LIBRARY Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture New York STATE COLLEGE of AGRICUETURE at CORNELL UNIVERSITY ITHACA, N.Y. Home floriculture; a practical quide to t Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003413782 fiome Floriculture A Practical Guide to the treatment of FLOWERING aud OTHER ORNAMENTAL PLANTS In the House and Garden By EBEN E. REXFORD Hlustrated New York ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 1920 CorpyRiGuT 1890 by JAMES VICK SEEDSMAN CoryRIGHT 1903 by ORANGE JUDD COMPANY @lo5ia Printed in the U.S. A BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION This book is a book for amateur floriculturists written by one who is in no sense a “professional.” It has been written because there is 4 constant and increasing demand for a work that treats on flowers from the standpoint of the amateur, An extensive correspondence with flower-loving persons, all over the country, has convinced me that scientific text books are not what is wanted. What is wanted is plain, practical, easily under- stood information which will enable those who love flowers, but know very little about them, to grow them successfully. I have confidence csough in the book to believe that those who read it will find it easy to understand and that those who fwilow out its in- structions will be able to grow all tne plants treated in it and grow them well. It has been written from my own personal expe- rience among flowers and not from theory. My wav may not be the best way. I do not claim that. | judge it simply by its results, which have been very satisfactory to me. I do not desire to have it tmderstood that I send out this book as a sort of shore cut to complete flori- cultural knowledge. It is siniply intended to assist the amateur in the acquirement of such a knowledge which can only come from intelligent personal study and observation which will lead to a better acquaint- ance and a closer friendship with: Our Friends, the Flowers. Esen E. REXFORD. Shiocton, Wis, January, 1903. v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I Soil for Plants in Pots . j CHAPTER II Potting CHAPTER III Watering Plants : < : ; CHAPTER IV Care of Plants in the Window CHAPTER V The Propagation of Plants : CHAPTER VI Training Plants : 3 - CHAPTER VII Insects and How to Fight Them CHAPTER VIIf Care of House Plants During Summer and Fall CHAPTER IX Fertilizers 5 : 3 CHAPTER X Diseased Plants F : : ‘ CHAPTER XI Winter Precautions : 3 3 CHAPTER XII Resting Plants : 3 : ‘ CHAPTER XIII Miscellaneous Hints ‘ : ‘ CHAPTER XIV Plants Adapted to Window Culture CHAPTER XV The Plumbago, Oleander, Agapanthus, Ageratum, Stevia and Eupatorium PAGE Vili TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER XVI Primulas : ; ; ‘ p CHAPTER XVII The Mahernia, Browallia, Picante iene Sul- tani and Lantana é : CHAPTER XVIII The Petunia, Rhynchospermum, Heliotrope and Oxalis : : : : : a : ‘ CHAPTER XIX Achania, Hibiscus, Cyclamen and the Jasmines CHAPTER XX The Calla, Salvia, Bouvardia and Genista CHAPTER XXI The Amaryllis, Vallota, Gloxinia and Tuberous Begonia CHAPTER XXII The Abutilon, Mimulus, Cineraria and Calceolaria CHAPTER XXIII The Hydrangea, Daphne, Olea fragrans and Myrtle CHAPTER XXIV Swainsonia, Justicia, Linum trigynum, Clivia, Bou- gainvillea, Marguerite, Pentas, Tropaeolum and Euphorbia 5 : : CHAPTER XXV The Abutilon, Begonia and Rose CHAPTER XXVI Azaleas and Camellias CHAPTER XXVII Geraniums and Pelargoniums CHAPTER XXVIII The Carnation and the Fuchsia CHAPTER XXIX The Chrysanthemum CHAPTER XXX Palms P j a : CHAPTER XXXI Ferns . . 2 . ‘ é 3 z z PAGE 63 67 71 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER XXXII Miscellaneous Decorative Plants CHAPTER XXXIII Vines for House Culture CHAPTER XXXIV Basket Plants ‘ CHAPTER XXXV Bulbs for Winter Flowering CHAPTER XXXVI Appliances for the Amateur’s Use CHAPTER XXXVII Small Greenhouses CHAPTER XXXVIII Garden Making and Seed Sowing CHAPTER XXXIX The Best Annuals CHAPTER XL Bedding Plants and Plants for Tropical Effect CHAPTER XLI Tea Roses for Beds é CHAPTER XLII The Dahlia CHAPTER XLII The Tuberose and the Gladiolus CHAPTER XLIV Hardy Border Plants CHAPTER XLV Spring-flowering Bulbs { CHAPTER XLVI Hardy Roses CHAPTER XLVII Vines . > ‘ ‘ : : CHAPTER XLVIII Lilies . : , ; : 3 CHAPTER XLIX Shrubs, and How to Plant Them CHAPTER L Rockeries 3 3 5 é z CHAPTER LI After Thoughts 3 oe : LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS | a OOS ON WS ip PAGE Eben E. Rexford . . . . . Frontispiece Parlor Syringe ‘ r 7 és 2 . 18 Elastic Plant Sprinkler 18 Fountain Pump 19 Saucer Propagation . 21 Begonia Leaf Producing "Young Plants 22 A Tastefully Arranged Plant Window 26 Bay Window with Glazed Doors . 52 Swinging Iron Brackets and Window Shelé 53 Cluster of Agapanthus Flowers 60 Single Chinese Primrose . 64 Bouquet of Single and Double Petunias 72 Oxalis Rosea ‘ . ; 75 The Persian Cyclamen 79 Calla Blossoms and Leaves 83 The Genista. 87 Prominent Types of ‘Amaryl go Vallota Purpurea 92 Hybrid Gloxinias 94 Specimen Cineraria Plant 101 Specimen Calceolaria Plant 103 Hydrangea Otaksa . 105 Single and Double Tuberous Begonias 113 A Well-Grown Azalea ‘ 119 Group of Double Geraniums 123 Mrs George M. Bradt Carnations 128 Daybreak Carnations 5 129 Single Stem Chrysanthemum Iora 135 Chrysanthemum Mrs Perrin 136 Latania Borbonica 142 Areca Lutescens 143 Cocos Weddelliana 144 Kentia Belmoreana 145 Phoenix Reclinata 146 Rhapis Humilis 148 The Boston Fern 152 Araucaria Excelsa 156 Aspidistra Lurida Variegata 158 Asparagus Sprengeri 160 Dracaena Brasiliensis 162 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Ficus Elastica The Screw Pine Artistically Arranged Bay Window German Ivy and Fern Basket Saxifraga Sarmentosa : The Bermuda Lily Roman Hyacinth Types of Narcissus . Bunch of Lily of the Valley The Neapolitan Allium Hand Pruning Shears 2 Serviceable Weeding Implements Folding Plant Stand : The Author’s Greenhouse Effective Planting of Annual Vines Annuals in a Backyard Garden , Tropical Effect from Ricinus and Other Annuals The Eulalia or Zebra Grass ‘ as Yucca Filamentosa Tea Rose Catherine Mermet Types of Single Dahlias Types of Double Dahlias The Pearl Tuberose zs Types of Improved Gladiolus The Allegheny Hollyhock Types of Japanese Iris Fine-Leaved Paeony Types of Tulips Crimson Rambler Rose The Golden-banded Lily . Group of the Hardy Hydrangea The American Elder 3: A Tasteful Window Box HOME FLORICULTURE CHAPTER I SOIL FOR PLANTS IN POTS Two mistakes are to be avoided by the amateur floriculturist. That of thinking that plants in pots will grow well in any kind of soil is one of them. This idea originates from an observation of the comparatively satisfactory development of plants in the garden, whose soil seems to be of only ordinary fertility. If plants do well in such a soil, when grown in the garden beds, why will they not do as well in the same soil, in a pot, the amateur asks himself. He sees no reason why they should not. But the fact is, they will not. Out in the garden they are growing under natural conditions, where they get the benefit of fresh air, and dew, and sunshine, and can attract to themselves nutri- ment from all sides. The result is far different from what it would be if we were to attempt to grow plants in this soil, in pots, because, in the latter case, all conditions are changed materially. To grow plants well in pots the soil must be rich, and the amateur, to be successful, must not make the mistake of think- ing that any soil will answer the purpose. The other mistake is this: That each plant must have a soil specially prepared for it. It may be 2 HOME FLORICULTURE advisable to adapt the soil to the nature of the plant grown in it, to some extent, in special instances, but, as a general thing, nearly all plants advisable for house culture will do themselves full justice if given the same kind of soil. The plants that fail to do this, in any really good soil, are the exceptions which prove the rule. But because they wil] do this is no good reason why they should be obliged to do it if we can grow them more satisfactorily by giving them the kind of soil they have an especial liking for. Right here the question may come up in the mind of the amateur florist, How am I to know just what kind of soil a plant likes best? To this I would answer, that we cannot know, positively, until we have had some experience with the plant, but an examina- tion of its roots will generally give us a pretty good idea of the character of the soil best adapted to it. If a plant has few roots, and those are large ones, as a general thing, a rather close, firm soil will suit it better than a light, spongy one. Those having hard, wiry roots, like the Rose, nearly always prefer a soil containing considerable clay—one that will make itself firm and compact about the roots. Plants like Primula obconica, and Heliotrope, whose roots are almost hair- like in their fineness, do much the best in a light soil containing a good deal of fibrous matter, or, if that is lacking, a liberal proportion of sand, which will prevent the heavier elements from packing down under the action of water, and becoming uncomfortably compact and impenetrable. The best general purpose soil I have ever used was made as follows: One part ordinary garden loam; one part turfy matter scraped from the lower part of sods, containing all the fine grass roots possible to secure with it; one part of well-rotted manure and sand, half and half. If leaf mold can be obtained, it can be used SOIL FOR PLANTS IN POTS 3 instead of the turf scrapings. We hear a great deal said about its superiority over other light and spongy soils, but there is really but very little difference between it and turfy soil, since both are composed largely of vegetable matter. In one case, leaves decay, and furnish food for plant growth, and in the other the grass roots rot and supply nutriment. Leaf mold gives more immediate effects, because it is clready decayed, while turf soil must have time in which to decay before it is fully available. I have spoken of well-rotted manure. That from the cow yard is best, and it should be so old as to be black and friable. On no account should fresh manure be used. It will always injure a plant. Hen manure is too strong, unless used in small quantities. If used at all, it should be experimented with carefully. Horse manure is too heating. Guano is better, but care must be exercised in the use of it, as its strength is not always alike, therefore no hard-and-fast rule as to the quantity to be mixed with the soil can be given. Finely-ground bone meal I have found to be the best substitute, all things considered, for old cow manure. It is rich in the elements of plant growth, is easily obtainable by those who would find it difficult to procure barnyard manure, is pleasant to handle, and perfectly safe, provided it is not used in excessive quantities. A pound of it to the amount of soil that would fill a bushel basket would make the compost very rich, and I would advise using a smaller quan- tity to begin with. Watch the effect on the plants grown in the soil containing it. If they do not take on the luxuriant growth you would like to have them, small quantities of the bone meal can be added to the soil in the pots by digging it in about their roots. Personally, I prefer it to cow manure, for the reason that worms are never bred in the soil from it, while 4 HOME FLORICULTURE the use of barnyard fertilizers is almost sure to introduce worms which cannot be got rid of easily. The use of any fertilizer must be attended with caution. An overdose of food often kills a plant. A plant in too rich a soil gets a sort of vegetable dyspepsia, because it is unable to digest properly the strong food given it, and the result of its continued use brings on a debilitated condition from which death ultimately ensues. It is a safe plan to have the soil of only moderate richness, and supply stronger food from time to time, as the plant indicates a need for it. In this way we grow our best plants. Their development can be made steady and healthful under such conditions, while too rich a soil forces a rapid, ~veak growth which is sure to give us unhealthy plants. Many cannot understand why it is necessary to add sand to the soil for pot plants. The reason for using it is this: The soil in a pot is quite likely to become heavy from repeated waterings. In a heavy, compact soil the roots do not have a good chance to grow. The air which they require is not admitted readily. If sand is mixed with the other portions of the compost, it makes it light, friable and porous. It allows the water to run through readily, and where the water can move in this way the air can find its way in. If you use good, sharp sand in your potting soil you will seldom find it becoming sour, if drainage is provided. If you do not use it, you will often find it soggy and sticky, and in most cases where it is discovered to be in this condition you will see that the plant in it is not growing well. Examine the roots and you will be pretty sure to find that many of the young and delicate ones are decaying. When this takes place, disease is pretty sure to follow rapidly. More plants are lost from neglect in preparing a light and porous soil than from any one other cause, I SOIL FOR PLANTS IN POTS § think. I would omit the manure from the compost rather than the sand, if I could have but one. If you do not require your compost for immediate use, it is a good plan to pile it up in some corner of the garden and allow the vegetable matter in it to decay thoroughly. Stir it well from time to time. Let the air get to all parts of it. When you have soap suds pour them over it. Add to it whatever you think will increase its nutritive qualities. In a short time you will have a supply of soil in which the most aristocratic plant ought to grow well. It is well to keep a supply on hand. You will need it all through the year if you have many plants. Often a plant requires repotting in winter, but because there is no soil at