Gardening for Amateurs 



779 



wide-spreading plant with long, much-divided 

 leaves, while P. reclinata and P. rupicola are 

 also very pretty. One of the most beautiful 

 Palms is the small-growing Phoenix Roebe- 

 linii. It is exceedingly graceful and of good 

 constitution. Though of comparatively re- 

 cent introduction seeds have lately been 

 imported in quantities, so that neat little 

 plants may now be obtained cheaply. 



Rhapis flabelliformis. This Palm pro- 

 duces numerous suckers and in time forms a 

 clump. Its leaves are of firm, leathery tex- 

 ture, and it will thrive even in a draughty 

 part of the greenhouse or conservatory. 



The Oleander. This old-fashioned green- 

 house shrub, which is said to have been first 

 introduced from the Mediterranean region to 

 Britain about the year 1596, 

 deservedly shows signs of re- 

 gaining its former popularity. 

 On the continent the plants 

 as a whole flower much more 

 freely than in this country, 

 presumably owing to a greater 

 abundance of sun, and the 

 consequent better ripening of 

 the wood. However, plants 

 can be made to bloom freely 

 in this country, even though 

 we may have to give them a 

 little more care and attention 

 to secure well -ripened shoots 

 than our continental neigh- 

 bours. Only those fortunate 



enough to have seen big 



bushes of the Oleander 



10 feet to 20 feet high, in 



flower at Hyeres and similarly 



favoured localities can realise 



their beauty to the full. 



Although a greenhouse plant 



in most parts of this country 



the Oleander is one of those 



plants which may be fittingly 



included in a list of tender 



plants for " a warm corner 



outside," notably in the 



sunny south-west. 



Oleanders are readily pro- 

 pagated by cuttings inserted 



in jars of water in the green- 

 house, under a bell-glass or 



hand-light, during spring and summer. 

 Layering the growths is sometimes practised 

 when the plants are growing out of doors in 

 sheltered positions. Suitable soil for potting 

 consists of a mixture of three parts fibrous 

 loam, one part Jeaf-mould, a sprinkling of 

 bone-meal or dried cow manure, and ample 

 coarse sand to keep the compost porous. 

 Spring is the season for potting the plants. 

 For the first two or three years annual 

 potting, each time into a larger pot, is 

 necessary, but afterwards, as the plants 

 increase in size and age, the necessity for 

 giving them larger pots decreases ; potting 

 once in from three to five years is then 

 sufficient, as old-established plants flower 

 better in comparatively small pots when 

 liberally fed with liquid manure. Old plants 



The Fan-leaved Palm (Latania borbonica) in flower. 



