250 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



shown, and the figures are as given in the Gardeners' Chronicle of 

 September 16, 1916, which show the amount of ground this plant 

 covered at that time. 



Quite recently I have seen letters in the Gardeners' Chronicle in 

 which the writers say that they consider the Romneya to be a much 

 overrated plant ; but those correspondents can never have seen this 

 most lovely plant thrive as it does at Bessborough. 



The present gardener, Mr. Tomalin, who wrote the article alluded 

 to above, speaking of its spreading habit, says: "Eight years ago 

 our plant was 6 feet across, now it extends for 33 feet along a border, 

 3 feet wide, at the foot of the terrace wall facing south-west. The 

 soil is very light, and the border often becomes extremely dry in the 

 summer without any apparent ill effect on the plant. The offsets, 

 which appear to be root-suckers, have come up a distance of from 

 3 to 6 feet from the parent plant. These offsets exceed the parent 

 plant in vigour, some of them being nearly 7 feet high." 



In the pleasure-grounds, and practically dividing these from the 

 kitchen-garden, is the lake, which' adds greatly to the beauties of Bess- 

 borough, and Irish yews stand like sentinels along the side of the lake. 



Though the outdoor gardens were the main features of Bessborough, 

 indoor plants were also well grown, including that lovely Lily, Encharis 

 amazonica, which was illustrated in The Garden in January 1901. 



From Bessborough, which is on the Kilkenny side of the River 

 Suir, it is but a few miles across the river to Curraghmore, the seat of 

 the Marquis of Waterford. 



Curraghmore is a princely domain extending for many miles 

 over hill and dale, and very fine specimen conifers, as well as native 

 trees, are to be found in the pleasure-grounds and woods surrounding 

 the mansion. A mountain stream runs through the park and a fine 

 sheet of water lies in front of the house, the overflow from this 

 providing a stream flowing through the pleasure grounds, the banks 

 of this stream being planted with many waterside plants. 



Among the features of Curraghmore are its Rhododendrons, of 

 which there are literally miles, and in the flowering season they are a 

 sight which brings many visitors from the neighbouring city of 

 Waterford. To speak of a specimen of Rhododendron Broughtoniana 

 25 feet through amply illustrates how these thrive at Curraghmore. 



Amongst the famous gardens of Ireland of thirty or forty years 

 ago, Woodstock in Co. Kilkenny was considered one of the first. 

 Splendid specimens of Pinus insignis and other conifers abound in the 

 pleasure-grounds ; but the great feature of Woodstock was its magnifi- 

 cent rock-and-water garden, which at the time I visited it impressed me 

 as one of the grandest rock-gardens I had ever seen. I do not mean 

 a rock-garden filled with tiny choice alpines, but large groups of plants 

 thoroughly at home. For instance, I remember seeing huge clumps 

 of the Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis, over 6 feet in height. 