hand it is allowed to remain in its old pot and by the time the soil required can be obtained, the plant is injured permanently. Therefore put a box of good soil in the cellar in the fall, to use as occasion requires during the winter. Always aim to be pre- pared to give your plants such attention as they may need, when it is needed. In order to do this you must look ahead a little, and understand what attention they are likely to require. In potting plants, where a compost prepared as advised above is used, it may easily be varied to suit the different plants you propose to grow in it. That is, if the roots of a plant indicate a liking for a some- what heavy soil, add some loam containing clay to it. If they seem to require a very light, porous soil, add more turfy matter, leaf mold, or sand. From this, the reader will understand that the soil prepared as advised forms a basis for soils of varying degrees of heaviness or lightness, and that these qualities are readily obtainable by the use of proper material. It is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to procure such a soil as that recommended above. But 6 HOME FLORICULTURE on this account do not forego the pleasure of growing flowers. Get the best soil you can, and give the plants the best possible care, and you will often be surprised at the result. The love of flowers seems to have a good deal to do with success. Where this exists, there will be nothing left undone to make conditions as favorable as possible for them. The plants seem to understand what is being done for them, and respond by doing their best to reward their owner for the care and attention given. To grow flowers well, you must love them. If you have not this feeling for them, do not attempt their cultivation, for vour attempts will surely end in failure. CHAPTER II POTTING When you get ready to pot plants, the first thing to do, if your pots are new ones, is to put them to soak in a tub of water. Unless this is done, and the pores of the clay are full of water when the soil is put into them, the moisture will be quickly drawn from it, and the plant will suffer from lack of water before you are aware that there is not enough to supply its needs. Provide a quantity of broken crockery, old brick, anything which can be put into the bottom of each pot to the depth of an inch or two and keep the soil above it from running down:and filling up the hole in the bottom of the pot, where surplus water is supposed to escape. Do not make this material for drainage too fine. Let the pieces be about an inch square, or like nut coal. Some persons seem to think that it is unnecessary to provide drainage. I have often heard it said that it “was all a whim.” Not so. The practice is founded on good, sound, philosophic principles. Give the water a chance to drain away from the soil and it follows that only as much will be retained as the plant growing in it requires. If good drainage is provided the water will not remain and sour the soil, as it pretty surely would if no escape was furnished for the water that the soil would not naturally take up. Only a certain quantity can be retained in soils which have natural drainage, and we always aim, in plant culture, to come as near to the natural way of things as possible. & HOME FLORICULTURE Another reason for providing drainage is this: Many persons are very careless about watering their plants. Often they apply so much that the soil is saturated all through, and they do not wait for this to evaporate or be got rid of in some other way, but perhaps the next day they repeat the operation. If there is no drainage, such a course of treatment will soon result in disease among your plants, but with good drainage, the danger of overwatering is avoided in a great degree. Therefore, be sure to see that all pots over four inches across are drained well. Smaller pots do not require it, because there is but little soil in them, and evaporation is much more rapid than from a larger pot. When you get ready to pot a plant, fill the pot to within an inch or two of the top with the loose soil, and give it a jar to settle it somewhat. Then remove some from the center, and in this hollow set the roots of the plant, taking care to have them spread out naturally. Sift the loose soil down among them, jarring the pot from time to time to firm the soil well. When nearly full, press down with the hand, and then water thoroughly to settle the scil. It is not a good plan to have the pot full to the rim of soil, because the water which is applied will run off before enough is taken up by the soil to penetrate to all portions of it. Have the earth about an inch below the rim when well settled. In repotting old plants, remove as much as possible of the old soil without disturbing the roots too much. Some shake all the old soil off the roots, but I find that a plant starts much sooner and does a great deal better if the roots in the center of the ball of earth in which they have been growing are not interfered with. Roots must take hold of the fresh soil before the plant can become thoroughly estab- POTTING GS lished in its new quarters. If all are disturbed, the plant receives too severe a check, because it will be some time before they are in a condition to take up nutriment; but if a part of them are left undisturbed, these can feed the plant while the others are taking hold of the fresh soil. In shifting plants, it is not advisable to change from a small pot to one more than one or two sizes larger. It is better to make frequent shifts. Do not repot till the roots have filled the ball of earth and formed a network of white fibers all around the outside of it. You can readily ascertain when this has been done by turning the plant out of the pot. Invert the pot over the left hand, with the stalk of the plant be- - tween your fingers. Then give the pot a sharp rap against something to loosen it from the soil. The plant can then be slipped out readily without disturbing the roots in the least. Do not think that this injures the plant, for it does not. A great mistake is made by many amateurs in giving too large pots. They think a small pot means starvation to the plant because it will not contain a sufficient amount of earth to feed a plant well. This is not true of small plants. They have few roots, and a small amount of soil will meet all their require- ments until these roots have enlarged and fill the pot. Then repot. If you put a small plant in a large pot it cannot make use of all the nutriment in the soil, and as there is nothing else to share it, the poor little plant is overfed—fed to death, often. A young plant from a cutting should not have a pot larger than three inches across the top. Plants bought from florists in spring are generally from pots of that size, and they are almost always in strong, healthy condition, after having been grown in these small pots the greater share of the winter. This proves that a young plant does not require a large pot. Io HOME FLORICULTURE A pot six or seven inches across the top is quite large enough for ordinary window plants. A Geranium will bloom better in a pot of this size, when a year old, than it would in a larger one. One containing more soil would be likely to produce a more luxuriant growth of leaf and branch, but would give fewer blossoms. It is a fact that a plant blooms better, as a general thing, when somewhat cramped for root room. But all plants grown for their foliage require a liberal amount of soil, because with them flowers are not what is aimed at, but a vigorous development of branches to furnish leaves. Bearing this in mind, you would give your flowering Geraniums rather small pots, while you would give a Rose Geranium a pot several sizes larger, one being grown solely for its flowers, while the other is only satisfactory when it has a large amount of fine foliage. From this I think you get the idea governing the use of large and small pots. After potting a plant give it a thorough water- ing, as has been said, to settle the soil, but do not give more until it shows signs of starting into growth, unless the weather is very warm and evap- oration takes place rapidly. It is always well to set newly potted plants in a shaded place until they become well established in their new pots. It may take two weeks for them to do this. Shower them daily. Moisture on the foliage often seems to do as much good as water at the roots, and it is especially beneficial to a plant when it is suffering the shock which the most careful potting is likely to give to some varieties which do not take kindly to a change of this sort. If you have good soil for your plants, I would not advise a complete repotting oftener than once a year. Give this just before they make the strong growth POTTING It of the season. Some months later, remove a portion of the soil from the pot and give fresh earth in its place. This will keep the plant in good growing condition. If it seems suffering from lack of nutri- ment, give some of the fertilizers treated of in a later chapter. We are beginning to understand that by the use of these, in an intelligent way, much of the need of frequent repotting can be done away with. This subject will be considered farther on. CHAPTER III WATERING PLANTS Some persons water their plants every day, with- out regard to the season, and give just about the same quantity one day that they do another. The natural result is that in winter their plants are weak and spindling, with yellow leaves, and few if any flowers. The owner will tell you that she “don’t see what ails her plants. She is sure she gives them all the water they need, and she never forgets to do this.” If she were to forget to do this occasionally it would be a great deal better for the plants. In summer the evaporation of moisture from the soil is rapid, because of warmth and wind, but in winter this goes on slowly, and the amount of water given should be regulated by the ability of the soil to dispose of it. Where too much is given, as has been said in the chapter on potting, the soil is reduced to a condition of muddiness, unless good drainage has been provided, and those who give too much water generally neglect this item. Another woman will give water in little driblets, ““whenever she happens to think of it.” The result is that her plants are chronic sufferers from lack of moisture at the roots. The wonder is that they contrive to exist. Turn them out of their pots and you will generally find that the upper portion of the soil is moist, and in this what few roots there are have spread themselves, while below it the soil is almost as dry as dust, and no root could live there. Plants grown under these conditions are almost always dwarf and sickly specimens, with but few leaves, and most of these yellow ones. You will find that plants grown WATERING PLANTS 13 under either condition are much more subject to attacks of insects than healthy plants are. There is only one rule to be governed by in watering plants, that I have any knowledge of, and that is this: Never apply water to any plant until the surface of the soil looks dry. When you do give water, give enough of it to thoroughly saturate the soil. If some runs through at the bottom of the pot, you can be sure that the whole ball of earth is moist. I follow this rule with good results. Of course, like all other rules, it has exceptions. For instance, a Calla, being a sort of aquatic plant, requires very much more water than a Geranium. A Cactus, being a native of hot, dry climates, requires but very little. The florist who is interested in his plants will study their habits, in order to understand the requirements of each, and will soon be able to treat them intelli- gently. He will soon be able to tell at a glance when a plant requires more water. He will know what kinds to give a good deal to, and what kinds to water sparingly. Until he has acquired this ability it is well for him to adhere to the rule given above, for if he follows it he cannot go very far wrong in either direction. Let the water used be of about the same temperature as that of the room in which the plants are. I am often asked which is best, hard or soft water. I have tried both, and see little difference. Many persons fail to attain success with plants in baskets and window boxes. