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Gardening for Amateurs 



Solomon's Seal, and Dielytra spectabilis 

 (Bleeding Heart) are equally desirable. Then 

 we may have Primula, Calceolaria, Cineraria, 

 Cyclamen, and Schizanthus. Indian Azaleas, 

 too, form a bright and effective feature at 

 this season, and forced shrubs add further 

 variety. With the return of spring the sun 

 gains power, and in order that the flowers 

 may last as long as possible, and the young 

 and tender shoots be protected from injury, 

 a certain amount of shading is necessary. 

 By far the best shading is that afforded by 

 canvas blinds fixed a few inches above the 

 glass on rollers, so that they can be drawn 

 up when the weather is dull. This, how- 

 ever, is not always possible, in which case 

 the glass may be painted over with one of 

 the many preparations recommended for 

 the purpose, of which Summer Cloud is well 

 known and easily applied. Care must be 

 taken not to apply permanent shading of 

 this kind too thickly, as a dense shade leads 

 to weak and attenuated growth and a poor 

 display of flowers. All that should be given 

 is a coating sufficient to diffuse the sun's 

 rays, and thus prevent scorching. By the 

 middle of May or earlier, according to 

 locality, artificial heat may be dispensed 

 with in the greenhouse, and from that time 

 none is required until the nights get cold 

 in autumn. As the sun gains strength the 

 plants will, of course, need more water, and 

 the floor, wall, stages, etc., should be mois- 

 tened occasionally. To keep insect pests 

 in check it is far better to destroy them 

 when but a few are to be seen than to wait 

 until they have increased and done a good 

 deal of damage. For getting rid of aphides 

 or greenfly and thrips, vaporising with one 

 of the many preparations of nicotine now 

 on the market is preferable to fumigating, 

 while it also discourages that troublesome 

 pest, the mealy bug. A sharp lookout 

 should be kept for this, which when only 

 slightly in evidence may be destroyed by 

 using a small brush dipped in methylated 

 spirit. 



The Greenhouse in Summer. During 

 summer many of the plants may be turned 

 out of doors. This will give more room to 

 such flowers as Tuberous Begonias and 

 Cannas, that occupy little space during the 

 winter, though now need a good deal more. 



Quite a good display of bloom can be main- 

 tained at this season, for many popular plants, 

 such as Fuchsia, Begonia, Pelargonium, 

 Heliotrope, Lantana, and others are now 

 in flower. Taken altogether, the choice of 

 summer plants available for the greenhouse 

 is an extensive one, as will be seen by refer- 

 ence to the detailed list given later on. Of 

 course increased supplies of water are now 

 needed, and occasional applications of fer- 

 tiliser help to maintain the vigour and con- 

 tinuous flowering qualities of the various 

 plants. During very hot weather evening 

 is the best time to give water, for during the 

 night there is ample time for the roots to 

 absorb the moisture before it is evaporated ; 

 for this reason syringing in the evening is 

 equally desirable. 



The Greenhouse in Autumn. The 

 Chrysanthemum is usually referred to as the 

 Queen of Autumn Flowers, and certainly 

 without this our greenhouses would be badly 

 off. As the Chrysanthemums have been 

 grown altogether out of doors, it is essential, 

 when they are at first taken under glass, to 

 avoid overcrowding as far as possible, even 

 though the temptation to squeeze in two 

 or three more is great. For the same reason 

 a free circulation of air is necessary ; and 

 should the weather be damp and cold a 

 little fire heat, combined with some ven- 

 tilation, helps the development of the 

 blossoms, especially of the later kinds. 

 However, Chrysanthemums are not the only 

 greenhouse plants in bloom, as quite a num- 

 ber of Begonias are flowering freely, as well 

 as Lilium speciosum, the scarlet Salvia 

 splendens, the blue-flowered Salvia azurea 

 grandiflora, many that have contributed to 

 the summer display, and so on. As the 

 nights get colder and the sunshine wanes, it 

 is best to water the plants in the morning, 

 while care should be taken to avoid spilling 

 water about. During autumn shading may 

 be gradually discontinued, though where 

 canvas blinds are employed they may be 

 left in their place, as they afford consider- 

 able protection if left down during frosty 

 nights. 



The Greenhouse in Winter. This is 

 regarded as the dull season of the year, but 

 at the same time many greenhouse plants 

 may then be had in blossom. Perpetual- 



