IRISH GARDENING. 



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The Flower Garden. 



By J. G. TONER, Horticultural Instructor, Co. Monagl an. 



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HOWARDS the end 

 of tlie month bod- 

 dnig'-out will bo hi 

 full swinsj'. The subject 

 I equii"es careliil thinking" 

 out if pleasiny effects 

 are to be obtained. Of 

 late a good deal more 

 freedom is seen in ar- 

 rangement, and in our 

 public gardens great 

 skill and taste are dis- 

 pla}ed in the planting. 

 ' ' It is, of course, quite a 



matter of individual 

 fancy, and largely a 

 question of surround- 

 ings, what style will be chosen, but, at all events, the 

 use of free-growing- and graceful plants — such as 

 fuchsias, standard or pyramid ; ivy-leaved geraniums, 

 Gnvalca robusta, dracenas, and palms of various kinds — 

 will prove very attractive if used with judgment, 

 especially where dwarf and stiff plants form the bulk 

 of the bedding-out material. 



Ground for dahlias should now be prepared if not done 

 already, and as these plants are ver}- rapid growers it 

 follows that the soil must be well manured and dug; as 

 deeph' as possible. The haiclening-ofl process must be 

 well attended to, and if slugs abound the young- plants 

 may be protected by dusting- the soil about them with 

 soot or lime ; these dusting's must be renewed after 

 rain. Perhaps a better plan would be to place pieces 

 of perforated zinc cut to twelve inches by two around 

 the bases of the plants in the form of a collar, and 

 piessed firmly into the soil ; these of course must be 

 joined at the ends. 



When azaleas have finished flowering every seed-pot 

 should be removed, re-potting done if necessary, and 

 the plants placed in a house where moist and vvarrn 

 conditions prevail for the purpose of making new growth. 

 On attention to these details and the subsequent ripening- 

 of the young wood depends the number and quality of 

 the flowers next year. 



Pot, when rooted, cuttings struck in April of zonal 

 pelargoniums, fuchsias, double petunias, and other 

 similar subjects ; three-inch pots will be sufficiently large. 

 Use a good substantial compost, antl pot fairly firm. 



Carelully attend to seedlings of primulas, cinerarias, 

 and tuberous begonias. If gloxinias have been raised 

 from seeds they may be grown in boxes for the first 

 season if necessary, and when the first flower opens on 

 each plant the beauties can be lifted arid potted, and the 

 others — well give them or throw them away, life is too 

 short to waste time on rubbishy plants. 



Sow seeds of wallflowers now either in drills or broad- 

 cast, it matters little, as they must be pricked out later 

 on ; also seeds of hybrid primroses, pansies, Canterbury 

 Bells, and quite a number of similar subjects. 



This and early next month would be a suitable period 

 for sowing seeds of the herbaceous calceolaria ; sow in 

 pans, rather wide if possible, and make just the top of 

 the soil very fine, and let the seeds, which are very 

 minute, be distributed as evenly as possible. Cover the 

 pans with muffed g-lass, and place in a moist and shad}- 

 place where a nice, even temperature is maintained, and 

 the }oung plants will appear in about ten days. 



Hardy annuals may still be sown, and will give a good 

 display late in the season. 



Sweet peas in their younger stages of growth require 

 constant attention to keep slugs and snails at bay ; 

 frequent dustings of soot or lime should be given, not 

 much at a time, but just what will colour the leaves. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By WILLIAM TVNDALL, Instructor in Horticulture, Co. Kildare. 



THE vegetable g-arden should receive much 

 attention during this month, as not alone 

 is there seeds to be sown but ihe growing 

 crops which should be now making rapid pro- 

 gress will require constant care to get goocl re- 

 sults. Karly thinning and hoeing oi such crops 

 as turnips, onions, parsnips, carrots, and beetroot 

 are important, as it lelt long the plants in the rows 

 suffer greatl}-. Make successional sowinijs of 

 peas iGladstone and Autocrat), a last sowing of 

 broad Windsor beans, and sinall sowings of 

 spinach, turnips and lettuce. Plant out onions, 

 leeks, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, 

 and vegetable marrows (raised under glass) as 

 soon as possible once the weather gets mild. 



Peas. — The main crop oi peas will now be growing- 

 fast, and if they have been sown in succession a shortage 

 at any time dining the season will be avoided. Hoeing 

 and staking- will demand much time, and on light soils 

 a good mulch of short manure will be of much assistance 

 to the plants, preventing mildew, and producing gene- 

 rtilly a better crop and higher fla\oured peas. For 

 main crop and late peas I find it pays to prepare for 

 them trendies much the same as for celery. If this 

 can be done some time before sowing so much the better. 

 After opening- the trench fifteen inches wide and fifteen 

 inches deep, fill with equal parts of well-rotted manure 

 and good soil to within four inches of the top. Walk 

 over to make firm. Sow seeds thinly, covering- them 

 three inches deep, and this will allow space for plenty 

 of water if dry weather follows. 



ToMATOiiS. — By the end of this month plants raised 

 under glass for planting outside will be strong-, with some 

 fruits set. These, then, if well hardened oft', can be 

 planted out, up figainst walls facing south for preierence, 

 keeping- the plants to sing-le cordons, as these give the 

 earliest fruit. Many pot the plants into eight-inch pots 

 before planting- out, and then plunge the pots under their 

 rims, and give a rich top-dressing. The roots this way- 

 are restricted, and an earlier crop follows. If a few 

 spare lights are placed over the plants against the wall 

 it will much assist the crop ripening-. 



Scarlet Runner Beans. — Being equally as tender as 

 French beans, the first week of May is quite soon enough 

 to sow in the open, and as many with small gardens 

 prefer runner beans to dwarf, see that the soil is well 

 prepared by opening trenches two feel wide by two 

 feet deep, breaking up the bottom, and filling to the top 

 with equal parts of manure and soil. Walk civer to make 

 firm. Sow the beans in a single line, six inches apart. 

 As soon as up put a stake eight or nine feet high to each 

 plant. Best of All is a fine variety. Have the rows at 

 least six feet apart. Runner beans can be grown as 

 dwarfs by pinching out the shoots as they start, and 

 repeating the operation every time the plants start. 



Herbs. — If not sown last month, seeds of the following- 

 herbs should now be sown in the open border where 

 they are to remain, or they can be transplanted — viz., 

 fennel, borage, thyme, marjoram, &c. Sweet basil, 

 being tender, is better raised under glass, and when 

 hardened oft planted out. Plants of the following- : — 

 mint, sage, tliyme, rue, tansy, tarrogan should be 

 planted at once, if not done last month. 



Slugs. — These, if the weather is warm and damp, 

 will cause much destruction to many crops, and prob- 

 ably the most effectual way of preventing- them doing 

 much harm is by carefull}- gathering- b}- the hand every 

 morning, and if such traps as bran stuped is laid in heaps 

 many will be quickl}- caught. 



