The Proper Care of House Plants 



By F. E. Palmer, Massachusetts. 



\\ hen we consider how much pleasure may be gath- 

 ered from the cultivation of flowers and with what 

 tender and aiTectionate regard they are held by almost 

 everj-one who has once become acquainted with them, 

 it is surprising that the study of their habits and needs 

 is not more thorough and general. 



In pursuing this study, we will consider first the 

 fundamental requirements of all plants and how nearly 

 we may reach ideal conditions in the average hc>me. 

 The most essential need is light, direct sunlight if pos- 

 sible : at any rate, daylight and plenty of it. This fact 

 is so important that it cannot be overestimated. In- 

 deed, it is safe to say that if this one condition is 

 granted, all others can be so easily provided as to make 

 success assured with very little effort. This will be 

 wtirth remembering in every phase of gardening ex- 

 perience. It will cause you to pull aside curtains and 

 roll up shades in the early morning so that the plants 

 in the window may get the first bit of daylight. It 

 will warn you against placing window boxes under 

 awnings or flower beds, in the dense shade of trees, and 

 even the hardy shrubs will be given their fair share of 

 the blue sky overhead. 



Apropos to this particular phase of the subject is the 

 fact that many householders, having become disap- 

 pointed at their inability to really grow plants and 

 flowers in their living-rooms, have improvised plant 

 rooms out of existing sun parlors or enclosed piazzas 

 or have built a small addition to the house for this par- 

 ticular purpose. These, if properly designed, are prov- 

 ing most successful, nf)t only as conservatories where 

 plants will really thrive, but as most delightful sitting 

 rooms. Indeed, the combination of sitting room and 

 conservatory is the principal charm of this arrange- 

 ment, dififering entirely from the old-fashioned elabo- 

 rate and expensive conservatory which at best was a 

 thing apart from the home. It is safe to predict that 

 in the near future very few houses of any pretension 

 will be designed without this charming feature lieing 

 considered an essential part of it. 



Coming back to the regular living rooms, which is 

 where our immediate interest lies, and still having in 

 mind the question of light, it is quite possible to keep 

 a variety of plants in comparatively healthy condition 

 in rooms on southeast or southwest corners with 

 good-sized windows on both sides, provided one is 

 prepared to consider their needs as of first importance 

 and is willing to give them the constant attention 

 that every living thing requires. This attention should 

 begin by removing every bit of shade such as roller 

 curtains and draperies as soon as the first daylight 

 appears and allowing the window throughout the day 

 to fulfill its one essential function, which is to admit 

 daylight to the room. With a room thus flooded with 

 light, many foliage plants will thrive even at consider- 

 able distance from the windows ; in fact, some plants 

 have a marvelous capacity for adapting themselves to 

 conditions that are far from ideal. Some instances of 

 this adaptation, which refers to foliage plants only, 

 will be given later when discussing individual species 

 and varieties. 



Flowering plants, on the other hand, are most ex- 

 acting and will tolerate no position short of the imme- 

 diate window sill. 



*Exti 

 Society. 



from a paper read before the Massachuscl's Horticultural 



The need of proper watering may be mentioned 

 next. How much water and how often to be given 

 seems to be a process in plant culture more difficult 

 than any other for the average grower to understand. 

 The trouble seems to be that plants have been classi- 

 fied by species rather than by individuals in regard to 

 their need of water. Does a begonia need more water 

 than a primrose, or a cyclamen more than a gera- 

 nium? is invariably the form of the question. As a 

 matter of fact, with the following three conditions 

 existing, it is almost impossible to overwater : 



1. A plant with a relatively large amount of foliage 

 and blossom in a small pot. 



2. A warm room with very dry atmosphere. 



3. Effective drainage in a pot which allows all su- 

 perfluous water to drain away quickly. 



On the other hand, if a plant is in an over-size pot, 

 esijecially when the earth has been insufficiently 

 "firmed" down, it is very slow to dry out. The soil in 

 this case is like a loose sponge and remains saturated 

 f(_ir a long time. No amount of drainage will help much 

 under these conditions and if, as is often necessary, 

 the plants are all kept in saucers, it will be almost im- 

 [lossible to keep these overpotted ones in good health. 

 Even with all conditions ideal, it is impossible to lay 

 down a rule as to frequency of watering. The suc- 

 cessftil professional grower relies entirely on his daily 

 observation as to when a plant needs water, the only 

 aspect and light color of pot and soil being his princi- 

 pal guides. Stern necessity has trained his eye to be 

 very keen in this respect ; with the amateur, an equal- 

 ly strong desire to success would cjuickly have the 

 same result. Before dismissing the subject of water- 

 ing, it must be admitted that certain species are found 

 naturally in swampy places and others in very dry 

 ones. In spite of this, however, it is a fact that most 

 of the former will adapt themselves to ordinary en- 

 vironment with a moderate amount of water and that 

 others which are not in any way aquatic by nature 

 will also live for years under the same conditions. 

 This statement does not include of course such ex- 

 treme species as the pond lilies on the one hand or 

 cacti of the arid plains on the other. At any rate, 

 neither of these are interesting as house plants, and 

 the fact still holds good that it is impossible to lay 

 down a special rule for the watering of particular 

 species of plants.- 



There is no royal road to the successful cultivation 

 of flowers, even under favorable conditions, much Ic". 

 so with the serious handicaps which have been indi- 

 cated. It is not a question of formulas or of higher 

 education, of deep studies in botany or of soils or 

 fertilizers, or does it involve the abstruse questio-is 

 latelv set forth by some impressionist biologist as to 

 whether plants shudder or weep or laugh and clap 

 their hands when you come into their presence, it is 

 simply whether you care enough for them to give 

 some time to their study and to supply their needs just 

 as one would to a child or a highly-prized dog. 



The use of saucers in which to stand potted plants 

 may be a benefit or an evil, according to the degree of 

 intelligence exercised. Some provision of course is 

 necessary to prevent water which runs through the 

 pot from injuring the flooring or furniture. On the 

 other hand, many plants suft'er from standing satu- 

 rated all the time in a saucer full of water. This evil 



