Gardening for Amateurs 



823 



Increase is by seeds and division. Use as 

 a potting compost 3 paits turfy loam, 1 

 part leaf -mould, and 1 part coarse sand. 

 Give less water in winter, but do not 

 withhold it altogether. 



Oxalis (Shamrock). There are three 

 kinds of Oxalis which look delightful when 

 grown in hanging pots in the window. 

 Oxalis floribunda (pink), var. alba (white), 

 and O. cernua (yellow), the Bermuda Butter- 

 cup ; all are attractive plants that flower 

 freely in spring. They grow in any light 

 sandy soil, and can be increased rapidly by 

 bulbils or offsets. Potting is best done in 

 autumn. Unless more stock is required, the 

 roots need not be disturbed for several years. 

 After flowering, gradually withhold water, 

 resting the plants during late summer. Pots 

 are preferable to wire baskets for Oxalis, 

 as when at rest they can be taken down and 

 put on one side until the season comes 

 round for new growth to start ; the soil 

 should then be soaked with water. 



Phyllocactus. This has been fittingly 

 named the Flowering Cactus, for it blossoms 

 freely, and the flowers are more handsome 

 than any other member of the Cactus 

 family. In sunny windows mature plants 

 bloom in spring and early summer, the 

 colours ranging from pure white through 

 cream, pink, rose, and red to rich crimson- 

 purple. Propagation is by cuttings made 

 of shoots about 6 inches long. These root 

 freely in a window in pots of sandy soil 

 without anv covering at almost any season, 

 except mid-winter. As a potting soil, use 

 2 parts fibrous loam, 1 part broken bricks 

 and old mortar rubble, adding a little 

 leaf - mould. During summer give a 

 fair amount of water, including a little 

 fertiliser. In winter water is desirable. 

 Potting, which is seldom necessary, is best 

 done in early spring. Use comparatively 

 small pots. If the flowers are pollinated 

 with a view to saving seeds, they produce a 



prickly Pear-like fruit which is rather tasty 

 to the palate. Phyllocactus may be raised 

 from seeds sown in a pot of sandy soil in a 

 sunny window. There are many named 

 sorts, from which the following are selected : 

 Cooperi, creamy - white ; Delicatus, flesh- 

 pink ; German Empress, rich rose, very free- 

 flowering (sometimes having twenty to thirty 

 flowers, not so large as the other sorts 

 named) ; J. T. Peacock, magenta shaded 

 violet ; Agatha, pink shaded salmon ; En- 

 sign, deep scarlet ; Olivette, rosy-carmine ; 

 Isabel Watson, magenta shaded carmine ; 

 Vesta, white ; Ackermannii, a Mexican species 

 with rich scarlet blossoms ; crenatus, creamy 

 white, from Honduras, with deliciously 

 fragrant flowers. 



Vallota purpurea (Scarborough Lily). 

 This is a bulbous plant which grows as 

 well in a sunny window as in a greenhouse. 

 One of the secrets of success is to leave the 

 plants in the pots undisturbed ; reasonable 

 crowding seems to cause the Vallota to 

 flower freely. A good potting soil is made 

 up of fibrous loam, a little leaf-mould, coarse 

 sand, and a few quarter-inch bones. If 

 potting is necessary it should be done in 

 autumn as soon as the flowers are over. 

 Give the plants less water after flowering, 

 but never withhold it altogether. The 

 dazzling red Lily -like flowers are very hand- 

 some. Increase is by offsets from the bulbs 

 taken off at potting. 



There are other plants that may be grown 

 successfully in rooms, more especially in 

 windows, as, for instance, the Japanese 

 Spiraea and Mother of Thousands shown 

 on pages 820 and 821. They may per- 

 haps be described as good-natured i.e. 

 they will thrive under variable conditions, 

 and their cultural requirements are easily 

 fulfilled. In spring rooms can be bright- 

 ened with Hyacinths, Tulips, and other 

 bulbs, which may be grown in or near the 

 window. 



To Mend Broken Pots. Big flower pots 

 need not be destroyed because they are 

 broken. First procure some Portland cement 

 and silver sand, and mix half sand and half 

 cement, not too wet. Use silver sand for 



preference. Place your broken pot on the 

 ground, slightly damp it, apply a little cement 

 to the broken part, replace the latter, and 

 trim off all surplus cement neatly with an 

 old knife. 



