IRISH GARDENING. 



31 



The Flower Garden. 



By J. G. TONER, Horticultural Instructor, County Monaghan. 



Toner. 



CINERARIAS coming- into bloom will be greatly 

 helped by occasional waterings of ^\eak liquid 

 manure, and fumigation should be attended to so 

 as to prevent attacks of fly. C. stellata is very popular, 



and well-grown speci- 

 mens make a fine dis- 

 play, more especially 

 where there is suffi- 

 cient room to show 

 them off. The dwarf 

 French variety is suit- 

 able for small pots, 

 and excels in size of 

 individual flowers. 



Gloxinias may now 

 be started intogrowth. 

 A good plan is to shake 

 the tubers clear of the 

 old soil and place them 

 in boxes well drained 

 and filled with a fight, 

 rich compost ; the}- 

 may then, as sufficient 

 growth is made, be 

 potted into their 

 flowering pots. A 

 brisk heat and moist 

 atmosphere suits them 

 admirably while growing, but later, as they come into 

 flower, the conditions must be somewhat cooler and 

 drier, otherwise the flowers will suffer. Shade is also 

 essential. 



Genistas, cupheas, azaleas, and rhododendrons will 

 now be in or coming into flower, and as they are all so 

 easily grown, even the smallest conservatory should not 

 be without them. 



Tuberous begonias may n<nv be started for early 

 flowering, and seeds of these and also gloxinias may be 

 sown ; as they are so very fine they should not be 

 covered with soil, but a piece of glass should be laid 

 over the pots or pans and shaded or covered with brown 

 paper. A temperature of 65 to 75 degrees is required. 



Sow sweet peas in pots or in shallow and narrow boxes. 

 If sods, say two inches thick, are laid over the drainage 

 in the latter and the seeds sown on them and covered 

 with rough soil the transplanting can be performed 

 later on without much harm to the roots. There being 

 such a wonderful variety of colour in these beautiful 

 flowers every taste can be suited. 



Lobelia, golden feather, antirrinhums, dwarf (splendid 

 for bedding purposes), petunias, &c. , may all be sown 

 now. Cyclamen seeds sown now will give nice plants 

 which will flower next winter and spring ; but it is more 

 usual to sow these in August or September, as the plants 

 then grow much larger and flower earlier. 



Fuchsias may now be cut into shape and started into 

 growth. They may be syringed occasionally so that 

 they may break freely, and when a few inches of growth 

 has been made re-potting should be attended to. Plenty 

 of young shoots can be selected later on for increase of 

 stock. 



As mentioned last month, work connected with her- 

 baceous borders should be done when the weather 

 conditions are suitable and the soil is in a proper state for 

 working. 



Good judgment is essential in dealing with the planting 

 of herbaceous subjects. Height, size, season of flower- 

 ing, and harmony in colour must be kept in view ; it is 

 usual also to leave spaces towards the front portions for 

 biennials and annuals, which add much to the effect 

 during the season. 



Roses, deciduous and evergreen shrubs, climbers, &c., 

 may now be planted with every prospect of success if 

 the positions for these have been prepared beforehand, 

 as is the practice of those who devote some thought to 

 their work. Advantage can be taken on the first favour- 

 able opportunity of having them placed in such posi- 

 tions. 



Beds or borders should be now prepared for carna- 

 tions which were layered last autumn, plenty of leaf- 

 mould being worked in, and during the early portion of 

 the next month the young plants may be transferred to 

 them. Many of the best growers have this work finished 

 in autumn, and are largely the gainers thereby. 



Walks should, at this season, be seen to and put in 

 good order. If inclined to be very weedy they may be 

 turned over to a depth of three or four inches ; at 

 the same time improve their shape and level them, as 

 nothing adds so much to appearance as well-kept walks. 



Box-edgings, too, may be planted or renovated as is 

 necessary. The dwarf variety will in most cases be 

 most suitable. 



Lawns should be rolled and cleaned where necessary, 

 and the grass edgings and verges trimmed with the 

 edging iron, and all made straight and neat. 



School Gardens in County Kildare. 



In the report just issued by the County of Kildare 

 Agricultural Committee, reference is made to the suc- 

 cessful establishment of demonstration gardens in con- 

 nection with primary schools. Already gardens have 

 been started and suitably equipped at eleven schools, 

 and their value as an educational factor in the training 

 of youth is referred to as follows : — " Considering the 

 disadvantages that necessarily followed such a late 

 commencement, the scheme has worked remarkably 

 well, and opening up, as it does, such vast possibilites 

 for the advancement of Horticulture, the Committee 

 are confident that much good will spring from it in 

 future years. It offers a golden opportunity to the 

 younger generation of acquiring a thorough knowledge 

 of the means by which the cultivation of fruit and 

 vegetables may be made a profitable industry, and in 

 this connection, apart from its worth as an educational 

 factor, the Scheme of Horticultural Instruction will 

 inevitably be productive of good results by inculcating 

 principles the adoption of which will tend to materially 

 increase the slender income of the cottager and small 

 farmer." 



Svv^eet Pea Show, Dublin. 



The Provincial Show of the National Sweet Pea 

 Society, which will be held in Dublin this year on 

 August 5th, in connection with the Summer Show of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland, will be the 

 great event of the year for Irish growers of sweet 

 peas. The prizes will include the Edwards' Challenge 

 Troph}', value fifteen guineas, for twelve brnches ; the 

 Edmondson Challenge Cup, value five guineas, for 

 eighteen bunches ; two gold medals, five silver medals, 

 and about £)2f> i^i money prizes, open to all growers of 

 sweet peas in the United Kingdom (trade excluded), 

 and a special class for Irish growers only (trade 

 excluded), including The Dickson Cup, presented by 

 Alexander Dickson and Sons, Ltd., value five guineas, 

 for twelve bunches, to be won outright, first attempt, the 

 other prizes in this class being three silver medals, and 

 money prizes to the value of ^9. There are also three 

 silver medals and ;^20 in money prizes offered to all 

 growers, the trade included. Full particulars can now 

 be obtained from the Secretary of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society of Ireland, 5 Molesworth Street, Dublin, and 

 from Mr. C. H. Curtis, Hon. Sec. of the National Sweet 

 Pea Society, Adelaide Road, Brentford, Middlesex. 



