Gardening for Amateurs 



331 



lar and easily grown basket plant for the 

 window and cool greenhouse. It may also 

 be hung outside on the balcony or veranda 

 in summer. It is valued chiefly for its 

 attractive foliage. The plants thrive in 

 sandy soil, and are readily increased by 

 means of young plants that form on long 

 " runners " similar to those on Strawberries. 

 The flowers are white, but, being small, they 

 are of no decorative value. There are two 

 pretty variegated sorts one in which the 

 leaves are edged with white and the other 

 in which the margin is yellow. 



Clianthus Uampieri. Popularly known 

 as the Australian Glory Pea. This plant is 

 wonderfully attractive when well grown. 

 Crab's Claw is another common name sug- 

 gested by the curiously shaped scarlet 

 flowers with prominent black blotches. It 

 is not easy of cultivation, but such a delight- 

 ful and striking flower is worth a lot of 

 attention. The most successful means of 

 propagation is by grafting, in the seedling 

 stage, on a closely allied plant called Colutea 

 arborescens. Seeds of both stock and M-MUI 

 should be sown in early spring, the grafting 

 being done as soon as the seedlings produce 

 the third leaf. For a few days after 

 grafting the protection of a bell-glass or 

 propagating frame is desirable. As a 

 compost in which to grow Clianthus use 

 equal parts of loam, peat, leaf-mould, and 

 coarse sand. 



Coelogyne cristata. This is one of the 

 prettiest and at the same time one of the 

 easiest of Orchids to grow. Amateurs \\ith 

 only a small heated greenhouse may grow 

 it successfully. The flowering season is from 

 January to March, so the white orange- 

 throated blossoms are thus of additional 

 value. A teak basket is preferable to one 

 made of wire, or the plants may be fastened 

 to cork bark or tree-fern stem, some lumpy 

 compost being worked among and around 

 the roots. This may consist of peat or 

 turf with the loose soil shaken out, sphag- 

 num moss, and a few lumps of charcoal. 

 During the growing season which follows 

 the flowers place the plants at the warm 

 end of the greenhouse, keeping the atmo- 

 sphere moist. Towards the end of the 

 summer place the baskets in a sunny posi- 

 tion, so that the pseudo-bulbs may be 



Showing how the first plants are put in 



How the basket looks after planting 



I 



Surface view of Freesia bulbs in basket. 



