July  3,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
13 
Notes  from  Ireland. 
June,  with  its  expectant  sultriness,  is  another  instance  of 
“  hope  deferred.”  The  dawn  brought  rain  in  abundance  with 
very  cold  evenings;  in  fact,  they  were  wintry  in  the  extreme, 
and  rain  is  still  the  prevailing  feature.  The  low  temperatures 
have  had  a  retarding  effect  on  vegetation,  especially  on  the 
Queen  of  Flowers,  and  the  outlook  for  our  summer  displays  is  by 
no  means  pleasant,  especially  for  the  shows,  or  the  weather  will 
require  a  nice  modifying  if  our  rosarians  are  to  make  a  gallant 
display.  Carnations  likewise  show  the  depressing  effect  of  the 
unkindly  introduction  to  what  should  be  summer. 
Of  the  many  hardy  alpine  flowers  the  Ramondias,  with  their 
bold,  if  not  massive,  foliage  and  their  very  free  habit  of  flower¬ 
ing  should  entitle  them  to  a  place  wherever  alpines  are  grown. 
They  are  natives  of  the  Pyrenees,  and  are  also  found  in 
Thessaly.  Although  the  list  of  available  varieties  is  really 
limited — comprising  in  all  about  four,  each  of  which  should  find 
a  place  in  a  pocket  on  your  rockery — the  following  are  available 
Eagle.  The.  fruits  were  extra  large,  of  a  rich  golden  hue, 
specked  with  the  bright  rose— an  indication  of  ripeness — the 
flesh  being  firm,  pleasantly  flavoured,  and  very  juicy.  The  tree 
was  carrying  a  very  heavy  crop,  and  Mr.  O’Kelly,  his  affable 
gardener,  found  it  an  indispensable  variety.  Indeed,  he  finds 
no  other  variety  equal  to  the.  strain  of  producing  such  a  crop 
yearly.  Certainly  to  those  requiring  Peaches  for  early  work, 
considering  cropping  power  and  individual  size  of  fruit,  it 
recommends  itself.  I  intend  forwarding  you  a  photograph  of  a 
branch  from  this  tree  ;  but  owing  to  the  low  spanned  nature  of 
the  house  it  is  impossible  to  send  a  photograph  of  the  whole 
tree.  However,  the  ordinary  branch  will  enable  those  who  wish 
to  see  its  fruit-producing  capacity  as  grown  at  Dartrey. 
Amongst  the  many  good  things  unfolding  their  floral  beauty 
the  ubiquitous  Vittadenia  triloba  should  not  be  overlooked. 
Like  the  majority  of  plants,  it  has  undergone  the  process  of 
rebaptism,  being  no  longer  known  as  Vittadenia,  but  as  Erigeron 
mucronatus.  Its  abundant  Daisy-shaped  flowers  and  fine  lanceo¬ 
late  leaves  render  it  an  attractive  plant.  The  flowers,  when 
bursting,  are  deeply  tinged  with  a  purplish  hue,  but  as  they 
advance  to  maturity  they  lose  this,  leaving  a  zone  of  white 
The  Dutch  Garden,  Holland  House. 
for  culture;  Ramondia  Nathalise,  wjjich,  either  for  growing  on  a 
wall  or  in  a  pot,  makes  a  charming  plant,  and  the  blue  flowers 
stand  erect,  the  flower  stalk  aoout  4in  high,  and  the  flower  is 
coloured  a  shade  between  purple  and  blue  ;  if  grown  in  a  pot  and 
cultivated  in  a  cool  greenhouse  its  period  of  flowering  is  much 
earlier  and  equally  floriferous.  There  is  also  R.  pyrenaica.  This 
is  very  frequently  described  as  Verbascum  Myconi.  It  is  a 
deep  blue-coloured  species,  at  present  expanding  its  flowers  in 
profusion,  and  has  a  variety  named  alba,  which  is  not  so 
frequently  found  in  alpine  collections.  It  is  equally  desirable, 
however,  as  it  has  all  the  good  qualities  of  R.  pyrenaica.  The 
yellow-flowered  R.  serbica,  hailing  from  Thessalonian  shores,  is 
equally  desirable.  This  species  has  a  doubtful  advantage  in  being 
the  possessor  of  a  dual  name,  its  synonym  being  Janka?a 
Heildreichi.  If  one  were  to  see  the  Ramondias  prior  to  flower¬ 
ing  their  foliage  would  suggest  an  experiment  to  acclimatise  a 
Streptocarpus,  and  they  are,  indeed,  closely  allied  to  that  genus. 
The  foliage  is  nearly  identical.  The  Ramondias  are  easily  raised 
from  seed  in  a  compost  of  sandy  loam  with  a  seasoning  of  peat, 
whilst  divisions  of  the  crowns  in  spring  will  ensure  a  stock. 
Early  Peaches  are  always  welcome,  and  for  the  gardener  to 
be  able  to  gather  fruits  by  the  first  week  in  June  without  undue 
forcing  is  something  to  be  proud  of.  On  a  recent  visit  to  the 
gardens  of  W.  Murphy,  Esq.,  Dartry,  Palmerston  Park,  I  noticed 
a  fine  crop  ready  for  use,  the  variety  favoured  being  Golden 
petals  with  a  faded  yellow  disc.  The  plant  Is  a  native  of 
Australia. 
Amongst  our  borders  the  free  flowei-ing  Erinus  alpinus  always 
does  well ,  bedecking  the  rocky  edges  of  its  home  with  abundant 
bloom.  It  seemingly  is  indifferent  to  locality  so  long  as  one 
permits  the  roots  to  permeate  a  sandy  loam.  Like  the  pretty 
Ramondia,  it  likewise  claims  a  home  amongst  the  fastnesses  of 
the  Pyrenees.  ^  <  .  , 
The  Japanese  climber,  Wistaria  cliinensis,  is  unfolding  its 
pendulous  racemes.  Its  lively  lavender-blue  colour  lately  showed 
to  advantage  at  the  Botanic  Gardens  attached  to  Trinity  College. 
The  view  included  Cordylines  and  other  foliage  plants,  a  fine  clump 
of  that  yellow  May-flowering  Tulip  Mrs.  Moon,  behind  which 
was  the  Wistaria,  flinging  the  gauntlet  to  the  painter  to  depict 
the  varying  shades.  At  Glasnevin  the  Victoria  regia  is  at  pie- 
sent  growing  freely.  Several  leaves  are  forming,  but  owing  to 
the  want  of  adequate  space  those  fine  leaves,  although  necessary, 
must  shortly  be  severed.  [Last  year  the  plant  which  is  lookei 
to  as  an  annual  feature  in  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Ivew  succumbed, 
and  at  present  the  plant  intended  to  fill  the.  great  tank  tli:s 
summer  is  smitten  like  its  predecessor,  and  many  of  the  leaves 
are  entirely  spoilt  by  numerous  holes  in  them. — Ed.J  1  lie  pretty 
little  Water  Bean,  one  of  the  Nelumbiums  is  flowering  freely  in 
the  lake,  its  wliite-fringed  petals  tossed  to  and  fro  on  the  v  nul, 
causing  eddies. — A.  O’Neill. 
