BASKET PLANTS 179 



and soon become a thrifty plant. On account of the 

 succulent nature of its foliage it is able to withstand 

 quite a drouth. But because it can stand a good deal 

 of neglect as regards watering, don't test its capacities 

 in this direction. 



The Tradescantia 



The Tradescantia, or Wandering Jew, is quite a 

 popular basket plant. It will stand more abuse and 

 look cheerful and even happy under it, than any other 

 plant I know of. It is rather a straggling grower if 

 left to follow out its own inclinations. Therefore, in 

 order to make it satisfactory for basket use it must be 

 pinched back severely at first to force it to branch 

 freely. Pinch it in, and keep it pinched in, until there 

 are branches enough to furnish plenty of foliage to 

 cover whatever it grows in. It must not be given a rich 

 soil, for that favors the production of stalks with long 

 joints between the leaves. In a poorer soil the joints 

 .will be close together and the foliage quite as satisfac- 

 tory. T. zebrina has dark green leaves with a metallic 

 luster and silvery bands running down them. T. multi- 

 color has foliage of a lighter green, striped with white 

 and pink. Break off a piece of the vine and throw it 

 down where it can come in contact with the soil and 

 it will be sure to grow. 



The Saxifrage (Saxifraga sarmentosa) 



This is a very pretty basket plant (Fig 44). It 

 has leaves shaped something like those of the zonale 

 Geranium, of a reddish-olive color, veined with white. 

 There will be a tuft of foliage at the end of a vine, 

 much after the style of growth of a Strawberry plant 

 with runners ; at this tuft other runners will be sent 

 out, each of which will terminate in a tuft of foliage, 

 and in this manner the plant keeps on enlarging until 