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the failure is due to lack of water. A basket is exposed to dry air on all sides, and is suspended near the ceiling, as a general thing, where the air is much warmer than below, consequently evaporation takes place more rapidly than from the pot on the window sill. Because it is somewhat difficult to get at, water is not given as often as 14 HOME FLORICULTURE required, and then generally in smaller quantities than is needed. The first thing you know, your plants are turning yellow, and dropping their leaves, and soon they are in such a condition that you throw them away in disgust, and conclude that you haven’t “the knack” of growing good basket plants. All the trouble comes from an insufficient water supply. There are two methods by which you mav make it easier to attend to the needs of these plants. One is, to have the baskets suspended by long cords run- ning over pulleys, by which you can lower them into a tub of water, where they can be left until they are thoroughly soaked through. The other is this: Take a tin can and punch a hole through the bottom of it. Let this hole be large enough to allow water to escape, drop by drop. Set this on top of vour basket and arrange the foliage to cover it. ’ If the hole is not as large as it ought to be, the soil will not be kept moist all through. In this case, make it larger. A little observation will enable you to regulate matters in such a manner as to secure just the flow of water needed. By the “tin-can method” of watering basket plants, the trouble of watering in the ordinary way will be done away with, and the results will be extremely satisfactory. Plants can be grown nearly as well in the window box as in the open ground if enough water is given to keep the soil moist, all through, at all times. The “little-and-often” plan, spoken of in this chapter, will lead to dismal failure in the care of window boxes. Apply at least a pailful of water every day, in warm weather. If this is done there need be no failure. If those who have failed, heretofore, will bear this in mind, and follow the advice given, they may have window boxes that will make their windows beautiful during the entire summer, with very little trouble. CHAPTER IV CARE OF PLANTS IN THE WINDOW In order to grow plants well, in the house, they must have plenty of light. Unless this can be given, they will be spindling and weak, and there will be few, if any, flowers, and these will be inferior. The best exposure is a southern one; the next best an eastern one. A south window is the one in which to grow Geraniums, Lantanas, Heliotropes, and all plants fond of much sunshine, while the eastern one is better for Begonias, Fuchsias, and such plants as care more for the sun in the early part of the day than they do for it after its rays become more intense. A west window gives too much heat unless shaded considerably, but it is better than no window at all, and if you, have no other to give your plants, don’t go without them. A curtain of thin muslin will temper the heat greatly, and vines can be trained over the glass in such a way as to break the fierceness of the sun’s rays. A north window is not suited to the needs of flowering plants, but some which are grown solely for foliage can be kept there. Ferns, Palms, Aspidistra, Ficus and Lycopodiums will do quite as well there as in a window exposed to the sun. English Ivy can be trained about it. Tradescantia in baskets can be hung up in it, and thus it can be made beautiful without flowers if you have a love for “green things growing.” One often sees weak, scraggly plants in the sit- ting room windows. They seem to have grown too rapidly to be healthy. Two things combine to bring this about: Lack of fresh air and too much heat. 16 HOME FLORICULTURE If you want fine plants—and if you really love flowers you want nothing else—you must give them plenty of air. They breathe, as you do, and without fresh air they pine and become diseased, the same as you would under similar conditions. You occupy the same room, it is true, without suffering as much as your plants appear to, but you are not confined to it all the time, as they are. You get air when you go out of it. They are obliged to stay in it. Always have your window arranged in such a manner that it can be lowered at the top, thus letting a stream of pure air blow in over the plants. If storm sash is used, have a hole in the bottom of the outside sash, and another in the top of the window sash. When these holes are open, a stream of fresh air will rush in below, flow up between the two sashes and enter the room through the hole in the top of the window sash. These holes can be left open the greater part of the day, but should be closed at night. Opening doors from the hall, or some adjoining room into which air can be admitted from without, will let in a supply which your plants will appreciate fully. Never let a stream of cold air blow directly on them, however. Aim to have the cold air mix with the warm air of the room before it reaches them. The air of the living room is generally kept too warm and dry for plants, as well as the human occu- pants of the room. About seventy degrees during the day time and fifteen degrees less at night would suit such plants as one finds in ordinary collections. Aim to keep the temperature as even as possible. Too great heat forces a weak growth, and has a ten- dency to blast any buds that may form. In a room where the air is warm and dry, the red spider will do deadly work. In order to keep him at bay, the plants must be given as much moisture CARE OF PLANTS IN THE WINDOW 17 as possible. Keep a vessel of water on the stove, to evaporate. Shower the plants daily. If the pots are used without saucers, the table on which they stand, or the shelves, can be covered with an inch of sand which can be kept in place by tacking cleats along the edge of the stand. This sand will take up and retain the water which runs through the pots, and thus a steady moisture will be given off from it, for there will be constant evaporation taking place. Keep the air of the room in which plants are kept as moist as possible, if you want to grow strong, healthy plants. This is a very important item, and should not be neglected. Showering daily helps to keep the foliage clean; and unless the dust, which settles on the plants when sweeping the room, is cleared away, the pores of the leaves become clogged, and the plant finds it difficult to breathe, for the pores of the leaves are really the lungs of the plant. In a moist atmosphere many plants can be grown which would die in a dry air, and all plants do so much better where there is plenty of moisture in sus- pension that the amateur who wants his plants to do their best will aim to supply it. It has often been observed that fine plants are often found growing in the kitchen, while those in the parlor are sickly. The explanation of this is: The kitchen air is moist, because of the cooking, washing, and other work of that kind going on there, while the parlor air has all the moisture extracted from it by intense stove and furnace heat which there is no moisture to modify. Stir the soil in the pots at least once a week. An old fork is a good tool to do this with. This allows the air to penetrate to the roots, and keeps weeds from getting a start. Keep all dead leaves picked off, and remove fading flowers. It is a good plan to cover 18 HOME FLORICULTURE your plants with a thin sheet, or a newspaper, when sweeping. It is another good plan to remove them to the kitchen at least once in two weeks, and give them a thorough washing. This helps to keep down insects, and prevents them from becoming incrusted with dust. By all means provide yourself with one of the brass syringes (Fig 2) or elastic plant sprinklers FIG 2—PARLOR SYRINGE (Fig 3) for sale by dealers in florists’ goods. With one of these you can throw a strong stream or a spray FIG 3—ELASTIC PLANT SPRINKLER of water over and among your plants, and apply it effectively, which you cannot do if you depend on a CARE OF PLANTS IN THE WINDOW 19 whisk broom for a sprinkler. A “sprinkler” is not what you need, but something that has force enough FIG 4—FOUNTAIN PUMP to take the water in all directions, and in such quan- tities, and with such volume, as the case may require. For specially constructed plant rooms, or conserva- tories, the fountain pump (Fig 4) is best suited. Turn your plants at least twice a week so that they will get the sun and light on all sides. This prevents their becoming drawn to one side, as they will be sure to do if not turned frequently. Don’t neglect to do this if vou want good-shaped specimens. And be sure to give all the light possible; don’t shut it out from the window where you have plants, by curtains or lambrequins. Let your plants furnish the beauty for the window. Some are afraid of letting in the sunshine upon their plants because it will fade the carpet. If you care more for your carpet than you do for your flowers, give them to some one who is willing to do the fair thing by them, and concentrate your energies on the protection of the precious carpet, but don’t attempt to compromise matters between the two, for this will surely result in failure, so far as your plants are concerned. CHAPTER V THE PROPAGATION OF PLANTS Most window plants are propagated from cuttings, or “slips.” A cutting is a piece of branch. If the lower end is inserted in soil, the branch, if in proper condition, will form roots, and in this way you obtain a new plant. By proper condition is meant the condition of the wood at the time the cutting is taken. It should not be of too recent a growth, neither should it be of too old a growth. The cutting, if too “green,” is likely to decay before roots can be formed; if too old, roots often refuse to start. A “happy medium” between the two stages of plant growth should be sought for in selecting cuttings. Let the branch be firm, but not tough. If, when you bend it between your fingers, it seems inclined to break, and yet does not, it is in about the fit condition to ‘‘strike.” This is not laid down as a rule to go by, but it indicates as accurately as any test that can be given the amateur, the proper condition of the wood of most plants from which it is desired to take cuttings. Study and obser- vation of the characteristics of plants will enable a person to tell at a glance which cutting to take and which to reject, but it is a difficult, if not an impossible, matter to make this clear in words. I always start cuttings in clear sand. Take a shallow dish—a soup plate is as good as anything— and fill it with the cleanest sand you can find. Let it be somewhat sharp and gritty, rather than fine, for if too fine it will become like mud when wet. Insert your cuttings in it, letting the ends of them reach down through it and come in contact with the plate. Water, PROPAGATION OF PLANTS 2! giving enough to make the sand thoroughly wet all through, and aim to keep it in this condition. Set in a warm place. A sunny window answers very well. Tf you allow the sand to get dry the young roots will be injured, if not killed, and the result is that you are quite likely to lose your cutting by your neglect to F1G 5--SAUCER PROPAGATION give the proper care. Most cuttings will start roots in a week, but they should not be taken from the sand for at least two or three weeks. When young leaves are put forth freely you may know that it is safe to transfer the young piant to a pot. This method of propagation is shown in Fig 5. Such plants as the Bouvardia and Chrysanthe- mum can be propagated easily by making division of the roots, and this method is to be preferred to taking cuttings of them. Geraniums will grow if the end of the cutting comes in contact with any kind of soil. Heliotropes start easily, as do Fuchsias, Lantanas, Pelargoniums and Abutilons. The Carna- tion is propagated most surely by layering. This method consists in bending down a branch without severing it from the parent plant, and inserting it, at the bend, in soil. It is well to give the branch a little twist, or to about half cut through it at the place where the bend is. This cut, or fracture, interrupts the flow of sap in some degree, and leads 22 HOME FLORICULTURE to the formation of roots with more certainty than would be the case if it were not made. When roots have been formed the young plant can be cut away from the old one, and put in a pot by itself. The Rex Begonia and Gloxinia can he propagated by the leaves. Take a leaf of either plant, make a FIG 6—BEGONIA LEAF PRODUCING YOUNG PLANTS few cuts across the thick ribs on the back of them, and then lay them on damp sand. Soon roots will form, and by and by you will have plants from them, as seen in Fig 6. Soemtimes, when Dracaenas and Ficuses become too tall for the window, the owner would be glad to shorten them, but hesitates about cutting off the top, PROPAGATION OF PLANTS 23 fearing that branches will not form along that portion of the stalk which is left. In such cases I would advise this treatment: Cut into the stalk, on each side, where you want roots to form, making the cut upward, and about one-third across, one cut a little below the other. Then crowd sphagnum moss into the clefts made, and bind some of it about the plant, at that point. Keep it wet. By and by roots will form. After these have grown through the moss, the top can be severed from the parent stalk, and potted in soil. Success depends on the constant moisture of the moss. Allow it to get entirely dry and in all proba- bility your attempt will end in failure. CHAPTER VI TRAINING PLANTS The Abutilon, Chrysanthemum, Fuchsia, and many other shrubby plants suitable to culture in the window garden, can be trained in various ways to suit the taste of the owner. You can have them like miniature trees, or as shrubs. If you prefer the tree shape, let a straight stalk grow to the hight of two or three feet. Allow no branches to start along this stalk. When it has reached the hight where you want the head to form, cut off the top. In a short time branches will be likely to start along the stalk, but all of these except a few at or near the top must be rubbed off. Let these which you leave make a growth of four or five inches, and then nip the ends of them off. This will induce branches to start at nearly every leaf. In this way, by keeping up the “nipping” or “pinching- in” process, you can force as many branches to grow as will be required to form a bushy, compact head. The Abutilon and Chrysanthemum are especially adapted to this manner of training. Some of the stout-growing Fuchsias, like Rose of Castile, make fine little trees, but most varieties are too slender in habit to grow satisfactorily in this form. If you prefer a shrubby plant, with branches from the pot up, you must begin your pinching-in while the plant is small. Nip off the top when five or six inches of growth has been made. Four or five branches will probably start below. If these are nipped off when they have grown long enough to have half a dozen leaves each, they will throw out branches, and thus you secure a bushy plant, which, to my TRAINING PLANTS 25 mind, is more satisfactory than one trained in tree form. Geraniums, unless given a good deal of attention in the first six months of their growth, will become awkward looking plants, and it will be impossible to bring them into good shape later. You must begin with the young plant if you want to make it sym- metrical. Symmetry is not the only result of proper pinching-in. If you force it to branch freely, as you can by persistent nipping off the ends of the branches until you have a dozen or more starting near the base of the plant, you will have much greater flowering surface than a plant left to train