 tion about their requirements. Planted in peat 

 or in loam, or in a mixture of both kept porous 

 by the addition of sand, the result is the same — the 

 plants gradually dwindle and disappear. All, how- 

 ever, grow fairly well in pots and propagate 

 readily from cuttings. The following have been 

 tried: — Ci. Fdrreri. G. Tjurrenrei, (i. ornata, (t. 

 sino-onuitd. and G. Veifrhiorum. One notable ex- 

 ception is (t. F. .':!().S, which has been named autho- 

 ritatively G. (IdJnnicd, but which Mr. Farrer, in 

 his book, calls G. rurdomi, while he describes (r. 

 dahur'un as dowdy and worthless. G. Punlomi 

 (V . ;>0o), if Mr. Farrer be correct, is a real gem, 

 flourishing in loam, producing abundantly its long- 

 tubed beautiful bright blue flowers. 



HORTUS. 



Review. 



Lawns. By Sutton & Sons, Reading. 



This excellent manual is designed to give practical 

 instruction in the formation of new lawns, tennis 

 courts, bowling greens, putting greens, and other 

 areas requiring a close, dense sward. Information 

 of an essentially practical nature is also given on 

 the upkeep of existing swards and on the renova- 

 tion of those which have become unsatisfactory. 

 Messrs. Sutton's success in tliis connection is well 

 known, and they rightly conjecture that the enor- 

 mous expense of bringing turf from long distances 

 away is not likely to be followed in many cases, 

 and there is no doubt that sowing down, when 

 properly carried out, gives a much more satis- 

 factory surface. Complete directions are given for 

 the preparation of all kinds of soils, for levelling 

 and sowing, quantities being quoted for different 

 areas. The destruction and eradication of weeds is 

 also dealt with, and we consider the manual cheap 

 at 2s. 6d. 



A separate leaflet gives the prices of the different 

 mixtures reconmiended for different ])ur7)0ses, 

 together with the quantities recommended for 

 various areas. Thus anyone can estimate accu- 

 rately what it will cost to carry out a piece of work. 



