IRISH GARDENING. 



125 



stopped until the seed-pods are ripe. When this process 

 is complete the plant as a rule is exhausted for the 

 season. If, however, the flowers are removed after the 

 fall of the petals the plant is still in its full pulse of life, 

 and the food that would otherwise have been utilised 

 in forming- the embryos and stored as reserve in the 

 ripened seeds will be used either for the production of a 

 fresh lot of flowers or else stored in the rootstock to 

 feed the new shoots next spring-. The mere plucking- of 

 flowers never injures the individual plant, but strengthens 

 it rather, a fact that lovers of the herbaceous border 

 should always recognise and understand. 



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Gaillardias. 



THESE charming herbaceous perennials are de- 

 serving of a place in every garden, their 

 beautiful shades of colour, tog-ether with their 

 \ox\"' and free-blooming qualities, should make them 

 general favour- 

 ites. Where an 

 abundance of 

 cut bloom is re- 

 quired they are 

 invaluable, as 

 they last for 

 several days in 

 water. During 

 a severe spell 

 of drought they 

 give a supply of 

 brilliant blos- 

 soms when 

 other peren- 

 nials are almost 

 fl o w e r 1 e s s. 

 Though not 

 particular as 

 reg-ards treat- 

 ment, gaillar- 

 dias thrive best 

 in deeply tilled 

 and well man- 

 ured soil ; if 

 heavy, some 

 leaf soil should 

 be added. The 

 herbaceous 

 border is usu- 

 ally the place 

 allotted to 

 those plants ; 



here they will be seen to the best advantage if planted 

 in bold groups and given plenty of space. I have seen 

 them used for bedding;, and where one distinct variety 

 is confined to each bed a very pleasing; effect can be 

 obtained. 



A distance of fifteen inches should be allowed when 

 planting-, and as growth proceeds, keep them pegg-ed 

 down ; in this way the soil will become hidden from 

 view, and a mass of brilliant bloom the result. On the 

 approach of severe frost some coal ashes may be placed 

 around the plants ; this will aid in keeping them from 

 decay, and at the same time prevent the ravag-es 

 of slugfs. With regard to varieties, we have quite a 

 multitude to choose from, and as each one has its ov^m 

 individual charms I will not take up valuable space b\- 

 enumerating them here. All varieties requ-red can be 

 obtained from any of our Irish nurserymen. 



Gardens, Killeen Castle, Dunsany. P. Mahon. 



c^* ^^ ^^ 



"You must remember it isn't only laying hold of a 

 rope— you must ^o on pulling."— G. Eliot, 



The Snake's Head Fritillary as a table decoration. 



The Snake's Head Fritillary. 



OUT of some fifty species that make up the genus 

 Fritillaria only two are in general cultivation — 

 /'. iiiiperialis, the "Crown Imperial," and F. 

 ineleagris, the subject of this note. F. nielengris, 

 popularly known as the "Snake's Head" or "Turk's 

 Cap," with its solitary bell-shaped flower terminating 

 the slender twelve-inch stalk, is a very different-look- 

 ing plant from the stately Crown Imperial. 



It is a beautiful, if not showy, plant, and particularly 

 valuable for cutting ; the narrow, grass-like leaves 

 that clothe the stem furnishing all the foliage neces- 

 sary to its embellishment. If cut with a sufficient 

 length of stem and inserted in fresh, green living 

 sphagnum in a bowl filled with water (see illustration) 

 it has all the appearance of the growing plant, and 

 will keep fresh for several days. As the flowers fade 

 the recurved stems straighten, so that ultimately the 

 seed vessel is erect. The plant ripens seed freely, but 

 it is a slow process to raise seedlings, as it takes some 



years before 

 they reach the 

 flowering size. 

 They iiicrease 

 by off"sets from 

 the bulb, and in 

 this manner 

 they are usually 

 propagated. In 

 several coun- 

 ties in the mid- 

 lands and south 

 of England this 

 plant is found 

 growing wild 

 in m e a d o w s, 

 particularly in 

 Oxfordshire 

 and Berkshire, 

 and late in 

 April, when 

 their striking 

 and handsome 

 flowers are dis- 

 played, their 

 haunts are fre- 

 queiitly raided 

 by children, and 

 grown-up peo- 

 ple as well, who 

 carry off^ the 

 flowers in such 

 quantities that 

 one marvels at their persistence, especially if, as 

 some botanists hold, the plant is not indigenous to the 

 country (in Europe its range extends from Sweden to 

 the Caucasus). While there is usually only one flower 

 to the stem, sometimes two will appear. The usual 

 colour is pale purple, chequered with a darker hue, but 

 whitish or greenish-yellow flowers are common. It 

 is from the chequered or tessellated markings of the 

 flowers in several of the species that the generic name, 

 Fritillaria (fritillus, a chess-board) is derived. 



W. B. B. 



^^ i^^ C^^ 



" Ir should be remembered that a beautiful garden is 



a place of pleasant labour and happy restfulness, and 



that the more it can be filled with perfect pictures the 



more it gives delight to the eye and solace to the mind, 



and the nearer it approaches to the making of an 



earthly paradise." Mt.mt.tt. 

 ^* 5^^ ^^ 



" There's rosemary, that's for remembrance . . 

 And there is pansies, that's for thoughts." 



