MISCELLANEOUS DECORATIVE PLANTS 167 



others consider them very satisfactory there. Prob- 

 ably because they have studied their habits and give 

 them the treatment they demand. I would advise 

 all lovers of beautiful plants to give them a trial before 

 deciding that they cannot grow them. They should 

 have a light, spongy, porous soil in which considerable 

 sharp sand has been mixed, and the very best of 

 drainage. 



Flowering Begonias with Fine Foliage 



B. argentea guttata is of sturdy, upright growth, 

 with foliage of rich bronze green, thickly spotted with 

 silver. Its flowers are a soft, pearly flesh color, borne 

 in drooping panicles. Very fine both as a flowering 

 and as a decorative foliage plant. Of the easiest 

 culture. 



B. alba picta Foliage bright green, spotted with 

 white. 



B. metallica Hairy foliage, bronze green, with 

 coppery luster on upper surface. Veins dark red, 

 showing through the leaf. A strong-growing kind, 

 making a very attractive specimen plant. 



B. manicata aurea variegata A beautiful variety, 

 of spreading habit, with large, thick, waxen foliage 

 of a rich, shining green, irregularly blotched with 

 cream, clear yellow and rose. A superb plant for a 

 large vase. One of the best Begonias for general cul- 

 tivation. A fine plant for jardiniere use. 



Geraniums with Attractive Foliage 



Madam Salleroi An always satisfactory and 

 always useful variety. Habit bushy and compact. 

 Seldom grows to be more than eight inches or a foot 

 high. Always symmetrical. Never requires pruning. 

 Foliage borne in such quantities that the plant and pot 



