Gardening for Amateurs 



819 



in April. Aspidistras thrive best in a com- 

 post of 3 parts loam, 1 part leaf -mould, 

 part of very old decayed manure, and 

 plenty of coarse sand. A plant with a dozen 



Beware of buying "faked" Aspi- 

 distras, which are sometimes 

 made up by hawkers by means 

 of wire pins as shown. 



or more leaves may be grown in a pot 6 

 inches wide. The green-leaved Aspidistra is 

 best for the most unfavourable positions, 

 though in point of beauty it is surpassed by 

 the variegated variety. To maintain the 

 creamy-white variegation, the plant must 

 have a light position, in a bay window, for 

 instance, otherwise the leaves gradually 

 revert to the normal green colouring. 



The flowers of the Aspidistra are interest- 

 ing, but not attractive. They appear low 

 down among the stalks, close to the soil, 

 in early spring. The blooms are cup- 

 shaped, barely an inch across, rich purple 

 inside and buff outside. 



Ghlorophytum elatum. This plant be- 

 longs to the Lily family, though the small 

 white flowers are of no value. The arching, 

 dark-green leaves are pretty. It may be used 

 as a table plant, but as each plant in time 

 develops runners, with young plants at the 

 end (in the same way as the Strawberry 

 does), it is preferable to suspend the pots 

 and allow the young plants to hang down. 

 To increase one's stock, all that is neces- 

 sary is to cut off and pot up singly in small 



pots as many of the young plants as are 

 required. 



Gordyline or Dracaena. Several kinds 

 of Dracaena or Club Palm are good room 

 plants. The two most generally used are 

 Cordyline Bruantii and C. stricta. The 

 former, with rather broad green leaves, and 

 the latter, with narrow arching foliage, are 

 very decorative. When too large the tops 

 of the plants should be taken off and in- 

 serted as cuttings in a closed propagating 

 frame with slight bottom heat. If a frame 

 is not available, the top of the plant should 

 be cut half-way through with a sharp knife 

 by means of an upward cut ; place a match 

 in the cut to prevent its closing up, and 

 bind round with damp moss. In due course, 

 if the moss is kept moist, the top of the plant 

 will root into the moss, when it may be 

 entirelv severed from the parent plant and 



Phyllocactus, a good room plant. 



potted. If the stem is cut up into 2-inch 

 lengths, and the pieces are laid on moss or 

 fibre in a warm, moist propagating frame 

 they will form fresh plants. Another means 



