1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



257 



Stapelia, Mammilaria, Phyllocactus, etc., I 

 suffered no loss. I had supposed some of 

 them were too tender to bear so great a 

 degree of cold, but having them all growing 

 in one large, shallow box 1 could not favor 

 the tender kinds and had no suitable place 

 to keep the whole lot aside from where they 

 were. I am well pleased to find that they 

 can be wintered so easily as I had refrained 

 from enlarging my collection partly from 

 the supposed difficulty in wintering them. 



Preparing Plants for the Winter 

 Window Garden. 



W. F. LAKE. 



It is too often the case that the window 

 garden is without flowers in abundance 

 during the latter part of fall when all plants 

 are gone outside, and in many cases this 

 lack enters into the winter months. While 

 it is not so easy to have an abundance of the 

 general collection of house plants in bloom 

 during this period, as nature seems inclined 

 rather to retard growth even of the healthi- 

 est and strongest specimens until the genial 

 sunshine of later months is more plentiful, 

 there are a number of plants and common 

 ones, too, which may be had in fair amount 

 of bloom, if attention to preparing them for 

 this purpose be given during the summer 

 and early fall months. 



The principle that no plant can be ex- 

 pected to flower profusely during summer 

 and then do double duty by blooming well 

 in the winter is a safe one on which to rely. 

 Successful amateurs are learning that it is 

 not only the florists who may have flowers 

 in winter, but that if plants be given similar 

 treatment as winter flowering ones receive 

 at his hands, a fair degree of satisfaction 

 may be had for early blooming, and a 

 greater degree for still later in the season 

 when there is more sunlight, even in an 

 ordinary window. 



A good lesson may be learned by a walk 

 through a florist's grounds at this time. 

 There are quantities of Bouvardias, Carna- 

 tions, Heliotropes, Geraniums, Begonias, 

 and the like without a single flower on them 

 but in fine stocky condition. The flower 

 buds are being all kept down by pinching, 

 which results in the bushy plants that pro- 

 duce a heavy crop of bloom during the win- 

 ter months because they are in the right 

 condition for the work. 



Many grow Geraniums, etc., in pots dur- 

 ing summer which is a good plan, but if 

 this has not been done those which have 



There are a number of summer blooming 

 bulbs which make fairly good early winter 

 bloomers. For example, if we take those 

 late Gloxinias which have not flowered at 

 the time of drying off' the rest, move them 

 to a warm place and water freely, growth 

 will continue so that flowers will come at an 

 acceptable time. I have had Gloxinias as 

 late as Thanksgiving and even later. There 

 were among my Achimenes a small scarlet 

 variety, unnamed, which was quite willing 

 to flower in winter and often the early ^,j^^.i___ 

 started summer plants would continue *^:|~~^ 

 in bloom late into the fall. This is true .r^J^ljcSJ; 

 of some varieties of Tuberous Begonias 

 when gi-own in pots. 



August is too late to sow seeds of Prim- 

 roses, Cinerarias, etc. for early winter 

 blooms, but just the time for making 

 attractive specimens for spring. The 

 plants of these for early should now be 

 making vigorous growth and be repotted 

 quite often. They require a shaded place. 



It will require some careful attention 

 during the summer to keep insects from 

 Cinerarias, for the aphis is particularly 

 fond of it, and when once established 

 it takes considerable to dislodge him with- 

 out injury to the plants. 



In the recent improvements made in 

 that grand flower, the Chrysanthemum 



The most successful mode of culture to 

 adopt in general with the Vallota is to repot 

 just Ijefore it commences to grow, which 

 will be about March or April. For the first 

 two months after repotting water cautiously. 

 Towards June sufficient roots should have 

 formed to warrant water being given daily, 

 and in July weak licjuid or artificial manures 

 may be safely applied. From the nnddle of 

 .lune until flowering begins an open .some- 

 what sunny spot is the most suitable place 



we have a nice number and variety of late 

 blooming sorts which add greatly to the 

 attractiveness of the window garden in late 

 fall and early winter. If more plants of these 

 late kinds than are needed to simply fill up 

 the window be grown, and retarded by keep- 

 LQg them in a cold room after the buds have 

 just begun to open, the season is easily pro- 

 longed through the holidays, but the blooms 

 never seem to be as lasting when once 

 allowed to open as those which had no in- 

 terference with their natural course. 



Watering of plants for winter blooming 

 especially shoiild be given careful attention, 

 as a stint in this direction during hot 

 weather cannot result in anything short of 

 positive injury, and therefore decreasing 

 the supply of bloom. 



The Virginian Creeper in Gardens. 

