i895- 



GARDENING. 



295 



THUNBERGIA LAURIFOLIA 



down the bulb is quite large. Wegetoiie 

 bulb from one leaf. Keep the bulbs over 

 winter in a dry, moderately cool place; 

 if kept in a dry hot placethey wih shrivel. 

 Pot them about the middle of March in 

 3-inch pots and as soon they require it, 

 finally into 5-inch or (i-incli ones accord- 

 ing to the size of the plant. 



In the greenhouse in summer keep the 

 plants free from insects, the atmosphere 

 moist, and at the same time buoy.nil, in 

 cold, rainy weather light a little fire and 

 ventilate the house;givethe plants plenty 

 of room, and pay attention to their 

 wants. Wm. Fitzwii.i.iam. 



Baronald, Orange, N. J. 



THE LAUREL LEAVED TflUNBEROIfl. 



Among the many winter-blooming 

 greenhouse vines worthy of cultivation 

 none is easier to grow or more lavish of 

 its blossoms than is this Indian plant. Its 

 flowers are large, showy, pale purplish 

 blue in color and borne in the greatest pro- 

 fusion in clusters as shown in our illus- 

 tration, which is engraved from a ])hoto- 

 graph of a cluster taken at Dosoris last 

 winter. But notwithstanding its great 

 beauty for greenhouse decoration, for cut 

 flowers it isn't of much worth, it wilts so 

 soon. 



We grow it in a big box filled with 

 good soil and set under the beneli. allciw- 

 ing the vine to come up behind tlie heiieli, 

 and spread on to wins run alunn under 

 the glass. They need some .ittention to 

 keep them from twining themselves into 



ropes and inextricable nets, for they grow 

 fast and many feet long. After they are 

 through blooming we cut them well back 

 and later on thin the shoots and regulate 

 them. We practice no period of rest so 

 far as moisture in the soil is concerned, 

 keeping the house quite cool till the end 

 of November, which we do for other pur- 

 poses, gives the plant rest enough. 



COSMOS-RfllNMflKER-FlNE NEEDLES. 



1. Uri( cos.MdS plants are 28 inches 

 high and June 1 were shifted from -tVi to 

 t>-inch pots, and were pinched back once 

 when a foot high. Kindly state in Oar- 

 DENiNG how often they should be changed 

 and what sized pots they will retjuire 

 when brought indoors in October. Will 

 it be better to pinch them back occasion- 

 ally? We are getting to 



2. Rely upon Gardening more and 

 more. It is simply invaluable. Why, the 

 two items about 



3. The Rainmaker Nozzle and the 

 Michigan Weeder, were worth the sub- 

 scription price for the year. That nozzle 

 is just splendid. We are trying 



4. Pine needles from the forests for 

 mulching our auratum lilies, cannas, 

 tuberous begonias, carnations, etc., this 

 season and I believe they are preferable to 

 anything else we have used. F. C. C. 



Bath, Maine. 



I. If you repot them as often as they 

 would take it, and give them all the good 

 soil and water thev would need before 



October, each plant would fill a butter 

 tub. Better pinch them in a little every 

 ten days till the end of August, put a 

 stout stake to each plant and tie the 

 main stem and heavy branches to it, for 

 they are easily broken at the joints; repot 

 into an 8 or lOinch pot using 2 parts 

 loam and 1 part manure and pot very 

 firm, leaving nearly two inches empty at 

 the top for water; plunge the pots to 

 near their brims in an open sheltered 

 place out of doors, and wide apart, and 

 water them abundantly. Every week 

 lift out the pots so as to break away 

 any roots protruding through the hole iii 

 the bottom, and put them back in place 

 at once. When the pots are filled with 

 roots give the plants manure water 

 about twice a week. If you hadn't sown 

 the seed till May you would have had as 

 good plants in October as if you had 

 started them in March. 



2. We appreciate your confidence. 

 Gardening is the voice of actual, practi- 

 cal experience. 



3. Which goes to prove that when 

 Gardening tests a thing and then recom- 

 mends it you can depend upon what it 

 says. 



-t. Pine needles make an excellent 

 mulch for many things, both under the 

 plants in summerandoverthem in winter. 



WINDOW PLANTS. 



G. C. G., Brooklyn, N. Y., being an 

 invalid is confined to his room, which is a 

 south facing one, and he is very fond ot 

 plants and wishes to gi-ow some in his 

 windows. He has tried many flowering 

 plants, but all have proved unsatisfactory 

 to stand the hot sun. Begonias, glox- 

 inias, primroses and geraniums have not 

 been successful there. He would prefer 

 foliage plants and succulents, and would 

 like to raise them from seed. The Little 

 Gem calla has not behaved as it should 

 have done. 



Necessary conditions for the welfare 

 of the plants: Don't let the warm sun- 

 shine strike the pots, else it is apt to 

 scorch the roots next the outside. Card- 

 board or chip cases to set the pots into, 

 or a board between them and the sun- 

 shine will save them. Let the pots have 

 perfect drainage. Ilse rich, turfy, porous 

 soil, and give water unstintedly; indeed, 

 in the case of sturdy well rooted plants it 

 might be well to set the pots in saucers 

 kept filled with water. Too little water 

 and letting the roots get scorched by the 

 hot sunshine on the pots are the two 

 commonest causes of failure with window 

 plants. 



Plants from Seed.— It is a little late 

 to start them now. As vines try Mau- 

 rancJia Barclayana and Lobb's nastur- 

 tium and cob£ea from seed, and cinnamon 

 vine, Madeira vine and Ipomuea panicu- 

 lata from tubers. As lesser plants try- 

 globe amaranths and Vinca rosea (both 

 rather too late for this summer), fJaura 

 Lindheimeri, French marigolds, petunias, 

 eschscholtzia and portulacca from seed. 

 And get young plants, raised from cut- 

 tings, of rose and oak leaved geraniums. 

 Cape plumbago, acalyphas and lantanas. 



Fine foliaged plants.— We haven't 

 many that are appropriate. ,\s a vine 

 the variegated Japanese hop grows 

 bravely. Of shorterstature we have rub- 

 ber plants {Ficus elastica), acalyphas, 

 and succulent euphorbias. 



SrcciLENTS.— We cannot advise you to 

 raise these from seed. Mesembry'antlie- 

 wiim spectabile and Othonna crassifolia 

 both make an appropriate and pretty 

 fringe to hang down over the sides of 

 pots or boxes, and both are pretty succu- 

 lents and easily raised from cuttings. 



