Gardening for Amateurs 



813 



finest of all is V. sanderiana, tawny-yellow, 

 beautifully marked with red ; others are 

 V. suavis, white, barred with blood-purple ; 

 V. kimballiana, with whitish sepals and 

 petals, and bright amethyst-purple lip, and 

 V. amesiana, white, slightly flushed with 

 pink. They flower at various periods of 

 the year. The blue Vanda caerulea is 

 highly prized for supplying flowers during 

 autumn, but it is sometimes difficult to find 

 just the right place for growing this unique 

 Orchid. It requires rather more sunlight 

 and air than other Vandas. Pots or teak 

 wood baskets may be chosen, but they 

 must be well drained. The compost should 



consist of sphagnum moss and peat or 

 osmunda fibre in equal parts, and when the 

 plants become " leggy " treat as recom- 

 mended for Renanthera. 



Zygopetalum. The largest and most 

 easily grown is Z. Mackaii, which has light 

 yellowish-green sepals and petals marked 

 with purplish -brown, while the broad white 

 lip is streaked and spotted with violet- 

 purple. It will thrive either in the cool or 

 intermediate house, and should be supplied 

 with a fairly large pot on account of its 

 vigorous roots. Choose the same sort of 

 soil as advised for Calanthe. It flowers 

 about Christmas. 



Hardy Shrubs for the Greenhouse 



WHEN a greenhouse has to be kept 

 gay with flowers throughout the 

 year the value of many early- 

 flowering hardy shrubs is fully recognised. 

 In large gardens a forcing house is devoted 

 to them, in which they are grown in a 

 gradually increasing temperature. Under 

 these conditions the flowers develop 

 quickly, and when they are expanded the 

 plants are taken into the conservatory. 

 However, where the glass accommodation 

 consists of a single greenhouse some of the 

 hardy shrubs are valuable. Of course, the 

 temperature at which an ordinary greenhouse 

 is kept will not bring them on so rapidly as 

 a forcing house ; still, they will flower con- 

 siderably earlier than if they are in the open 

 ground, and further, they are protected 

 from the inclement weather which frequently 

 mars their beauty out of doors. 



If plants growing in the open ground are 

 required for the embellishment of the green- 

 house, they should be carefully lifted in 

 autumn directly the leaves drop, and potted 

 with as little delay as possible. It will be 

 found a great advantage to pot them thus 

 early, as if the roots have time to take even 

 a slight hold of the fresh soil the blossoms 

 will last much longer than those produced 

 by plants that were only just potted before 

 being taken into the greenhouse. After the 

 plants are potted they should if possible be 



plunged in leaves, coco-nut refuse, or other 

 protecting material. This will serve to keep 

 the roots uniformly moist, and protect the 

 pots in the event of sharp frosts. Of course, 

 after potting a good soaking of water should 

 be given in order to settle the soif thoroughly 

 in its place. Given a normal autumn it is 

 quite possible that the plants will not require 

 any further watering before taking them 

 into the greenhouse, but in the event of dry 

 weather they may need water occasionally. 



The end of January is a good time to bring 

 the shrubs under glass, as the more they 

 are exposed the more readily do they respond 

 to a little warmth. In the greenhouse they 

 need to be well supplied with water, and the 

 pleasure of watching the blossoms develop 

 will soon be experienced. After flowering, 

 the plants, owing to the tender nature of 

 their foliage, must be kept under glass until 

 the cold weather is past. Then they may 

 either be planted in the open ground or 

 kept in pots for another flowering season. 

 In this latter case they should be plunged 

 to the rim in a sunny spot, and kept supplied 

 with water during the summer. An occa- 

 sional dose of liquid manure will prove 

 beneficial. Many of these shrubs need to be 

 cut back after flowering, taking care at the 

 same time to remove any old and exhausted 

 wood. Plants established in this way will 

 respond to slight forcing more readily than 



