502 



Gardening for Amateurs 



but in the attractive hoary grey stems and 

 leaves, a silvery tint pervading the whole 

 plant. Set out the plants in the beds about 

 the end of May, lifting and housing them for 

 the winter at the end of September. They 

 thrive best in comparatively small pots. 

 Keep the soil rather dry, though not dust 

 dry, during the dull days of winter. 



Clivia miniata. This South African plant, 

 which belongs to the Amaryllis family, and is 

 known also as Imantophyllum miniatum, is 

 not only valuable as an amateur's green- 



Clivia miniata, a popular flower for room and greenhouse 



house plant, but also thrives excellently in a 

 \vindow or room. In addition to having 

 most showy blossoms it has attractive foliage 

 also ; the long dark -green strap-like leaves 

 have plenty of substance, enabling them to 

 withstand the more or less unfavourable con- 

 ditions of a room. Dust settles on the leaves, 

 but washing with a sponge and a little warm 

 soapy water once a week will set this matter 

 right. Established plants in pots flower 

 annually in the cool greenhouse or room, 

 the season of blooming being from March 

 to May or June. Orange, with buff -yellow 

 centre, is the predominating colour of the 



flowers ; they are somewhat funnel-shaped, 

 about 3 inches across, and appear in a bunch 

 of eight to eighteen or more at the end of 

 a thick, fleshy stalk about 18 inches high. 

 Years of patient cultivation, and the raising 

 and selecting of the best seedlings have 

 brought about an improvement in the size 

 and colour of the flowers. The favourite 

 method of increasing Clivias is by division 

 or offsets, the best time being about mid- 

 summer, after flowering. They may also 

 be raised from seeds, but as the plants take 

 four or five 

 years to reach 

 the flowering 

 stage this 

 method is not 

 much practised. 

 Repotting, when 

 necessary, should 

 be done after 

 flowering. As a 

 rule the plants 

 flower best when 

 the thick, fleshy 

 roots have well- 

 filled the pot ; 

 they rarely need 

 repotting when 

 established. The 

 potting compost 

 should consist 

 largely of turfy 

 soil, adding a 

 little leaf-mould, 

 crushed bones, 

 and sufficient 

 coarse sand to 

 make it porous. 

 The pots used vary from 6 inches for 

 small plants to 10 inches wide for large 

 specimens with some half-dozen vigorous 

 growths. Place ample drainage in the 

 bottom of the pots, as Clivias delight in 

 plenty of water and liquid manure when 

 growing freely in spring and summer, especi- 

 ally when the roots are crowded in the 

 pots. Syringe the plants frequently during 

 summer, those in rooms benefit if placed 

 outside during warm showers. In winter 

 less water is needed, as the plants enjoy a 

 period of comparative rest from October 

 to January. 



