November, 1915. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



25S 



Room Plants in Winter 



John Gall, Inglewood, Ont. 



MANY plants that have succeeded 

 fairly well in the dwelling house 

 during the summer and early- 

 fall months begin, when winter sets 

 in, to lose their freshness. Of course, 

 one looks for this in the case of plants 

 of a soft-wooded nature, but when 

 such subjects as palms, the evergreen 



A beauty spot in Gait, planted by the Gait 

 Horticultural Society. 



ferns, and even Aspidistras look more 

 or less unhappy, the cause needs seek- 

 ing. 



There are several reasons that may 

 be put forward for this, but one of the 

 most likely causes of the plants being 

 affected is that with the increase of 

 fires, lamps or gas for the purposes of 

 illumination, the atmosphere is render- 

 ed much drier than it was. This con- 

 dition of things is very detrimental to 

 plant life, and consequently the plants 

 soon show the effects thereof. The 

 best lighting medium for the welfare 

 of plants is electricity and the worst, 

 gas. The exceedingly dry atmosphere 

 against which we have to contend also 

 causes the soil in the pots to dry as 

 quickly as, or perhaps even in some 

 cases quicker than in the summer, 

 though, of course, in this respect the 

 condition of the plants, the require- 

 ments of the different individuals and 

 their position in the room all play an 

 important part in the matter. 



A question put perhaps more fre- 

 quently than any other is, "How often 

 should T water my plants which are in 

 the window or elsewhere in the room?" 

 This question is easily asked, but abso- 

 lutely impossible to answer. Take, for 

 instance, a palm growing in a compara- 

 tively small pot. Around the bottom of 

 this, the stout roots, whence the prin- 

 cipal nourishment is derived, are coiled. 

 Under such conditions it is almost im- 

 possible to over-water it, whereas an- 

 other one, in a larger pot, and conse- 

 (|uently a greater mass of soil perhaps 

 unpenetrated by roots, would be killed 

 by receiving the same treatinent. 



A mistake very often made is that 

 ps soon as a plant appears somewhat 

 sickly it is looked upon as requiring a 

 larger pot, whatever be the season of 

 the year. Even if it would be bene- 

 fited by an increased size of pot, the op- 

 peration of repotting should not be car- 

 ried out after September; indeed, the 

 months of April, May, June and July 

 are best for the purpose, as there is 

 then ample time for the new roots to 

 take possession of the fresh soil before 

 the winter. Such being the case, if 

 plants at this season appear to be un- 

 derpotted, the better way will be to 

 wait till April before disturbing them 

 at the roots. 



As it is impossible to state any defin- 

 ite period when room plants should be 

 watered, a few words of advice may 

 be given on this point. In the first 

 place, the soil must be allowed to get 

 dry before watering, and then enough 

 water should be given to thoroughly 

 moisten the ball of earth. By saying 

 drj', it is not meant that the soil must 

 be parched up so as to injure the plant, 

 but rather that it is in that condition 

 which a careful observer will at once 

 see as likely to be benefited by a good 

 watering. Above all things, avoid 

 giving little drops occasionally, as this 

 will undermine the constitution of 

 plants. When a plant requires water- 

 ing, the better plan will be to take and 

 stand it in a pail of slightly tepid 

 water at such a depth that the rim of 

 the pot is covered. When the water 

 has percolated through the entire ball 

 of earth, which ma.v be ascertained by 

 the air bubbles ceasing to rise, it should 



be taken from the pail, allowed to 

 drain, and then put in its usual place. 

 On no account should stagnant water 

 be allowed to stand in the jardinieres 

 in which the plants are placed. 



With the dry atmosphere there is 

 always a certain amount of dust, and 

 to keep the foliage ' of the plants as 

 clean as possible is a very important 

 matter. Such subjects as the Aspi- 

 distra and palms of different kinds, 

 whose leaves are smooth and of a firm 

 texture, may be readily kept clean by 

 frequently sponging with lukewarm 

 water. On the other hand, such sub- 

 jects as ferns, whose foliage is very in- 

 tricately divided, collect the dust to a 

 greater extent than the smooth-leaved 

 plants, and are also moTe difficult to 

 clean. The better way is to take ad- 

 vantage of a mild day to give them a 

 syringing. On no account, however, 

 must this be done during frost. 



Another very important matter dur- 

 ing sharp, frosty weather is to bear in 

 mind that the greatest cold is, as a 

 rule, experienced during the night 

 when the fire is apt to go down, and 

 consequently the temperature of the 

 room is lowered. The coldest part is, 

 of course, near the window, where 

 most of the plants are usually kept; 

 and in order to make all safe, the 

 plants should be removed from their 

 more exposed position to the centre of 

 the room, where, arranged in a close 

 group and covered with a few news- 

 papers, they will be safe. When pos- 

 sible, however, they should be stood 

 near the window, so as to obtain the 

 full measure of light which is so essen- 

 tial to the welfare of the plants in 

 general. 



We should work for "A beauty that 

 supplies a daily need" and not a Sun- 

 day pride. 



The bungalow and giirden. in Lundy'.s Lane. Ont 

 Two years before the photograph was taken the 

 from an old foundation were used 



., of Mr. F. Junkinson, of Niagara Falls South, 

 lot was a waste of weeds and rubbish. Stones 

 for borders and landscape effects. 



