IRISH GARDENING. 



107 



respect of one or both. But those under- 

 liiied twice are new pure breeds, which if 

 bred 7vit/i t/ieir 07vn ki)id will go on breeding 

 pure. 



But notice now what we have, and the horti- 

 culturist has only to transfer his mind from 

 cattle to sweet peas, or some other hybridized 

 plant, to see some part of the meaning and 

 power of Mendelism. Leaving- aside the ques- 

 tion of purity, we have, apparently, beginnings 

 at the lower rigfht hand corner, one red tall, 

 three red stouts, three black tails, and nine 

 black stouts. Have we not very similar 

 numbers among' hybrid plants ? 



e^* ^* ^* 



Notes from Glasnevin. 



Escalloiiia La)igliyciisis\s one of the prettiest shrubs 

 we have for our gardens. It is perfectly hardy, and is a • 

 cross between E. Macranfha, which has red flowers, and 

 E. philippiana, which lias masses of small white flowers. 

 The seedling was raised by Mr. Seden at Messrs. 

 Veilch's nurseries, and called after that firm's establish- 

 ment at Langley, and has numerous small pinky-red 

 flowers, being intermediate between its two parents. 

 E. Langleyensis is a useful subject for a wall, or as a bush 

 in the open, where it becomes a beautiful and graceful 

 plant. It can be propagated by means of cuttings put 

 in in the early autumn under a glass. 



Abufilofi vififoliuni. — This is a native of Chili, and is 

 hardy in most parts of Ireland, but in the milder portions 

 it grows into fine large specimens covered with beauti- 

 ful bunches of lilac flowers. As a wall plant, a bush in 

 the open, or as a cool house shrub, it does well. In the 

 latter case it requires a good deal of room, and like 

 most of its family {Malvaceae) it is very subject to red 

 spider. When raised from seed the colour varies 

 a little from a dark lilac to a very pale shade. This 

 plant was introduced from Chili, in 1836, by Captain 

 Cottingham of Dublin, and is figured in the Botanical 

 Register No. XXX., plate 57. 



Both these shrubs are now in flower in the Botanic 

 Gardens, Glasnevin. R. M. Pollock. 



4^^ fi^^ ^^ 



" To my mind there is a great kinship between women 

 and flowers, and the same adjectives are appropriate to 

 both ; they might even be almost distinctly classified. 

 I do not judge by the books that give me their meanings, 

 but rather by what they mean to me ; and to me the iris 

 is stately and haughty, the rose lovely rather than 

 beautiful, the gladioli proud, and the sweet peas merely 

 pretty. The lily is to me the emblem of chastity and 

 love combined, while the cold and scentless camelia 

 represents a rigid virtue without any redeeming tender- 

 ness, and the purple pansy is the soul of gentle friendli- 

 ness. The snowdrop is shy, but the little blue lobelia is 

 elegant as well, and the joyous dafl"odil is the embodi- 

 ment of hope and promise. Poppies, gardenias, tube- 

 roses, and all the more deadly-scented flowers are like 

 the wantons of the earth, and the heliotrope, mysterious 

 and interesting, is like a woman with a history, who 

 attracts you without your knowing why. The capricious 

 tulip, with its graceful bending stem, is the belle-laide 

 of the garden, and the gracious water-lily reminds me 

 ever of the virtues of grace and dignity ; but the lily of 

 the valley is my favourite— it seems to waft above it a 

 fragrance that is like a very incense of modesty and 

 purity." — R. Neisli in " A Wo7-Id in a Garden." 



The Bouvardia. 



BOUVARDIAS are a valuable addition to 

 our greenhouse plants. Their flowers can 

 also be used in a cut state. They strike 

 readily from cuttings inserted in a mixture of 

 equal parts loam, leaf-soil and coarse sand. 



A Flowering Spray of Bouvardia. 



The pots for their reception should be clean and 

 well drained ; press the soil rather firm, and 

 dibble the cuttings around the edge of the pots ; 

 the soil should have a sprinkle of silver sand on 

 the surface, water carefully, and plunge in gentle 

 bottom heat ; place a hand-light or bell-glass 

 over the pots, shade from strong sunshine, and 

 on no account should the soil be allowed to 

 become dry ; under favourable conditions they 

 should be rooted in four or five weeks, when they 

 may be potted off into thumb pots, using an equal 

 proportion of fibrous loam-leaf soil and sand. 

 Remove to a temperature of sixty to seventy 

 degrees, until the pots are well filled with roots. 

 To ensure shapely plants they should now be 

 pinched to the first joint, which may be continued 

 as growth advances, the result will be more 

 bloom, and sturdier plants When giving them 

 the final shift to their flowering pots a little 

 artificial manure may be added to the compost. 

 During the summer months they should be 

 placed on a bed of coal ashes in a cold pit or 

 frame, keeping shaded from strong sunshine ; 

 the surroundings should be kept in a moist 

 state, in order to ward off" attacks of red spider ; 

 ventilate freely on all favourable occasions. 

 Should green-fly make its appearance, fumigate 

 at once. When in strong growth they will be 

 benefited by occasional applications of weak 

 liquid manure. 



P. Mahon. 



