148 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



death to them to place them in a greeuhouse or conservatory, and 

 especially a sitting-room, for any length of time, Now I can assure 

 your readers that nothing can be more fallacious than such an idea, 

 for I know of no plants that will bear more ill-usage than most 

 foliage plants, palms and dracamas especially. I know where there 

 is at the present time a group of foliage plants, kept in a large 

 flower-stand in a gentleman's drawing-room, which for years past 

 has at times been a great attraction and much admired by visitors. 

 These plants are there nine mouths out of the twelve ; the other 

 three mouths, as the family are out of town, they are in the conser- 

 vatory. They get a good watering during their stay there, with a 

 fine rose watering-pot overhead, which builds them up again for the 

 coming winter for the stand in the room. I must add that, in their 

 seasons, there are introduced hyacinths, tulips, small azaleas, and 

 other flowering plants, to give life to the foliage. But in the winter 

 season, without anytliing else, the foliage plants are sufficiently 

 attractive, in fact, the stand without the foliage plants would be like 

 scores of similar stands where flowering plants alone are used — that 

 is, stiff" and flat, an encumbrance and an eyesore. The same remarks 

 apply with equal force to the general way in which most conserva- 

 tories are arranged. There is a want of gracefulness in the general 

 arrangement. Thei*e is a lack of fine-foliaged plants, a lack of sub- 

 jects with grace and decision in their characters to make the thing 

 complete. I am sure all who have seen foliage plants skilfully 

 blended with flowering plants will quite agree with me on that 

 point. 



The Dracaenas, it may be safely said, are as graceful a family of 

 plants as one could desire for decorative purposes. Now I will 

 not attempt to tell our readers the different parts of the globe these 

 beautiful plants have been introduced from, but will content myself 

 by saying that the varieties I shall name are suitable for a green- 

 house, and of course it follows that they come from temperate 

 climes. In Italy, many kinds of Dracaenas may be found growing 

 without any protection for the greater portion of the year ; and in 

 England, even, I have proved that D. indivisa is not at all injured 

 should the thermometer go down to freezing point. And what a 

 beautiful variety this is, so graceful, and bright-green in its foliage, 

 with the centre erect, and the surrounding leaves falling so grace- 

 fully around, resembling the spray of a fountain ! The same may be 

 said of -D. avstralls and B. congesta, the former especially, with 

 foliage long and willow-like in form ; whilst the latter is one of the 

 best window plants in existence. J), ferrea, the " purple dragon- 

 tree " of China, is very desirable for its dark purple foliage and 

 general tropical character. D. terminalis is well known by its 

 foliage of light green and broad flakes of red. Similar to it in 

 colouring and character is Z>. Gooperii and D. slricta ; but these two 

 varieties require the stove in winter. But while speaking about 

 Dracaenas, we must not forget to name the beautiful striped-leaved 

 Cordijline indivisa, with its broad, bold foliage, with lines of silver, 

 orange, and green. There is also Z). rubra, which name applies to 

 the colour of the bloom, and not to the leaves, for they are in all 