itself will ever develop. Sometimes plants obstinately refuse to branch as you want them to, but don’t despair of success, and don’t give up to them and let them have their way. Convince them by persevering in your treatment that you mean to make them come to your terms. They will be anxious to grow, and when they find that they cannot make growth to suit themselves, they will give in to you, and grow as you want them to. You must have patience with them, and persevere in your efforts, and be kind to them. Ultimately your reward will come in the shape of a fine plant, regular in outline, well branched, and with plenty of healthy foliage and beautiful flowers. Sometimes a branch will outgrow the other branches on a plant. As soon as you notice an inclination to do this, check it by nipping it back. This will give the other branches a chance to catch up with it before it gets a fresh start. It may be necessary, at times, to cut off the branch. It is better to sacrifice it wholly than to allow it to take to itself the greater share of the vitality of the plant. Fuchsias, being for the most part slender growers, require a support of some kind. The most satisfac- 26 HOME FLORICULTURE tory one I have ever used was made as follows: A rod of about one-half-inch round iron had three prongs like those of a fork welded to one end of it. These prongs, after being welded to the rod, were bent out FIG 7—A TASTEFULLY ARRANGED PLANT WINDOW at right angles from it, and then given a square downward bend. When these were inserted in the soil they held the rod rigidly in place, because of their bracing against each other, and of the “grip” which they got on the soil. The upper end was punched full of small holes, and through these a small wire was run TRAINING PLANTS 27 in an irregular fashion. The bends or curves in the wire projected for a foot or more on all sides. Through and over these wires the branches of the plant were trained in such a manner that they received all the support they required without being given any appearance of stiffness or primness, which is almost always the result of training this plant on the ordinary trellis. The ends of the branches had a natural droop to them, and the wire supports were unnoticed after being painted green. The Ivy can be trained about the window, as shown in Fig 7, and along the ceiling, or made to cover screens with a wealth of beautiful foliage, if care is taken to interlace the branches smoothly as they develop. This is a most tractable plant, and one of the old favorites, which no collection is complete without. CHAPTER VII INSECTS AND HOW TO FIGHT THEM Whoever has plants must expect to have them attacked by insects. Good care and constant attention will do much toward keeping these enemies away, but at times they make desperate efforts to secure pos- session of your pets, and often they succeed in doing it before you are aware of their presence. As soon as you discover them go to work to get rid of them, and do not relax your efforts until you feel sure that the last one is put to rout. After that be vigilant, and see ‘that they are kept at bay, on the principle that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The aphis, or plant louse, is the pest most familiar to those who have but few plants. It breeds with wonderful rapidity. You may see a few to-day. Next week you will find many plants literally covered with aphides. Therefore, when you discover one lose no time in declaring war against this enemy. The lice suck the juices from tender plants and soon perma- nently injure them. If left to carry on their work they will kill them. Until within a few years past fumigation with tobacco was considered the most effective means of getting rid of this pest. But most women objected to it because its fumes sickened them, and the odor of the weed clung to everything in the house for davs. In greenhouses it is still used to some extent, but even there it is being superseded by other, and less troublesome methods. An extract of nicotine is on the market which is of such strength that a spoonful or two of it, added to a pailful of water, furnishes us INSECTS AND HOW TO FIGHT THEM 29 with a most effective weapon against the aphis. It can be syringed over infested plants, or they can be dipped in it. This is the best way in which to make use of the tobacco principle in fighting insects, but it is open to the objection of being unpleasantly odorifer- ous, and many women tell me they cannot make use of it. I have come to depend entirely on a homemade insecticide in fighting the aphis. I shave a quarter of a pound of the ordinary Ivory soap in use in most households, or readily obtainable anywhere, into thin pieces. These I cover with water and set on the stove to melt. When liquid, I add to a pailful of water. Into this I dip my plants. If they are large ones, I prepare a larger amount of soap and water, keeping to the proportions named above, and use it in a tub sufficiently large to accommodate my plants. I find this bath most effective. Aphides are killed and no plant is ever injured. It costs but little, is pleasant to prepare and handle and is always at hand. A good many profes- sional florists to whom I have recommended it tell me that they have used it with unvarying success, and prefer it to anything else they have tried in fighting the aphis. This insecticide is also effective against the thrip and the mealy bug. One of the most destructive insects with which the owners of plants have to measure weapons is the red spider. He does his most effective work in rooms where the air is hot and dry. He is a tiny creature, and often his presence is unsuspected. The leaves of the plants begin to turn yellow, and a sickly look per- vades the collection. The real cause of the trouble is not understood until you happen to see, on the under- side of a leaf, a little web. Examine it closely and you will see little atoms looking more like a grain of cayenne pepper than anything else. Watch them 30 HOME FLORICULTURE closely and you will see them move. Then you will know that it is the ravages of this little but powerful insect which has given your plants such a woe- begone look. The only antidote for the red spider that I have ever found effective is—water. “Only this, and noth- ing more.” This insect will not stay where there is much moisture. If you apply water to your plants daily, putting it on with a syringe, and throwing it well up among the foliage, so that it reaches the under- side of the leaves where the spider lurks because the leaf over him acts as a sort of umbrella which protects him from falling water, you can soon rout him. But this treatment must be thorough, and it must be kept up, for if you abate your efforts he will soon return. Use every means in your power to keep the air moist at all times. But rely on showering to drive him away when once established. Be sure to remember what has been said about getting the water to the underside of the leaf. In greenhouses, where the plants are syringed often, the spider is seldom found because the air is charged with so much moisture at all times that it is not pleasant for him. This condition cannot be secured in the living room, but much can be done to do away with the dryness usually found there. Some- times I think the spider a blessing in disguise, for the water which you apply to your plants in fighting him is an important item of success in the culture of them, and were it not for the fight you wage they might not get it. The other two principal enemies of house plants are mealy bug and scale. The mealy bug looks like a tiny bit of cotton. The scale is a smooth, flat creature, adhering closely to the surface of such smooth leaved plants as the Ivy, Lemon and Oleander. Both are destructive. Lemon or fir-tree oil will rout them more INSECTS AND HOW TO FIGHT THEM 31 effectively than anything else I have ever tried, though the soap insecticide advised for the extermination of the aphis will do good work against the mealy bug if you are sure to get it where he lurks. Scale, however, does not succumb to it so readily, and it becomes necessary to use something stronger to rout this formidable enemy of Palms and other smooth leaved plants, and of many kinds of Fern, especially the Sword varieties, which are now so extensively grown. Let me say, in this connection, that the scale on Ferns is generally somewhat different in shape from that on such plants as the Palm—so much so that some persons hardly think it possible for them to be of the same family. Palm scale is generally small, and quite flat, sometimes white, sometimes brown. Fern scale is generally plump and well rounded on its upper part, and is almost always brown, or greenish- brown, in color and considerably larger than the sort found on harder foliaged plants. The use of either of the oils named will rout this enemy. Directions for the preparation of the wash accompany them. Apply with a soft rag, or a brush stiff enough to remove the insect after the application has done its work. Use this bath frequently, after you have rid your plants of the pest, to prevent its return. CHAPTER VIII CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS DURING SUMMER AND FALL House plants should not be put out of doors at the North before the first of June. Cool nights and late frosts are of frequent occurrence through the month of May north of New York City, and whoever puts plants out very early, as many do, may wake up some morning and find them nipped. The question is often asked: What is it best to do with our plants during summer? Whether to keep them on the veranda, to sink the pots containing them in the ground, or turn them out of their pots. I have tried all three ways, and from my experience I would advise the amateur to keep the plants in pots, in some sheltered place, through the summer months. It is true that plants in pots will require more attention than they would if planted out. But the advantages are, that you have them where they will require more or less care, and, knowing this, you will not be likely to neglect them. And when fall comes, your plants are in the pots, and there is no lifting and potting to be done, a process which always results in a severe check to a plant at the very time when it ought to be steadily going ahead. I spoke of neglect. Right here let me say that it never pays to neglect a plant. You may save a little in labor by doing so, but you lose in the development of the plant, and I never advise any method of caring for plants which would encourage neglect. Most persons seem to think that it doesn’t much matter how plants are carried over the summer. They CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS 33 have an idea that about all that is necessary is to keep them alive till fall. Then they will take them in hand and make satisfactory plants of them for winter use. This is all wrong. The summer is the time in which to make preparations for the winter campaign. If you want fine plants in winter you must make them fine plants before winter comes. If you neglect them in summer you will find that it is too late to get them in condition for winter work in fall. It will take nearly all winter to get a plant which has been neglected in summer in good condition, and by the time you have accomplisheé this, if you succeed in doing so, which is doubtful, it will be about time to put it out of doors. But if your plants begin the winter in strong, healthy condition, you may reasonably expect a great deal from them if you give them proper care. Plants intended for winter use ought to be given a good deal of care during the summer. They must be encouraged to make satisfactory growth. They must be pinched in to produce plenty of branches to give flowering surface, and to make them compact and sym- metrical. You are to remember that you are now laying a foundation for what you hope to realize, later on. Your aim should always be to have them in the best possible condition at all times, and your summer’s work must be done with reference to the future. Never expect much from plants, in winter, which were “poor specimens” in fall. If you do, quite likely you will be disappointed. If plants are “plunged,” which is the term gardeners use when they mean that the pots containing the plants are sunk in the earth up to their rims, they are pretty sure to suffer. The soil about the roots, inside the pot, will become much drier than that about the pot, on the outside of it, for, though most pots are porous, they do not admit moisture in sufficient 34 HOME FLORICULTURE quantity to keep the earth in them moist enough to meet the requirements of the young and delicate roots. This difficulty can be overcome by daily applications of water, but the fact is that plunged plants are pretty sure to be neglected because the soil about them seems moist, and the fact of lack of moisture inside the pot is lost sight of, or not understood. They are also likely to be injured by wind and sudden storms, and if care is not taken to put a layer of wood or coal ashes under the pots—and this will not be done once in ten times, I presume—worms will effect an entrance through the hole in the bottom. And in nine cases out of ten, you will find when you come to take up the plants in fall, that they have sent roots down through this hole, and these roots, which are young and strong ones, must be broken off to the injury of the plant in a greater or less degree. In turning plants out of their pots and planting them in the open ground, the owner avoids the care necessary to give them when kept in pots, and may feel confident of the vigorous growth they will be pretty sure to make. But when cold weather approaches, and the plants have to be taken up and potted, a “change will come o’er the spirit of his dream.” It will then be found that the roots have spread far and wide about the plants. The little plant from a four-inch pot will have made such a surprising increase of roots that a peck measure would not contain them all, and of course it is out of