 The uses to which the common Virginian 

 Creeper Ampclopsis quinqncfoUa can be 

 put for adorning the garden are endless. 

 Herewith are given two sketches of pleasing 

 ways in which we have seen this plant em- 

 ployed on a recent trip through the country. 

 The upper sketch represents a division 

 line in the garden, consisting of a row 

 of posts with rods of iron extending 

 from one to the other at top and bottom, 

 and covered with the shoots of this 

 creeper. The effect is light and pleas- 

 ing, and for many places where some 

 light dividing mark is desirable in a 

 garden, nothing more satisfactory could 

 be produced. 



The lower engraving is that of a 

 lattice work fence and archway cov- 

 ^ered with this vine. In this case the 

 lattice work consists of unplaned strips 

 one inch thick and two inches wide, 

 crossing at an angle of 45 degrees. The 

 arch was made of boards at the sides 

 and cross strips at top and bottom. 



USES OF VIRGINIAN CREEPER IN THE GARDEN. 



for it, standing he pot on coal ashes. Ex- 

 posure to the sua in summer helps to ripen 

 the growth, and this, in our experience, is, 

 in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred, 

 the secret of getting it to flower annually. 



When the flower spike shows it is advisa- 

 ble to discontinue the application of ma- 

 nures in any form, as these have a tendency 

 to cause the bloom to develop too rapidly to 

 last long in good condition. By the time 

 flowering has ceased the growth of the Inilb 

 will be completed for the season, and then a 

 cool light position must be found for the 

 plant or plants, and less water be given. 

 The process of withholding the latter must 

 be gradual. Give just enough to the soil 

 fairly moist from Octol^er to December, and 

 from thence to repotting time, sufHcient to 

 prevent the soil becoming dry. If these cul- 

 tural details are carefully followed we will 

 guarantee that every moderate-sized bulb 

 will flower annually. 



Avoid extremes in watering if possible. 

 In repotting do not remove the offsets from 

 the large bulb unless for growing into sep- 

 arate plants. Never at any time use pots 

 that are dirty, or in excess of the size of the 

 bulbs. We know of many plants that have 

 been growing and flowering to the utmost 

 satisfaction without repotting for several 

 years by giving some weak stimulant dur- 

 ing summer when it is making its growth. 



CROSS SECTION OF HOME-MADE PLANT PIT 



been planted in beds may be lifted, for 

 though they may have become well estab- 

 lished and are pushing root and top vigor- 

 ously, the roots will not by this time have 

 pushed out so far that much injury will 

 result from lifting. I.,ater lifting gives us 

 much more top growth, but the roots have 

 spread over so much ground it is impossible 

 to retain them all. 



Culture of the Vallota or Scar- 

 borough Lily. 

 This remarkably attractive home and con- 

 servatory plant, although closely allied to 

 the Amaryllis is yet strictly evergreen or 

 perennial in its foliage. To keep it en- 

 tirely dry at the root through the winter is 

 to court failure in its culture. Fairly treated 

 and no plant will make a better display of 

 bloom in the window or conservatory dur- 

 ing the late summer months than this. 



1,386. Tulips from Seed. Kaising seeding Tu- 

 lips is a ler.T tedious opiTution The seed is very 

 slow in germinating, and rather uncertiun. 

 Youi*s may come yet though the chances to the 

 contrary ax-e about as good. Seed should be sown 

 in geufle heat in February in light sandy soil and 

 let to remain in their seed beed until the follow- 

 ing spring, all the treatment needed in the mean 

 time t)eing to keep free from weeds and giving 

 light protection during the winter. After lieing 

 planted in a permanent bed it would take from 

 four to six years Ix^t'ore the bulbs will flower. 

 After a number ot .\'ears, more or less, these 

 seedlings break into ditterent colors but how 

 many of our average Americans are willing to 

 wait for these changes y—M B Faxon, 



1,2<)«. Arbor Vitae from Seed. " It is grown by 

 sowing the seed in early spring, in a bed of very 

 tine soil, if mucky and wet all the better, covering 

 very lightly with sand or pulverizecl poat, which 

 must be kept constantly wet until the .voung 

 plants appear, which will be in two or three 

 weeks. The young plants resemble small sprigs 

 ot moss, and will attain a height of two or three 

 inches during the first siuumcr. The rcid Arbor 

 Vita- leaf sometimes appears late in the season, 

 but usually not luitil the next seascm. They 

 must be kept constantly watered during the first 

 season, and should beshadedfrom the sun.— ()EO. 

 PiNNEY., Uoor Co,, Wis. 



