Commercial Gardening 



require warm-house treatment, and a rich loamy soil, and are increased by 

 division of the rootstock in spring. 



Alternanthera. This is one of the most useful and popular carpet- 

 bedding plants. It forms a dense carpet of coloured foliage and may be 

 clipped and pinched without injury during the season to keep it in order. 

 Thousands of cuttings are taken from the old stocks in spring and inserted 

 in sandy soil in pots or shallow boxes, placed in a good hotbed or in 

 cutting frames under glass about February and March. The young plants 

 are potted up or placed in shallow wooden boxes and allowed plenty of 

 light to develop the colour, and harden them off. Amongst the best kinds 

 are: amabilis, ovate purplish-green leaves changing to brilliant -orange red; 

 the variety latifolia has larger and broader leaves and brighter colours; 

 amoena has narrow lance-shaped leaves of a rich carmine colour; in specta,- 

 bilis the young leaves have a decided magenta shade; magnified,, orange 

 red; tricolor, green at the edges, rose pink in the centre traversed with 

 purple veins, and with a yellow band between the centre and edges. 

 A. paronychioides has the young leaves flushed with scarlet and bronze; 

 major is a stronger form with brighter -tinted foliage, which in the sub- 

 variety aurea is deep yellow and red, and shows up well in hot seasons; 

 nana aurea is a very compact grower with yellow leaves; and versicolor 

 has bright -rose and purple foliage suffused with bronze. The Alter- 

 nantheras are natives of Brazil, and belong to the Amaranthus or Cock's 

 Comb family. 



Anthurium. Anthuriums, like Alocasias, are chiefly grown for their 

 ornamental foliage, some of the best kinds for this purpose being crystal- 

 linum, magnificum, Warocqueanum, and Veitchi the latter being remark- 

 able for its velvety deep -green and wrinkled leaves 3-4 ft. long. The 

 most popular for market purposes, however, are A. Scherzerianum and 

 A. Andreanum, both having brilliant scarlet spathes. The first-named 

 is most popular because it is more easily grown and raised. It is known 

 as the " Flamingo Plant", and is a native of Costa Rica. Numerous 

 seedling forms are now in existence, varying in colour from almost pure 

 white, as in album, to the deepest crimson scarlet, many varieties having 

 the spathes beautifully mottled with white. In the variety Rothschild- 

 ianum the spathes are white mottled with red. A. Lindeni is a tall- 

 growing white-spathed plant having large heart-shaped leaves, and many 

 hybrid forms have been raised by crossing it with A. Andreanum and 

 A. Scherzerianum. Anthuriums require stove treatment, and flourish in 

 a compost of loam and peat with a little chopped sphagnum moss and a 

 few nodules of charcoal. The atmosphere should be kept humid yet 

 buoyant during active growth, and plenty of water or copious syringing 

 is also necessary. Stock is raised from seeds sown when ripe, and by 

 dividing the tufts. 



Aralia. A mixed genus of stove, greenhouse, and hardy ornamental - 

 leaved plants of a more or less shrubby habit when fully grown. The 

 best -known stove kinds are A. eleyantissima, A. Guilfoylei, A. Veitchi 



