Gardening for Amateurs 



843 



Hothouse Flowers 



FOR the successful cultivation of 

 many tropical plants a temperature 

 considerably above that of a green- 

 house is necessary. What is termed the 

 stove- or hothouse is set aside for their 

 accommodation. This structure is so ar- 

 ranged that by means of hot -water pipes 

 a minimum win- 

 ter night tempera- 

 ture of 55 can 

 be maintained, 

 rising some 10 

 to 15 during the 

 day. As the days 

 lengthen and the 

 sun gains power, 

 the house is, of 

 course, kept 

 warmer, until in 

 summer a tem- 

 perature of 80 to 

 90 may be often 

 reached during the 

 hottest part of the 

 day, while then it 

 does not fall below 

 60 or 65 at 

 night. In order 

 to keep the plants 

 in good health 

 plenty of atmos- 

 pheric moisture is 

 necessary, and this 

 must be kept up 

 by syringeing the 

 plants, and with 

 a rosed watering- 

 can moistening the 

 stages between 

 the pots, the 



paths, floor, etc. It is a good plan to 

 have a division in the hothouse, so that 

 one portion may be kept some 5 or 6 

 cooler than the other. In large gardens 

 two separate houses are used for the 

 purpose, the cooler of the two being 

 usually referred to as an intermediate 

 house ; that is to say, one in which the 

 temperature is about midway between that 



Acalypha sanderiana. 



of the greenhouse and stove. Many plants 

 thrive better in the intermediate house 

 than in the stove itself. Of course, shading 

 during summer is necessary, and a sharp 

 look-out must be kept for insect pests. 

 Owing to the frequent syringeing the plants, 

 as a rule, do not dry at the roots so quickly 

 as in a house 

 where the atmo- 

 sphere is drier. 



A selection of 

 the best stove 

 plants includes the 

 following : 



Acalypha. 

 Easily grown 

 plants, most of 

 which are remark - 

 able for their 

 handsome leafage. 

 In A. macafeeana 

 and A. musaica 

 the leaves are 

 marbled with 

 different shades of 

 green, red, crim- 

 son, and orange, 

 while A. godseffi- 

 ana has bright 

 green leaves mar- 

 gined with yellow. 

 Quite a distinct 

 species is A. san- 

 deriana, also 

 known as A. his- 

 pida ; its bright 

 crimson flowers 

 are borne in long 

 drooping tassels. 

 Acalyphas are 



readily increased by cuttings of the young 

 shoots taken in early spring, inserted in 

 pots of light sandy soil, and placed in a 

 closed propagating case having slight 

 bottom heat. They do well in a mixture 

 of loam, leaf - mould and sand. When 

 established, the variegated-leaved kinds 

 need full exposure to sun in order to 

 ensure their brightest colours, while A. 