the question to give them such large pots as really seem necessary. In trying to reduce the earth about them to fit the pots in which they are to be placed it will be found that most of the large roots have to be cut away, and all the others disturbed more or less. In cutting away these strong, feeding roots, and expos- CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS 35 ing the others, the plant receives a violent shock from which it will take it months to recover. Of course, after cutting off some of the roots, the top must be cut back correspondingly, or the plant would be likely to die, for there will not be sufficient root action to support all the old branches. If cut back at the roots, new roots will have to be formed before growth can take place. The plant must first become re-established. You will readily see, therefore, that when this plan is pursued you have, in fall, at the very time when the plant should be at its best— strong, vigorous, and able to stand the change from out to indoor conditions—a plant getting, or trying to get, a fresh start; a plant that has received a shock, whereby its vitality is greatly weakened. The change from out to indoor life will be so abrupt and so decided that it will be still further weakened by it. Out of doors, in fresh air, and under natural condi- tions, it might recover much sooner; but the close living room, with its dry air, and great heat, will hasten the down-hill tendency of the plant, and it is not to be wondered at that so many die in fall when brought into the house. Of course, if plants could be taken up without disturbing the roots, this method of summering them would be a good one, because they grow so much better and are more robustly healthy in the open ground than when kept in pots. But as it is utterly impossible to take them up without dis- turbing the roots, I would not advise planting them out in summer. I would advise keeping house plants during sum- mer on a veranda with eastern or northern exposure. If you have only a southern or western one, give a screen of lattice or vines. The sun will burn many tender plants exposed to it from noon to three o’clock. An eastern or northern exposure is preferable, because 36 HOME FLORICULTURE no screen will be required, and therefore there will be a freer circulation of air. The heat will also be much less intense. Water daily, and give a liberal quantity to all plants which you want to make a vigorous growth. If some are needing rest—as will be the case with most winter blooming kinds—give less— just enough, in fact, to keep the earth from getting so dry that the plant will wilt. Go over your plants once a week, and when you see a branch getting the start of the others, nip it off. If a plant persists in growing tall and “leggy,” cut the top off, and keep on doing this until branches start along the stalk. Now is the time to make your plants assume the bushy, compact shape you will want them to have when removed to the house in winter. Stir the soil in the pots once a week. If fresh soil was given in spring, do not give any fertilizer. You do not want to force the growth at all—simply to keep it growing steadily and healthily. When the time comes to take in your plants, do not make the change from out to indoors an abrupt one, as many do. They put them in the sitting room window and seem to take it for granted that that is all that is necessary. Not so. The plants have had plenty of fresh, cool air out of doors, and if denied this all at once, they pine and suffer. Give them all the fresh air possible for days after putting them in the house. Keep them as cool as possible. It is better to put them in a room where there is no fire, at first. Accustom them to the change between out and indoor conditions as gradually as possible. Don’t be abrupt about it if you want your plants to do well. I often am told by amateurs that their plants were budded when brought in, but the buds turned yellow and fell off in a week or two, and they don’t understand the cause of it. It almost always happens CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS 37 because the plants are kept too warm and get very little fresh air, after being brought into the house— in other words, there is too abrupt and violent a change in conditions, and the shock is so severe that they are unable to overcome it, and in consequence they drop their buds. CHAPTER IX FERTILIZERS Most plants need a fertilizer of some kind, at certain periods. But care must be taken in the use of them. They should never be given to a plant in a dormant condition, or to a sickly one. The resting plant will be excited by it, and efforts in the direction of growth will be made prematurely. It will act on the sickly plant very much as rich food acts on a debilitated person, and aggravate diseased conditions, instead of assisting in the restoration of health. A plant should be growing, or beginning to grow, before any fertilizer is applied to it. Liquid manure is greatly advised. The formula for preparing it is this: Take dry manure—from the cow yard, preferably—and pour hot water over it. This will soak into and soften the material, and by and by, when more water is applied, some will run away at the opening in the lower part of the barrel or box used, and this is the liquid manure you are to make use of. It should be diluted, if dark in color, until it has the brown tint of rather weak table tea. Never use it when almost black, because that indicates greater strength than the ordinary plant can stand. This can be applied to plants like the Chrysanthemum, and others which are gross feeders, as often as once a week if they are in soil of only ordinary richness. For most plants, however, once in ten days or two weeks will be often enough to use it. Rapid develop- ment is not desirable. Rather a steady, but vigorous and healthy growth. ' FERTILIZERS 39 If cow manure or other fertilizer has been mixed with the soil in which your plants are growing, no other fertilizer will be needed until the plants have nearly exhausted the nutritive elements in the soil. When the leaves of a growing plant become smaller and smaller, as they are produced, and it loses its vigor in the development of stalk and branch, it is safe to conclude that more food is needed. The use of fertilizers makes it unnecessary to repot plants oftener than once a year. Indeed, by using them judiciously, plants can be kept in the same soil, for a much longer period, in perfect health, as good fer- tilizers furnish the elements of plant growth in a condensed form and in such a manner as to be readily assimilated by all plants. Plants about to come into bloom will be greatly benefited by the application of a reliable fertilizer. It will increase the size of the flowers and intensify their richness of color. Ammonia is frequently advised as a fertilizer. Those who advise its use do not understand the difference between a stimulant and an application containing the elements of plant growth. These will be found in all reliable fertilizers, but ammonia simply stimulates a plant to greater activity, temporarily, with- out furnishing any real food. Bone meal is good, because it is rich in nutritive qualities. It can be mixed with the soil about the roots of plants. A teaspoonful once a month to a seven or eight-inch pot will be sufficient. It can be used on larger or smaller pots in a similar proportion. If an immediate effect is desired, get very fine bone meal, or bone dust, instead of the ordinary bone meal sold at agricultural stores. CHAPTER X DISEASED PLANTS When a plant that has been making satisfactory growth suddenly drops its leaves, you may be quite sure that its health has been injured in some way. Possibly the cause may be the red spider, but if, after examination, you find none of these insects at work, you will be obliged to look in other directions to ascertain the source of trouble. It may come from overpotting, which means that you have given the plant a pot containing more soil than it needs; or it may come from too much water at the roots, or too great heat; or gas in the room. Or it may be attribu- table to too great stimulation or the use of a fertilizer in too great quantities. Possibly worms in the soil may be the cause. Before beginning any kind of treatment, try to find out what has caused the difficulty. When you have ascertained that, you can go to work intelli- gently. If the pot is too large, put the plant in a smaller one. If too much water is retained in the soil, see to the drainage. That must be defective. Ii too strong a fertilizer has been given, repot the plant, putting it into a soil of moderate richness. If the heat of the room is too intense, temper it in some way, and give plenty of fresh air. In treating a sick plant let the soil get quite dry. Then repot the plant. Give a small pot, and remove all the diseased roots. If a new pot is used, soak it well before potting the plant. If an old one is used, clean it thoroughly. After putting your plant in it, water moderately, and then wait till the plant shows DISEASED PLANTS 41 signs of growing before giving more, unless the soil is likely to get very dry. Sometimes a plant becomes diseased because of impurities in the soil. Such plants are often greatly benefited, and frequently restored to health by the application of hot water. Let it be at least one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Use enough to thor- oughly saturate all the soil in the pot. A hot bath of this kind dissolves, and counteracts and removes existing impurities to a great extent, when nothing else will. Never give a fertilizer of any kind, or a stimulant, to a sick plant. Wait till it has begun to grow and takes on a healthy look. Then give it with great caution. A healthy action must be restored before it will be safe to give strong food. It will be injured by fertilizers if they are given too soon, just the same as a person recovering from a severe illness is injured by overfeeding. His digestive organs are not in a condition to make use of the food, consequently instead of its strengthening him as it ought to, and as it would if he were able to assimilate it, it increases the weak- ness of the organs brought into operation. Give them a chance to regain lost strength and tone before asking much of them. If the trouble comes from worms in the soil, take a piece of fresh lime as large as a teacup, and dissolve it in a ten-quart pailful of water. When dissolved, pour off the clear water and apply to your plants, giving enough to thoroughly saturate the soil. This will almost always drive out or kill the worms, and seldom injures the plants. If one application is not sufficient, repeat it. Most plants are benefited by the use of lime water occasionally, as there is an element of plant growth in the lime. I depend on this in fighting the worm, and it generally gives complete 42 HOME FLORICULTURE satisfaction if used as directed. But the use of a few spoonfuls will accomplish nothing. The soil must be soaked all through with it. No one need fear to use it, because water can hold only a certain amount of the active qualities of lime in suspension, therefore, if the clear water is used, no harm can be done by it. As a general thing worms are introduced by the use of cow manure. This is why I advise the use of such fertilizers as will not breed worms. By applying hot water to manure in the preparation of liquid iertilizer, the larvae in the material can generally be killed, but if this precaution is not taken worm-infested soil is almost sure to result. Of late complaints come from all over the country of a disease which seems to affect nearly all plants. The leaves of the plant attacked by it show light green or yellow blotches, and these, after a time, become dry and brown, as the tissue of the leaf is eaten away. Sometimes the effect of the disease is most noticeable on the edges of the leaves, which become brown and dry, and crumble away. Generally the diseased leaves turn yellow, or rusty looking, and fall off. The growth of the plant is weak, and buds blast. If Ivy Leaf Geraniums are attacked, their leaves, on the underside, look as if they had been gnawed by some insect and more or less scarred appearance characterizes the entire foliage. A few plants are attacked at first—generally those of low vitality—but the disease rapidly spreads to others, until the entire collection looks as if it had been scorched. The trouble is due to a disease of bacterial or fungous nature. It spreads from spores which settle upon healthy leaves and establish them- selves there, and soon poison the blood of the plant, which is helpless in its efforts to rid itself of them. The only remedy seems to be found in the copper carbonates. Bordeaux mixture, used by fruit growers DISEASED PLANTS 43 in spraying their trees and bushes, will, if applied promptly, counteract the disease, but the use of it on house plants is objectionable, because it leaves a dis- coloring sediment on the foliage. A preparation which will not discolor the leaves is now on the market. It depends for efficacy upon the same copper carbonate that is the basis of Bordeaux mixture. This prepara- tion, which can be bought at agricultural stores, and of most florists, under the name of Copperdine, comes in the form of a paste which can be readily thinned by water and applied as a spray to all parts of the diseased plants. Or they can be dipped in it. The persistent use of this fungicide will soon overcome disease conditions. After your plants become healthy again, use it frequently to prevent a recurrence of the disease. CHAPTER XI WINTER PRECAUTIONS At the North we must take especial pains to guard against the results of sudden “cold snaps’ and pene- trating winds which blow the cold air into every crevice. If we neglect to do this, we may wake up some morning when the thermometer is away down below zero and find our flowers frozen beyond the hope of recovery. I would advise having an extra sash, or “storm window,” placed at every window where plants are