LITTLE TOWN GREENHOUSE 91 



results in the way of flowers. Plant pests such as 

 wood-lice and slugs are ever on the alert to attack and 

 devour the fleshy roots as they form, and must be 

 circumvented by constant watching for and killing. 

 Most of the plants mentioned in this book are good for 

 town culture providing the surroundings are not too much 

 shut off from fresh air and light. For badly placed 

 houses it would be wise to eschew most of the hard- 

 wooded plants and to use more freely those which are 

 mentioned in the chapter on foliage plants, as these are 

 not dependent on being well ripened each year. Azaleas 

 flower well in towns but are not to be depended on to 

 ripen wood and form good flowering buds each year. 



Pelargoniums are liable to lose their flowers during 

 foggy weather, and it would be useless to attempt 

 growing the Zonale section for winter flowering in the 

 urban districts of a big town where fogs are prevalent, 

 indeed fog is the worst element with which the would- 

 be town gardener has to contend, for the danger of 

 admitting fog through the ventilators adds much to the 

 difficulties of affording proper ventilation. During long 

 continued foggy weather the flowers of many plants 

 will succumb in spite of all care. All ventilation given 

 at such times should be at the apex of the house and the 

 atmosphere within must be made sufficiently buoyant 

 by the use of fire heat to keep the fog at bay as much 

 as possible. 



