l82 



IRISH GARDENING. 



The aubretias are invaluable for the rock 

 g-arden, yielding as they do such a profusion of 

 colour during" the spring and early summer, 

 when they contrast so well with the white of 

 Arabis albida ahd the yellow of Alyssiim saxa- 

 tilc compactiim. There is now an imposing 

 array of varieties. Perhaps Pritchard's A i, 

 with deep violet flowers, is the best, though it 

 is closely followed by Dr. Mules and Campbell! 

 improved. Fire King is a very distinct variety, 

 with glowing crimson flowers, while Olympia, 

 Moerheimi, Lilac Queen and Leichtlini are soft 

 shades of rose-lilac. The campanulas are an 

 interesting group, C. carpathica White Star has 

 large saucer-shaped, snowy-white flowers, C. c. 

 Riverslea has violet-blue flowers ; C G. F. 

 Wilson is a garden hybrid resembling Riverslea 

 in colour, but is of a much dwarfer habit. 

 C. Miiralis and C. Piilla are of dwarf-spreading 

 habit, the former with blue and the latter with 

 dark purple flowers. 



Helianthemums succeed on any dry, sunny 

 situation. They come into flower in May and 

 June, and continue on throughout the summer. 



Phlox suhulata is a remarkably fine plant for 

 the rockery. The varieties give a splendid 

 range of colour. Brightness is rose with 

 scarlet eye ; Vivid is rose-coloured with carmine 

 centre ; Little Dot is white with blue centre ; 

 G. F. Wilson is a lovely mauve. 



Heuchera Pink Beauty and H. Rosamiindc 

 are welcome additions ; both are of a pleasing 

 pink shade. Hacquctia epipactis is one oi the 

 earliest of our spring flowering-plants, and is of 

 a bright yellow colour. Globiilaria cordifolia 

 produces masses of globular heads of blue 

 flowers during- summer. 



^* ^^ ^* 



Planting Shrubs on Lawns. — The use of shrubs 

 about a lawn is a very difficult problem, especially in 

 landscape g'ardens where there is no formal or quiet 

 backg'roimd to serve as a foil for them Shrubs seldom 

 look well when they are planted at reg^ular intervals 

 about a lawn, especially if they are at all stiff or formal 

 in habit. On the other hand, single shrubs dotted here 

 and there are apt to seem pointless and forlorn ; and so 

 are beds of low growing shrubs such as rhododendrons 

 or azaleas. These need a backg-round of quiet 

 greenery and some place that seems to be made for them, 

 not cut out arbitrarily from a great expanse of grass. 

 They should, therefore, always be on the outskirts of a 

 lawn and in some bay encircled with taller shrubs or 

 trees. Then they may have a splendid effect when in 

 flower. Of the larger shrubs the best for the lawn are 

 those which become small trees in time, such as haw- 

 thorns, Judas trees, and apples. It is strange that apple 

 trees should so seldom be planted anywhere except in 

 the kitchen garden. Apart from their use they are, 

 perhaps, the most beautiful of all flowering shrubs, and 

 peculiarly suitable, by reason of their spreading growth, 

 for planting on the outskirts of a lawn. Where a lawn 

 is very large it would be well to have an irregularly 

 arranged orchard or grove of hawthorns at the end 

 of it. — "Studies in Gardening." 



Fern Culture in Pots. 



FOR the decoration of rooms there are very 

 few plants that can excel in simplicity and 

 beauty a healthy, well-grown fern. Their 

 cultivation is really a delightful pastime to any- 

 one sufficiently interested to take the necessary 

 amount of personal care that such subjects re- 

 quire, and the present note is written for the 

 information of those who may require a little 

 preliminary help in their culture. Once their 

 special requirements are understood it will be 

 a comparatively easy matter to grow them with 

 success. 



First of all it must be remembered that most 

 ferns grow naturally in humid regions. They 

 select spots in which their roots can find a 

 permanently moist soil and their shoots a 

 permanently moist air. For this reason, there- 

 fore, the cultivator must see that these condi- 

 tions prevail during the full-growing period of 

 his plants. 



But while the roots love moisture, they require 

 at the same time a good supply of air. The 

 soil, therefore, must be of an open character, 

 such as would be secured by the use of a turfy 

 loam. The texture must admit of free drainage, 

 as the collection of stagnant water might readily 

 promote sourness, a condition which in itself 

 would be fatal to the health of the roots. 

 Hence, in potting ferns, drainage is o{ first im- 

 portance, and the plants as they increase in size 

 must be gradually moved into larger pots. 



The operation of watering requires observa- 

 tion and intelligence, as the quantity supplied 

 will depend upon the stage of growth, (i) When 

 starting the new season's growth it is easy to 

 over-water. Excepting what evaporates from 

 the sides of the pot and from the surface of the 

 soil there will be very little loss of water, and 

 all purposes will be served by keeping the air 

 around the pots moist. (2) As the new fronds 

 unroll and they begin to lose water by tran- 

 spiration the soil will require to be replenished 

 with just sufficient water to balance this loss. 



(3) When the fronds are fully developed and 

 the plants are at their best the roots will require 

 a liberal supply of water, while at the same 

 time the now matured fronds of most varieties 

 are better able to withstand a drier atmosphere. 



(4) As the plant passes into the comparative 

 rest of winter watering is less frequently required 

 because the transpiration slackens in intensity 

 as the fronds get older and the temperature 

 falls. During the winter's rest it will only be 

 necessary to prevent the soil from becoming 

 actually dry. 



Ferns are, as a rule, shade-loving plants, and 

 this must be particularly remembered by culti- 

 vators. During the period of leaf expansion 

 and onwards through the early summer months 