kept. If this is done, and it is snugly fitted on the casing, and the glass is well puttied in, there will be no need of moving the plants at night, and it will be needless to use curtains at any time as a protection against the entrance of frost, as the two thicknesses of glass with the air space between them constitute a most effectual barrier against the cold. Care must be taken to see that the outside sash fits snugly against the frame of the window all around, also that the sash in the window has no loose joints. In order to make sure of a snug fit it is well to use strips of thin corner molding which can be procured at any carpenter’s, or the weather strips for sale in most towns can be used. These, being edged with rubber, can be made to fit every corner tightly, and every crevice can be effectually closed against the entrance of wind or frost. The outside sash can be put on with screws. If the screws used are large and long, they will draw it down against the wood of the frame so firmly as to leave no crevice for wind to get through unless the frame is warped and uneven. If it is not even and flat, it is well to WINTER PRECAUTIONS 45 tack on several thicknesses of soft cloth where the sash will come in contact with the frame. The screws will hold the sash firmly against this “packing,” and a tight fit will be the result. Of course windows treated in this way may be said to be air tight, comparatively, and those who have read what I have said about giving plants all the fresh air possible may think that here we have contradiction of advice. But because I urge making the window at which the plants are kept as nearly air tight as possible, it does not follow that we are not to give the plants in them fresh air and plenty of it. For some years past I have used a little device which works very well. A tin pipe about two inches across, with two bends or ‘“‘elbows,” admits as much air as the plants in a large bay window require. This pipe runs down between the window sash and the storm sash, and the lower elbow projects through a hole in the bottom bar of the storm sash, and is open to the outside air. The upper elbow comes into the room through a-hole in the upper part of the window sash. This is fitted with a cap, by which all air can be kept out, if desired. When removed, there is a rush of cold air into the pipe from outside. This stream of air rises in the pipe and is discharged into the room near the ceiling, therefore above the plants. The air in the room is of course much warmer near the ceiling than elsewhere, as heated air always rises, and the cold and warm unite, and the chill is taken off the fresh air before it reaches the plants below. In order to avoid a draft from the room, it is necessary to have the open- ing for the admission of cold air lower than the opening for the discharge of it. If this is not provided for a draft may be created which will take the warm air out of your room instead of letting in fresh air. In putting in such a pipe, be sure to see that the 46 HOME FLORICULTURE holes through which it passes, in the sashes, are made tight with putty. : Often there will be cracks and crevices along the baseboards of the room. Be sure to have these closed. Paste strips of cloth over all cracks in the plaster, and cover with paper like that on the walls, and the patching will not be noticed. If there should happen to be an opening between the baseboards and the floor, have a strip of the corner molding spoken of tacked firmly into the angle of the corner. It is the drafts near the floor which have to be most closely guarded against. Quite often tender plants occupy- ing a low position on a stand are chilled, while others equally tender on a higher level are untouched. It is these drafts near the floor which persons should guard against, also, and in looking out for the welfare of your plants you are doing something which is conducive to your own health and a double benefit is secured. Doors opening into the room in which flowers are kept, especially those which open directly outside, should have weather strips or strips of listing tacked about them in such a manner as to close all cracks through which the cold can enter. A strong wind will blow more cold air into a room in moderate weather than would be likely to penetrate into it still nights when the thermometer is below zero. Therefore be sure to fortify against the admission of air through these inlets. It is a good plan to take a day for doing this work, and begin at one corner of the room and go over it thoroughly, finishing up as you go along. By systematizing the work in this way you are sure to have it all done and well done, but if you stop a crack here and there, and now and then, you will be quite sure to have a poor job of it, taken as a whole. If your plants should freeze, as soon as you WINTER PRECAUTIONS 47 discover what has been done, put them in a dark room, or the cellar, where the temperature is but little above freezing, and sprinkle, or rather shower them, with cold water. Never use warm if you want to save your plants. In most cases, such plants as Geraniums, Abutilons and others of similar character can, if taken in time, before they have been allowed to thaw, be saved, and I have had quite tender plants come through the ordeal with comparatively little injury. The frost must be extracted from the plant cells gradually, and with the application of as little heat as possible. Keep them away from the light and warmth for two or three days. If the tops wilt after the frost has been extracted you may feel sure that the wilted portion cannot be saved and the sooner it is cut off the better. Cut below where it seems to be affected by frost. If some of the frosted part is left on, decay often sets in, which soon extends to other portions, and the plant is pretty sure to die. If the whole top seems killed, it does not follow that there may not be vitality enough left in the root to throw up new shoots, so do not throw them away till you have given them a chance to make a fresh start. Do not get the idea from what I have said above, that at the North, in winter, plants can be kept in one house out of fifty without keeping fire over night, after following the advice given to the minutest par- ticular. It will be necessary to see that fire does not go out, but a much smaller fire will be required in a room so prepared for winter than in a room which has received no attention. Do not neglect making these preparations till winter comes, and with such severity as to make it impossible to do the work outside well. Do it while it can be done carefully, and without discomfort, and it will be done much more thoroughly than it will when the fingers tingle with cold and everv breath is a puff of vapor on the frosty air. CHAPTER XII RESTING PLANTS Many persons seem to think that a plant ought to keep on growing all through the year. They give water, stimulants, and everything calculated to encourage or excite growth just the same at one season of the year as at another. As a natural result they have feeble plants, for no plant can keep up a healthy growth all the year round. It must have its period of rest. Ifa person goes without sleep he soon becomes exhausted. A plant requires something which corresponds to sleep. In growing plants in the house we must aim to imitate the processes of nature as far as possible, and if you look about you, you find that outdoor plants grow for a season and rest for a season. Your house plants must be treated in this way to secure best results. Don’t expect them to give you flowers the year round. They will be so exhausted by one season of flowering that they must be given time to recuperate in. Without this resting spell they will soon be robbed of vitality, and without vigor and strength a plant is comparatively worthless. When a plant ceases to bloom, and shows an inclination to stop growing by ripening its leaves, encourage it to rest by withholding water in a great degree, and by giving it a less amount of light and heat than it has been having, and be sure that it gets nothing of a stimulating nature. Light, warmth and water are all excitants of plant growth, and by with- holding them we make it easy for the plant to stand still. If you have a cellar that is quite dark, and the temperature in it is not very much above freezing in RESTING PLANTS 49 the coldest weather, it is just the place in which to put such plants as show a desire to rest. The absence of light, heat and moisture at the roots enables the plant to become dormant and remain so till it is brought up after its resting spell. It is doing what the plants outside are doing, taking its annual sleep. Assist it to make this rest as complete as possible. Give only enough water to plants in the cellar to prevent the soil from becoming dry. The cool temperature, absence of light, and dormant condition of the plant makes but little water necessary, and it will not be advisable to give any in many instances, after putting the plants in the cellar, though most will require it in small quantities. This must be decided by examination. If hard wooded, shrubby plants drop their leaves while taking their rest, it is nothing that need give you alarm. The shrubs in your garden drop theirs also, but when they begin to grow next season they soon make up for what they have lost. Your house plants will make up for lost foliage when you bring them up in spring and give them a chance to grow. If you have no cellar in which to put your plants, you cannot give them that complete rest which they require, but by withholding water and stimulants, you can bring them to a standstill as far as growth is concerned, which will be a partial rest, and which will be much better than none at all. CHAPTER XIII MISCELLANEOUS HINTS Do not attempt to keep plants which do not bloom in winter in the sitting room windows. Put them away in the cellar to rest, and give the room they would take up in the window to something from which you can expect flowers. Such plants as Hydrangea, Ole- ander, summer-flowering Fuchsias, and others of sim- ilar character, are better off in the cellar than in rooms, exposed to heat and light. There they can be kept in a dormant condition, which is the natural one for them, in winter. Give them no water, while stored there, unless the soil is nearly dry. Then give just enough to make it slightly moist. Put them there in November, and leave them there until March or April. Keep them as cool as possible without subjecting them to frost, and do not be alarmed if they drop their foliage. I am often asked about the relative merits of porous and glazed pots. In the greenhouse I would use nothing but porous pots. In a very warm sitting room, where the air is dry, glazed pots are often better than porous ones, because evaporation takes place more slowly, as the air does not have a chance to get at the soil through the sides of the pot, as it does when unglazed pots are used. Tin cans are often used. I have seen good plants growing in them when holes were punched through their bottoms, to allow surplus water to run off, but unless this is done it is almost impossible to keep plants healthy in them, because the water is confined in the soil until it sours, and diseased roots result. MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 5I Other frequent questions are about using tea and coffee dregs on the soil about pot plants. Never do it. The only benefit to be derived is that which comes from it as a mulch, and if you keep your plants properly watered no mulching will be required. As the dregs decay, worms will breed in them, and in this way the health of your plants is endangered. If you want a fertilizer, use one of the several kinds recommended in a former chapter. Never throw away cuttings. If you don’t have any use for them, some neighbor will be glad to get them. Stick them down in the pot beside the old plant, and most of them will root, and by and by you can get rid of them. If you want a bed of Geraniums on the lawn or in the front yard next season, start all the cuttings you can during winter. You can easily secure enough from half a dozen plants to fill a bed six feet square, and you can do this without spoiling your plants, too. In removing new branches from plants which have already developed as many as are required to make them symmetrical and compact, you are benefiting them instead of injuring them. When you see that a plant requires attention of any kind, don’t neglect it, but give the required attention promptly. By attending to the wants of your plants in season you can keep them in good condition, but neglected plants always suffer and are seldom or never satisfactory in appearance. It pays to take proper care of them. Indeed, if you are not able or willing to give plants the care they need, don’t have any. If possible, have a bay window so arranged that it can be shut off from the room with which it is connected by glazed doors. (Fig 8.) If this is done, you can shower your plants and close the doors, and 52 HOME FLORICULTURE keep the air about them moist all day. The doors can be shut when sweeping is going on, thus keeping all dust from them. The expense will be slight, and the benefit to the plants will be great. U | | mn | FIG 8—BAY WINDOW WITH GLAZED DOORS If you want to economize space about a window, and grow as many plants as possible there, get some of the swinging iron brackets (Fig 9) for sale by most dealers in seeds. These can be fastened to the window frame with screws. You can get them with from one to five places for pots. By using two of these on each side of a window, plants can be arranged MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 53 in such a manner as to frame it in with foliage and flowers. Upright growers can be used near the wall, and drooping ones in front. It is an easy matter to group plants on these brackets more effectively than on any other support. On cold nights it will not be necessary to move the pots from the brackets, as the FIG Q—SWINGING IRON BRACKETS