IRISH GARDENING. 



ii. 



IRISH GARDENING. 



55 



AN ILLUSTRATED MONTHLY. 



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Plants in Relation to their 

 Environment. 



By J. Adams, M.A. 



IT has been said that " no man Hveth to him- 

 self," and the same thing" certainly holds 

 good with regard to plants. A plant is very 

 largely what external influences make it, the 

 action and interaction of these external forces 

 being what is tmderstood trnder the somewhat 

 vague term environment. 



As most garden plants are derived from wild 

 varieties it is important to know under what 

 conditions the orig-inal wild stock attains its 

 best development, as success in its culture will, 

 as a rule, depend on these conditions being 

 imitated as far as possible in the field or garden. 

 But it must be remembered that in a state of 

 nature comparatively few plants find all the con- 

 ditions best suited to their growth. The seed 

 is scattered chiefly by animals or wind, and 

 wherever it chances to fall it has to make the 

 best of it. 1 have seen a red poppy in bloom on 

 the point of a cottage gable, and one may 

 sometimes meet with a blackberry growing on 

 a peat bog or a stray specimen of red clover in 

 a marsh. But a cultivated field is a much more 

 suitable habitat for poppy and clover, just as a 

 hedge, over which it may scramble, is for black- 

 berry. 



Under the term environment may be grouped 

 the following factors : — 



Sot'/ — Soils vary in physical characters from 

 the shingle or sand on the seashore to fine, 

 tough clay or peat. They may be shallow and 

 rock-bound, as on hillsides and in g"lens, or 

 deep, as in the valleys. The degree of slope 

 also varies extremely, and this will, conse- 

 quently, affect the drainage. Then soils vary 

 much in their chemical composition, which de- 

 pends to a certain extent on the nature 

 of the underlying rock, although frequently 

 there is no such relation. Some soils contain a 

 large percentage of lime, while in other cases 

 there is very little, the rock beneath being of a 

 slaty nature. Some soils are the result of de- 

 composed granite, while others, such as peat, 



contain a large quantity of acid. The nature 

 of the soil has, in many cases, an important 

 bearing on the vegetation. One might drive 

 for miles through Co. Wicklovv, where the soil 

 contains little lime, and not see a solitary orchid, 

 unless, perchance, a stray specimen of Orchis 

 maculatay while on the shore of Lough Ree, 

 where limestone predominates, I have collected 

 ten species in a short walk. Foxglove and 

 bilberry avoid the limestone, while Carline 

 Thistle and Marjoram are seldom found off" it. 

 Salt has a marked influence on plant life. Many 

 species, such as Sea Aster and Sea Beet, are 

 characteristic of the sea-coast, not being found 

 inland. Seakale will grow better on the ad- 

 dition of a little salt to the soil. 



Moisture. — This will vary with the rainfall of 

 the district, and will increase with the elevation. 

 It will also be much greater in the case of a 

 clay soil or of a peat bog. The vegetation will 

 vary accordingly. One woidd look in vain for 

 Marsh Marigold and Yellow Flag on the sand- 

 hills of the coast. 



Evaporation. — This will vary in inverse pro- 

 portion to the rainfall. It will also be much 

 greater on an open wind-swept hill than it 

 would be in the shelter of a wood. 



Temperature. — The limits of temperature are 

 most important for plant growth. We cannot 

 grow cactuses or palms with much success in 

 the open in this climate ; nor can we expect 

 Alpine plants to be quite so happy when grown 

 down in the valley, as they would be under 

 more rigorous conditions where they are liable 

 to be enveloped in mists for days at a time, and 

 are much more exposed to cooling at night. 

 The injurious eff"ect of late frosts on early- 

 flowering plants is well known. 



Sunshine. — Some plants, such as the stone- 

 crop, delight in the strongest light obtainable ; 

 others, such as many species of ferns, wood 

 anemone, wild hyacinth, &c., prefer to have the 

 light subdued by the friendly shelter of a canopy 

 of trees. 



Wind. — This has a marked effect on the 

 vegetation, especially of mountains. The velo- 

 city of the wind increases with the altitude, and 

 consequently an upper limit is reached beyond 

 which the growth of trees and shrubs ceases. 

 Other lowland species may be found, but they 

 are of dwarf stature, and seldom flower. For 

 example, bilberry occurs on the summit of 

 Lugnaquilla, bvit is only a few inches high, 

 whereas in some of the woods lower down it 

 may reach the height of two feet or more. 



Animals. — We all know the ravages wrought 

 by snails, caterpillars, green fly, &c., in 

 sheltered town gardens, where the conditions 

 for the multiplication of these pests are also 

 favourable. 



Ot/wr Plants. — Some plants are adapted to 



