1 68 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[June, 



Greenhouse and House Gardening, 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



WINTER AND SPRING FLOWERING DEN- 



DROBES. 



BY JOHN MURCHIE. 



The winter and spring flowering members of the 

 Dendrobium family are among the most beautiful, 

 and they are certainly the most enjoyable, as at this 

 season of the year (March) the greenhouse is a very 

 comfortable place. And even a few green leaves 

 seem to give more pleasure to many visitors than 

 the finest collection would in the hot summer 

 months. 



Dendrobiums differ very much in appearance. 

 Some are evergreen, others deciduous; some have 

 short, stout, club-shaped bulbs with only a few 

 leaves at the top ; others again have tall, erect 

 growing stems clothed with evergreen leaves their 

 entire length, while others are drooping and decid- 

 uous. They also differ very much in their man- 

 ner of flowering. All are easily grown when 

 given proper attention. Nearly all of them are 

 very tenacious of life, and very rarely die outright, 

 but will cling to life under conditions that would 

 kill almost any other plant. Yet when given a lit- 

 tle care and attention they adapt themselves to 

 their surroundings wonderfully well. 



The culture of the different species, and the 

 mode of treatment best suited to each, can only 

 be gained after some experience. The application 

 of water has much to do with the thrift of this 

 grand genus ; some of the species require water to 

 be given from the syringe every day and from the 

 watering-pot two or three times a week. Such sorts 

 as Devonianum, Pierardi, and many others, re- 

 quire this treatment during the growmg season. 

 These kinds have long, slender stems; others that 

 have stouter and more fleshy stems require much 

 less water, and seem to enjoy drawing subsistence 

 from their own storehouse, the old pseudo-bulbs. 

 Some require a much longer period of rest than 

 others ; this is true of densiflorum, farmerii, thyrsi- 

 florum, and others of the same character, for un- 

 less they have a long rest they do not flower freely. 



Many of the Dendrobes make fine growths in 

 the winter or what ought to be their resting period. 

 This should be avoided as much as possible, as it 



always prevents profusion of bloom, and the plants 

 generally make two in the year, the last not as 

 strong as the first. I used to think, that too much 

 moisture in the house was the cause of this, and 

 probably it has something to do with it, but I am 

 satisfied that over watering in the fall just as 

 growth is being completed has more to do with 

 this winter growth than atmospheric moisture 

 afterward ; as growth nears completion water 

 should be given sparingly and the plants should 

 have full exposure to the sunlight, with airy 

 quarters, to ripen up their growths. With such 

 species as nobile, Wardianum, Devonianum, etc., 

 this is most essential ; if too much water be given 

 they will start into growth again, before, or just as 

 the season's growth is completed, it is then impossi- 

 ble to check them without injury to the plants, and 

 enough water should be given to keep the old 

 bulbs plump until the young have made roots, 

 when a little more may be given. But plants 

 growing in winter will not require a third of the 

 water that growing plants do in the summer. I 

 never give water in the winter unless I see signs 

 of shrivelling when a little water at the root and a 

 gentle syringe overhead restores them to proper 

 condition. 



The following have bloomed with us here and 

 made the house gay all winter: D. nobile, in 

 succession, D. Wardianum, D. lituiflorum, D- 

 Cambridgianum, D. primulinum, D. densiflorum, 

 D. Pierardi (this with more than 600 flowers), D. 

 crassinode, D. Devonianum, D. pulchellum, D. 

 superbum. The three last are just beginning to 

 open their flowers now. Sharon, Pa., March, iSS^. 



MIXED PLANTS IN GREENHOUSES. 



BY MANSFIELD MILTON. 



We are better informed in the culture of green- 

 house plants than was known, say ten or fifteen 

 years ago. Then it was thought special plants 

 should have special houses to insure success in 

 their culture. Especially was this the case in re- 

 gard to Orchids, but now in almost all collections 

 of greenhouse plants are to be found more or less 

 of the Orchid family. 



A few days ago 1 visited the greenhouses in my 

 neighboring town of Sharon, Pa., presided over by 