AND WINDOW SHELF arms which support the pots are made to turn in the socket attached to the window frame, thus enabling you to swing the plants close to the glass or away from it, at your pleasure. Never throw away a broken pot. Pick up the pieces and put then» where you can get them readily 54 HOME FLORICULTURE when you want some material for drainage. Many persons neglect to provide drainage simply because they have nothing at hand just when it is wanted. Be prepared for such emergencies. Keep all plants requiring support tied up neatly and firmly. If you neglect this, quite likely you will regret it, for sometime when you are at work among them the unsupported plant will get a twist or turn by which it will be seriously injured. Then you will wish you had attended to the poor plant at the time you discovered its need of attention. If your window is crowded with plants thin them out. Keep only as many as you can accommodate without crowding. If you have too many all individ- uality is destroyed; you can never expect satisfactory development where there is lack of room. Where plants have to elbow each other in their efforts to get to the light some of the less aggressive ones must remain in the background, and suffer in conse- quence. If you are not willing to dispense with any, change them about every week, so that all may have a chance at the light. Place the taller ones at the sides of the window, and farthest away from the glass, as they can get light over the heads of the lower growers. Never arrange the plants in your window in such a manner as to make an effective display from the outside only. You do not grow plants, I hope, to please the passer-by, but yourself and the members of your family. Arrange them in such a way as to make the window a beautiful sight when looked at from the room. Act on the principle of making home beautiful to those who are in it first of all. If some of its beauty overflows and gladdens the eyes of those who are not members of the household, well and good. But let it be “home first, the world afterward.” CHAPTER XIV PLANTS ADAPTED TO WINDOW CULTURE The list of plants adapted to cultivation in the window of the living room is not as large as one would suppose, after going through a greenhouse and seeing the variety usually grown there. Many plants flourish there which would refuse to grow in the con- ditions which ordinarily prevail in our living rooms, where they have dust, dry air and irregular tempera- ture to contend with. Below I give a list of such flowering plants as can be grown in most dwellings, with fair chances of success, if proper care is given them. By the term “proper care,” is meant the application of the advice contained in the preceding pages of this book concern- ing the treatment which pot plants should receive at the hands of their owners. Agapanthus. Carnation. Ageratum. Calla. Amaryllis. Chinese Primrose. Azalea. Cactus. Achania. Cyclamen. Abutilon. Daphne. Begonia. Eupatorium. Baby Primrose. Fuchsia. Bulbs, for winter flowering. Genista. Bouvardia. Geranium. Browallia. Gloxinia. Chrysanthemum. Hydrangea. Calceolaria. Hibiscus. Cineraria. Heliotrope. 56 HOME FLORICULTURE Impatiens Sultani. (Zanzibar Balsam.) Lantana. Linum trigynum. Mahernia. Olea. Oleander. Pelargonium. Plumbago. Petunia. Pyrethrum. Primula obconica. Rhynchospermum. Rose. Stevia. Salvia. Valotta The following list includes the best basket plants for general use: Othonna. Oxalis. Saxifraga. Tradescantia. Moneywort. Linaria. Vinca. Lobelia. Trailing Lantana. The following list includes the best vines for window use: English Ivy. Senecio, or German Ivy. Madeira Vine. Passion Flower. Hoya. Jasmine. .\sparagus Sprengeri. Thunbergia. The following are among the best plants grown for beauty of foliage: Palm. Fern. Ficus. Aralia. Aspidistra. Araucaria. Begonia. Dracena. Farfugium. Asparagus tenuissimus. Asparagus plumosus. Variegated Geraniums. Pandanus. Phormium tenax. It is not to be understood by the reader that the lists given above include all the plants that can be PLANTS ADAPTED TO WINDOW CULTURE 57 grown in the living room. But they include all the more desirable ones—those which the amateur will find it safest to begin with—and are the standbys in this class of plants. I would advise the amateur to confine his experiments to them until he can grow them well. Then he will have gained a knowledge of the general principles of floriculture which will warrant him in undertaking the culture of plants more difficult to manage. CHAPTER XV THE PLUMBAGO, OLEANDER, AGAPANTHUS, AGERA- TUM, STEVIA AND EUPATORIUM The Plumbago Plumbago Capensts is one of the best house plants T have ever grown. It is a somewhat rampant grower, but can be kept within bounds by judicious pruning. It blooms ten months out of twelve, and very freely, and on this account it is sure to become a favorite wheresoever introduced. Its flowers are shaped like those of Phlox Drumimondi. They are borne in loose clusters, and are of a delicate shade of lavender-blue— a very rare color among flowers. Indeed, I know of but one other flower of similar color—the Ageratum. The flowers of the Plumbago are always produced on new growth, therefore in’ order to keep it in blooming condition it must be kept growing. Cut it back every two or three months, and cut it back well, and you will never lack for plenty of flowering surface if you give manure water once a week to induce development. On account of its peculiar color, it is very useful for bouquet work. It combines well and harmonizes with almost all other colors, and affords a most delightful contrast with yellow flowers. The Oleander This old favorite holds its own against all new- comers, and it is well that it does so, for it has many merits that many of the new ones lack. As a large plant for the center of a bay window, or for use on PLUMBAGO, OLEANDER, AGAPANTHUS 59 the veranda or porch in summer, it is unexcelled. Its great clusters of rosy-crimson flowers are quite equal to bunches of Roses in effect, and a well-grown plant will be literally covered with blossoms through half the summer. Give it a rich soil made up of loam, sand and old manure; repot each spring. Keep it in good shape by cutting back any branches which show a tendency to outgrow others. Watch the stalk and foliage, and if you notice a scale on either take an old tooth brush and apply water containing lemon or fir-tree oil, as advised in the chapter on insecticides. Mealy bug often attacks this plant, but it can be routed by washes containing one or the other of the above mentioned oils. This plant can be made to assume a very sym- metrical form by careful pruning. If you have an old plant which has become too large for the window, don’t throw it away, but put it in the cellar over winter and plant it out on the lawn in summer, where it will bloom beautifully. Indeed, no shrub can exceed it in brilliant show. In fall the plant can be taken up, its roots crowded into an old box or tub, and stored away in the cellar for use another year. It is well to winter your Oleanders in the cellar, because they are not winter bloomers, strictly speaking, though they often bloom at that time of the year, and they get a chance to rest while in the dark. There are several varieties, but the old rose-colored one is the best of all. The Agapanthus This is one of the best summer-blooming plants we have. Its merits, however, seem to be but little known, for we do not often see it in even quite large collections. It is often called a tuberous plant, but such is not the case. It has thick, fleshy roots with a semi-tuberous look about them. It throws up a 60 HOME FLORICULTURE great profusion of green leaves, closely resembling those of the Amaryllis. It is what is called an ever- green, and it might well be called an ever-grower, for it does not seem to care for or require rest. In June or July it throws up a flower stalk to the hight of three or four feet. Its flowers are small, but being borne in a large cluster, they are very effective, as FIG IO—CLUSTER OF AGAPANTHUS FLOWERS seen in Fig 10. They are shaped like a Lily, and each one is held out from the center of the cluster by a slender stem. In color they are pale blue, striped with white. This plant requires very little care. It likes a soil rather heavy with loam, plenty of water, and not a great deal of heat or sunshine. An old plant will require a large tub or box to accommodate AGAPANTHUS, AGERATUM 61 its thick and spreading roots, which will persist in heaving themselves above the soil, giving one the impression that a larger pot is needed when such is not the case. Apply fertilizer liberally as the flower- ing season approaches. The Ageratum This plant is an excellent one for house culture. It is a free and constant bloomer, and gives a great profusion of flowers in midwinter when so few other flowers are seen. It is of very easy culture. It likes a loam made light with sand, with a sprinkling of old manure. If the soil in which it is grown is too rich it will make a great growth of branch, with but few flowers. In color it is a soft shade of lavender. It resembles the old flower called Ladies’ Paint Brush in shape, being made up of many fringe-like petals. It produces its blossoms in clusters, and is very useful for cutting for bouquets. For corsage work or button- hole bouquets it is almost indispensable, because of the rarity of flowers having its peculiar color. A spray of it used with a Marechal Niel Rose makes a lovely combination. It works in well with white. In fact, it is one of those flowers which can be used harmo- niously and effectively with almost any other flower. It is subject to attacks of the red spider, but this pest can be kept from getting established on it if care is taken to dip the plants in water once a day. Do not shake them dry after dipping, but allow them to stand with the moisture remaining on the leaves. Cutting from the plant increases its flowering propen- sities, as it will put forth new branches, and each branch will produce flowers. 62 HOME FLORICULTURE The Stevia The Stevia is not a new plant, by any means, but it is one of those old plants which deserve attention from all who love really beautiful flowers. It is not a showy plant, because of its color, which is white. It is a modest flower, and seldom strikes attention when growing, but when used in bouquets it is always greatly admired. Its individual blossoms are small. They are borne in clusters, and have a feathery appearance. It is most effective when used among other plants by way of contrast. When seen among pink Geraniums it presents a most charming appearance. It is charming, also, when grown among Fuchsias of the pink and white variety. It is a most profuse bloomer, and gives its greatest crop along through November and December, when we have but few other flowers in bloom. The Eupatorimm This flower is very much like the Stevia in form and color, but it has a larger and more spreading cluster, and a better habit. It has slender branches, which are thrown out well on all sides. These droop, when in bloom, and on this account the plant is well adapted for use on brackets. It is valuable for bouquet work. It is of the easiest culture, and every collection ought to include at least one plant of it. E. riparium is the best species. CHAPTER XVI PRIMULAS Primula obconica This is a flower that anybody can grow who will give it a fine, spongy soil and a good deal of water. It has hundreds of fine roots which take up moisture rapidly, and a moderate supply of water will be found quite insufficient to meet its requirements. It is a most profuse and persistent bloomer. It blooms most; however, in winter. Its flowers are lilac, shading into white, or suffused with a pearly pink. They are about the size of a Phlox Drummondi blossom, and similarly shaped. They are produced in loose clusters, in a sort of irregular spike, well above the foliage. They have such a dainty, modest air about them—dquite like some of our dainty wild flowers of spring—that they are prime favorites with all who love flowers for individual beauty. They also have a delicate fragrance which adds to their attractiveness. Plants for winter flowering can be grown from seed sown in spring, or by division of the roots of old plants. The only insect I have ever found on this plant is the mealy bug. It can be routed by the use of the soap insecticide recom- mended in a former chapter. The Chinese Primrose This is one of the most popular of old winter blooming plants. For years it has been a “standby” for the window garden. It is one of those plants which can be depended on to give a steady succession 64 HOME FLORICULTURE of flowers all through the winter season, if properly treated. It comes in various shades of red, mauve and pure white. There are single and double varieties. The doubles are finest, but the single sorts bloom more freely. On account of their rather short stalks, the flowers are not very useful for cutting, but they FIG II—SINGLE CHINESE PRIMROSE make a most delightful show in the window, and no collection is what it ought to be unless it includes at least one double white and one each of the white and red single kinds. The flowers are about the size of a quarter of a dollar. Some have a petal with a PRIMULAS 65 smooth edge, while others are finely fringed. Most varieties have a yellow or greenish-yellow eye. A typical specimen of a single Chinese Primrose is seen in Fig 11. This plant is quite likely to rot just below the crown if not potted in such a manner that the water runs away from the center of the pot. Therefore see that the soil slopes away from the plant to the edge of the pot, if you would keep your plants healthy. If decay sets in you might as well throw the plant away, for it seems impossible to make it take on a healthy tone again, though you repot it carefully, prune awav all diseased portions, and give it the best possible care. Keep your plants from getting diseased, if you can, but don’t spend much time on trying to cure them after disease sets in. I would not advise trying to take a plant through a second season. One season of flowering seems to exhaust its vitality to such an extent that it is not able to produce many flowers a second winter, and what few it gives will be inferior. This plant likes a some- what cool place, but must not be allowed to get chilled. It does not care very much for direct sunshine, but must have a good light, nevertheless. It is probably best adapted to culture in a window with eastern exposure. : Young plants can be bought each spring, and grown on for winter flowering through the summer, or they can be raised from seed sown in March. If you buy plants—which is the best way—keep them in a shady, sheltered place over summer, repotting as needed, and being careful to remember what has been said about potting in such a manner as to have the water run away from the crown of the plant. 