(SEW VV» 



IRISH GARDENING" 



VOLUME XV 



No. 177 



Editor-J- W Besant 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



NOVEMBER 

 1920 



Current Work among Herbaceous Plants. 



ITH the advent of 

 November the iiow- 

 I'ling season is over 

 and the majoiity of 

 deciduous herba- 



ceous plants are fast 

 dying down. Before 

 the withering shoots 

 are quite dead and 

 jefore the bulk of 

 the plants has been 

 cut O'ver, n good 

 ideOj can be formed 

 as to any alterations necessary. During 

 the season notes may have been made 

 of groups that were too close or in an un- 

 satisfactory condition. The present is a good 

 time to lift, divide and rearrange the varioais 

 jjlants or groups with which it is. desired to 

 deal. In all cases the divisions should be 

 made as small as possible, replanting only those 

 showing tlie strongest growths proceeding from 

 the base of the old stems ; this will generally 

 be on the outside of the parent clump. Such 

 ]>lants as Asters Phloxes HeJeniuDis, Heli- 

 iiiitlii, Rudbec]{ias, Chrysanthcinunts iiidxi- 

 mtu)t, C. uli(jinosui\i, Echinops, Inuhis, etc., 

 may all be dealt with at present. Some how- 

 ever are luidoubtedly better left till spring, 

 say the middle of March, and these include, 

 K)iiphofias, Anthericums, Scahiosas and 

 plants with throng-like flesh roots generally. 

 The injuvN- done to fleshy roots while lifting 

 is more readily repaired as growth advances 

 than if the plants had to pass the winter dor- 

 mant as iVir as top growth is concerned. 

 Ih'JpJt'ntiiinis if in need of dividing and re- 

 planting should receive special cai-e. Clumps 

 n(jt infrf^cpiently become hcllow in the centre 

 and the roots are extremely brittle. It is an 

 oj)en question whether they are better dealt 

 with now or in spring. . If the soil of the dis- 

 trict is heavy and cold proba,bly spring is pre- 

 ferable otherwise the Avork may safely be done 



now, but the sooner the better. Slugs are dire 

 enemies of Delpliiuiums and even during mild 

 spells in winter, will eat out the points of the 

 young shoots, it is a good plan to cover the 

 crowns Avith tine ashes as a protection and 

 through which the shoots will grow freely in 

 spring. 



In all cases when lifting and replanting now, 

 the opportunity should be seized of adding 

 fresh food material in the form, oi well de- 

 cayed manure or vegetable refuse, which should . 

 be thoroughly mixed with " the " soil and not 

 merely placed round the roots. Fresh soil, is 

 an advantage when it can be obtained, also 

 burnti soil and wood ashes from the "garden fire 

 when such are available. It must be borne in 

 mind that if fine herbaceous plants are to' be 

 grown the soil nuist be kept in a high state 

 of fertility, in fact as good as is considered 

 necessary to grow good vegetables. 



Herbaceous plants' are now so numerous that 

 to< make a selection is a matter of sorne diffi- 

 culty and must be very largely a matter O'f tastQ 

 and means. When we consider only' thos.e 

 which may be called Florist's flowers .-such as 

 Delphiniinns, Phloxes, Pyrefhrimis, Asters, 

 Pieonics, LiipiiiH, and many others eacli con- 

 taining scores and even hundreds of purely 

 garden varieties, it will be easily, seen that no 

 individual except a nurseryman can possibly 

 grow tliem all and hence will only grow 

 such as he may like or can afford. This 

 enoiTuoiis number and variety, however, has 

 advantages' since practically evei-yone .canlbe 

 supplied according to circumstances. We 

 have tall, medium'' naai'l dwarf plants, spiing. 

 summer and autumn flpwers and again where 

 space is limited the . collection may be limited 

 to such as are dwarf or medium in height ami 

 suitable for eutting. Among medium and 

 dwarf kinds tlie following may be recoiii- 

 mended : — 



^Achillea Ptanitica Perry's Variety, "^'Alstroe- 

 vierica aurantiaca, Aquilegias, ^'Authericujii 



