IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME III. 



No. 34 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT Of HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



DECEMBER 



The Alpine Garden. 



By William Davidson, Carton Gardens. 



IN almost every g-arden one meets with a 

 collection of those dwarf-growing- plants 

 which are classed as Alpines, They are 

 not all by any means natives of Alpine regions, 

 for many of the plants included in ._ 



this category come from near the 

 sea level. 



In some places we find large 

 and picturesque rock gar- r */ , ; ^ 

 dens set aside for the Ahi. il ^^ 

 cultivation of Alpine 

 plants. When those 

 rockeries are arranged 

 carefully, and the 

 stones placed in 

 their natural posi- 

 tion, with abundant 

 "pockets " for the 

 plants to be placed 

 in, and due regard 

 given to drainage, 

 this is an ideal 

 place for the culti- 

 vation of Alpines. 

 As the plants that 

 are grown on our 

 rockeries are 

 usually of varied 

 habits it is essential 

 in constructing a 

 rockery to bear in mind 

 that a variety of aspect 

 is necessary. Some plants 

 flourish in full sun, wh 

 others require a shady pos 

 Rockeries with one exposure 

 can often be made to suit the re- 

 quirements of the shade-loving 

 plants, by the formation of nooks or bays, and 

 by skilfully placing large stones between those 

 shade-lovers and the sun. 



The body of soil for a rockery may consist of 

 almost any sort of a free nature. The crevices 

 which are to contain the plants must be filled 

 to suit their respective requirements. Many 

 Alpines suffer from rain and sleet during the 



winter, and where they are planted out on the 

 rockery it is advisable to protect them by 

 placing a few inches above the plant a sheet of 

 glass or even a slate. 



Many Alpines, which do not 

 grow satisfactorily when planted 

 out on the rockery, on account 

 of the damp weather prevailing 

 during the winter, may be 

 successfully cultivated in 

 well-drained pots. Those 

 ¥"%. may be arranged out of 

 % doors during the sum- 

 " mer, and given the 

 <'^y> protection of a cold 

 frame in winter. 

 Where space is 

 available a low 

 house set apart for 

 Alpine flowers will 

 give much pleas- 

 ure, especially 

 during the spring 

 months, when in- 

 clement weather is 

 often destructive 

 to early-flowering 

 subjects out of 

 doors. 

 .^ Autumn or early 

 l-lS' winter is the best time 

 to set about constructing 

 an Alpine garden, as 

 then the soil will be allowed 

 to settle before planting 

 commences in the spring. 

 Space will not allow of more 

 than a mere passing mention of some 

 or our Alpine plants. Saxifragas, Sedums and 

 Sempervtvunis, are of course indispensable for 

 covering rockwork, and there is an almost 

 endless variety of those charming Alpines. 

 They are mostly fotmd at their best when grown 

 in full exposure to sunlight, though saxifragas 

 of the Geum type thrive well when grown in 

 deep shade. 