66 HOME FLORICULTURE The Baby Primrose This is a variety of Primula obconica, of compara~ tively recent introduction. Its flowers are very small, individually—hence its name—but there are so many of them, and they are produced so constantly, that we have few more effective plants for winter use. They range in color from nearly white to rosy lilac. They require the same treatment as P. obcoiica, and should be grown from seed, or by division of the old roots. Plants intended for next winter’s use should be started in spring. CHAPTER XVII THE MAHERNIA, BROWALLIA, PYRETHRUM, IMPA- TIENS, SULTANI AND LANTANA The Mahernia The Mahernia—Mahernia odorata of the catalogs, and popularly known as Honey Bell—is a most charm- ing little plant for growing on a bracket where its slender branches can be allowed to droop over the pot and dispose of themselves in their own graceful fashion. It has fine and delicate foliage, which gives it an attractive appearance when there are no flowers on the plant. Its flowers are small, light yellow in color, and shaped like a bell. They are deliciously fragrant. A few of them will fill a room with pleasant odor at night. It is not a showy plant, but it does not follow that it is lacking in beauty, or is not desirable. It likes a light, rich soil, kept moderately moist, with water on its foliage daily. It flourishes in a somewhat shady window. Browallia A comparatively new flower, evolved from one that enjoyed considerable popularity years ago. The new form, however, is much superior to the old one, being larger, more floriferous, and richer in color. It is a deep, ultramarine blue—the only flower of that color among our winter blooming plants, so far as my knowledge goes. Small plants, from summer seed- lings, will be almost completely covered with flowers during the entire winter. Because of its shape it is sometimes called the Giant Violet. It is not even 68 HOME FLORICULTURE remotely related to the Violet family, however. This is a plant the amateur will do well to add to her collection. It requires only the most ordinary attention —the same soil you would give a Geranium, and about the same amount of water, and a not too sunny place. The Pyrethrum Every old garden used to have its clump of Feverfew. Nowadays we know it as Pyrethrum, and grow it as a house plant. It is really a most desirable plant for the windows, because it blooms freely in winter, and gives a steady supply of flowers through half the year. The best variety is Little Gem. It isa somewhat dwarf grower, but its flowers are quite as large as those of the stronger-growing variety, and are produced quite as freely. They are of a clear white, very double, and about as large as a quarter of a dollar. They closely resemble some of the white Anemone-flowered Chrysanthemums. They are very fine for use in small bouquets. The foliage is finely cut, like that of some kinds of fern, and has a strong, spicy odor when handled. The red spider likes to work among its leaves, and will soon spoil a plant if allowed to go on unchecked. Syringe it daily to keep him in check. This is one of the plants which will stand quite a little frost without injury. On this account it is especially adapted to cool rooms. In a very warm room its buds often blast. It grows well in ordinary soil. Cutting off its flowers induces the formation of new branches, and these new branches always bear the flowers. Therefore, do not hesitate to cut from it freely, for cutting benefits it. Impatiens Sultant (Zanzibar Balsam) This is a comparatively new flower among us. It is not as desirable as many others, perhaps, and yet PYRETHRUM, IMPATIENS, LANTANA 69 it is one that you will not like to be without, after having once grown it. It is a most cheerful looking little plant, being almost always covered with its bright magenta-colored blossoms, which contrast charmingly with the rich, smooth, shining foliage. Its stalks have an almost transparent look when you hold them between the eye and the sun. It is not particular about having much sunshine; indeed, I am inclined to think it blooms best in a shaded place. It grows to be about a foot high, and perhaps a foot and a half across, branching freely. Its flowers are shaped very much like the old single Balsam or Lady Slipper, but are considerably smaller, and do not hug the stalk or hide among the foliage as those flowers used to. It likes a light, open soil with plenty of moisture at the roots, and a daily bath for its foliage. Unless the latter is given the red spider injures it. When a plant begins to be exhausted you will find it dropping apart at its joints. It seeds freely, and you will generally find plenty of young seedlings coming up about the old plant. It comes into bloom in two or three months from the seed. The Lantana This old plant has held its own against all new- comers, and is as popular to-day as it was years ago. And its popularity as a plant for sitting room culture is well deserved. It will flourish where nothing else but a Geranium would look cheerful, and it will stand all kinds of abuse and neglect. But, because it will do this, I would not advise abusing or neglecting it. Give it good care and let it do its best. It is not at all particular about the soil it gets to grow in, if it is only moderately rich. It likes plenty of sunshine, and a moderate amount of water. It will stand any amount of pinching and pruning, and can be made 7O HOME FLORICULTURE to grow as a tree or a shrub. It branches very freely, and produces a cluster of flowers at nearly every leaf. The flowers are mostly white and yellow, some varie- ties changing from yellow to pink after the first day or two. As the flowers on the outside of the cluster open first, they, of course, change color sooner than those in the center, and on this account you will find a cluster made up of pink, yellow and nearly white blossoms, thus giving the plant a peculiar appearance. The pure white varieties with a lemon eye are most desirable. The flowers have a peculiar fragrance, which is pleasing to many, and disagreeable to some. The odor of the foliage is not particularly agreeable. Old plants can be set out in the garden in summer, after having done a good winter’s work in the window, and there they will bloom with such profusion as to almost cover themselves with flowers through the entire season. Cuttings start easily if taken from half-ripened wood, and you can strike dozens of them in March, for use in beds out of doors in summer, from every old plant in the window. CHAPTER XVIU THE PETUNIA, RHYNCHOSPERMUM, HELIOTROPE AND OXALIS The Petunia I find the double Petunia a very poor plant for winter culture. It does well enough in summer, but it steadily refuses to give me any good flowers after November. But I have no trouble in getting enormous quantities of blossoms from the single sorts. A bou- quet of single and double Petunias is seen in Fig 12. I know no other flower so prolific of bloom all through the winter as the ordinary garden Petunia, if given half a chance. It will bloom until exhausted. Then cut it back almost to the pot, give a weekly application of manure water, and in a few days you will see new shoots starting up about the base of the old stem, and in a month it will be a large plant, loaded with flowers and buds. The crimson purple varieties seem best adapted to house culture. The white kinds do very well, but they lack that purity of color which one demands in a white flower. A very good effect is secured by planting a crim- son and white plant together, letting the branches interlace. The contrast will be very pleasing. This plant grows well when trained to a trellis, or when allowed to droop. It must be cut back fre- quently, if you want the greatest quantity of flowers it can give. Its flowering depends on new growth, and in order to have it bloom profusely you must treat it in such a manner as to keep it producing new branches. This treatment consists in pruning well from time 72 HOME FLORICULTURE to time, and giving frequent applications of liquid manure. Seedling plants from the garden beds are excellent for winter use. If one wants to make sure FIG I2—BOUQUET OF SINGLE AND DOUBLE PETUNIAS of a certain variety, however, it will be necessary to grow a plant from a cutting of the sort desired, as we can never be sure what a seedling will be like. RHYNCHOSPERMUM, HELIOTROPE 73 The Rhynchospermum This is a plant of climbing habit, having rich, dark green, shining foliage. Its flowers are pure white, and of peculiar appearance, as each petal is twisted in such a manner as to give one the impression that the turbine windmill wheel was modeled after it. The individual flowers are small; they are borne in clusters, and are >roduced most freely in the spring and early part of summer. They are of most delicious fragrance. This plant must be trained to a trellis or along wires in order to get the best effect from it. It is not a showy flower, but it is one that will become a favorite with all who are fond of beauty in modest simplicity. Give it a loamy soil, a moderate amount of water and comparative shade. The Heliotrope This is one of the most popular flowers we have, and justly so. It is beautiful in form and color, a great bloomer, deliciously fragrant, easily grown, and very useful for cut flower work or personal decoration. It can be made to bloom all the year round, but plants for winter blooming should be kept from blooming dur- ing the summer season. It is a most tractable plant. You can train it as a standard, as a shrub, or to droop, to suit your taste, and it will grow and bloom equally well in either form. A cluster of it is powerful enough to perfume a large room. It is one of those flowers which win friendship, and you find yourself cherishing a feeling of attachment for an old plant. The more you cut it the more flowers it will give you. In order to grow it well, it must have a sunny window, considerable warmth, a rich, light soil, plenty of moisture at the roots, and rather more pot room than most plants of its size. I am often asked why 74 HOME FLORICULTURE its leaves have such a tendency to turn black at the edges and dry up. In nine cases out of ten this trouble comes from one of two causes: Lack of sufficient moisture at the roots, or lack of sufficient room for the roots. Old plants will form a thickly matted mass of fine, fibrous roots in the center of the pot. Through this mass the water you apply will often fail to pene- trate, and in consequence the roots at this place dry up and become diseased, and in a short time the plant drops its leaves. To avoid this trouble, see that the soil slopes in toward the center of the pot. This will cause the water to run in about the plant, and stand there until it has penetrated the soil in the center of the pot. If you think the drying up of the leaves comes from lack of root room, turn the plant out of its pot and examine the condition of the roots. If they fill the soil, and form a network about the outside of it, you may be sure that a larger pot is required. Some- times the leaves turn brown and drop because of gas in the room, from leaky stoves. Should the trouble originate from this cause, the only remedy is that of making the stove gas tight. A well-developed specimen will need a ten-inch pot when about a year old. The flowers are greatly increased in size by applications of liquid manure. Do not give it very strong, but give it often. The dark varieties are best. It can be grown from cuttings, started in sand. Young plants are generally most satisfactory for winter use, therefore start some each spring, and give the old ones a place in the garden beds, in summer, where they will bloom profusely. The Oxalis This is a good plant for house culture. It is a most profuse bloomer, and gives its greatest quantity of flowers in winter if the bulbs or tubers from which THE OXALIS 75 it grows are allowed to dry off and rest during summer. It has very pretty foliage, shaped like that of the clover, borne on long and slender stems, which droop over the edge of the pot in such a manner as to almost, if not quite, hide it. The flowers of O. rosea (Fig 13) are a bright pink, star-shaped, and borne in clusters of a dozen or more, on long, erect stems. Those of FIG I3—OXALIS ROSEA the variety called Buttercup are a rich canary-yellow, slightly tubular in form, and larger than those of any other Oxalis I have ever grown. This is one of the best winter-flowering plants we have. It is of larger growth than the pink or white sort and blooms with much greater profusion. To grow any variety of this plant well, give it a soil of rich, light, sandy loam, plenty of water, while growing and blooming, and all the sunshine possible. All varieties are well 76 HOME FLORICULTURE adapted to basket culture because of the spread- ing and drooping nature of their foliage. In spring, withhold water and let the foliage die off. Do not disturb the tubers until October. Then shake them out of the soil, repot them, water well, and they will soon start into growth. They will begin to bloom about the first of January and continue to do so until May. CHAPTER XIX ACHANIA, HIBISCUS, CYCLAMEN AND THE JASMINES The