Gardening for Amateurs 



333 



the plants in the baskets become untidy 

 and straggling in course of time, the growths 

 may be trimmed in April. This Euonyimis 

 is suitable for exposed positions and is a 

 good seaside plant. 



Ficus repens. A half-hardy creeper or 

 trailer. The green-leaved and variegated 

 forms should be grown in the greenhouse 

 in winter and hung outside in summer. 

 Propagation is by cuttings inserted at almost 

 any season in a frame or under a bell-glass. 

 The dark green-leaved variety will grow in 

 most soils, but for the pretty variegated kind 

 a little leaf-mould and peat should be added. 



Freesia refracta alba. 

 This is the most popular 

 of the several varieties of 

 Freesia. Though usually 

 cultivated in pots, the plants 

 then need to be supported 

 with twigs, while if grown 

 in hanging baskets the stems 

 are allowed to droop and 

 the flowers are seen well 

 from below. The bulbs are 

 planted in the baskets in 

 August or September. A 

 suitable compost consists of 

 2 parts loam, 1 part leaf- 

 mould, and decayed man- 

 ure, adding plenty of coarse 

 sand. Freesias flower from 

 December to March or April. 

 They may be increased by 

 offsets or seeds. Their de- 

 licious fragrance adds con- 

 siderably to the value of 

 Freesias, and the flowers 

 last well in water when cut. 



Fuchsia. There is no 

 more attractive plant than 

 the Fuchsia for the pur- 

 pose in view. The droop- 

 ing, bell -like pose of the 

 tlou.-r suggests its suita- 

 bility for the purpose, and 

 fe\v plants are easier t<> 

 grow and tend. Cuttings 

 form a ready means of in- 

 (iv. isc, though plants are 

 sometimes raised from seeds an interest- 

 ing and simple process. The usual prac- 

 tice is to insert cuttings in spring or 



autumn in a closed, slightly heated pro- 

 pagating case. When rooted, they are 

 potted off singly hi small pots, or six to 

 eight plants may be placed directly in 

 a basket. Fuchsias delight in rich, mode- 

 rately light soil, and watering with liquid 

 manure when the flower buds appear is 

 helpful. To induce to bushy growth and 

 so clothe the baskets the tips of the 

 shoots should be pinched off two or three 

 times at intervals of three or four weeks. 

 Fuchsias in hanging baskets may be used 

 with good effect out of doors in summer, as 

 well as in the conservatory and greenhouse. 



Lachenalias grown in wire basket. 



In late autumn less water is untied, and 

 when the plants are at rest they are stored 

 in a cool frost -proof shed or cellar for the 



