86 P07\S AND OTHER RECEPTACLES 



POTS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES 



Pots. The Sinhalese potters can sometimes turn out very 

 satisfactory pots to a given pattern, but those which they make on 

 their own initiative are usually ungainly and unsatisfactory, being 

 either too deep and perpendicular, bulging in the middle, or dis- 

 proportionately narrow at the base. Good pots should become 

 gradually narrower from the top towards the bottom. If the 

 sides are perpendicular, the plant with its ball of earth cannot be 

 turned out without breaking the pot. Generally speaking, pots of 

 large sizes should not be so deep as they are wide at the top ; while, 

 on the contrary, the depth of small-sized pots should equal or 

 exceed their top width. A very common mistake in Ceylon 

 gardens is to use pots unnecessarily large, for these are both 

 obtrusive and unsuitable for the healthy growth of plants. 



Hanging Pots. These may be made in quite a variety of 

 forms. The perforated kind, in which Maiden-hair ferns, Sela- 

 ginella, etc., may be successfully grown, is perhaps the most 

 effective. Those made of concrete and studded with pebbles are not 

 desirable, being very heavy and devoid of porosity. Very effective 

 are the bottle-shaped earthenware urns, around which a layer of 

 loamy soil is held in position by means of close wire-netting ; into 

 this dainty ferns and suitable plants are dibbled, and these obtain 

 a constant and regular supply of moisture by absorption through 

 the urn, which is kept full of water. 



Bamboo-pots. Sections of bamboo, which may be obtained 

 of various sizes, with the transverse division left in one end and a hole 

 punched through it for drainage, make very useful pots for certain 

 purposes. They are extensively used in Peradeniya Gardens for 

 propagating work, and (larger kinds) to some extent as receptacles 

 for growing orchids. For the latter purpose they are cut into 

 small sections, resembling shallow pans, several holes being made 

 in the sides and bottom for aeration and drainage. 



Horizontal hanging bamboos, bamboo vases, etc. Sections 

 of the Giant-bamboo can be utilised in various ways for the 

 purpose of growing ornamental plants, and also as " Mower- vases " in 

 corners of drawing rooms, corridors, etc., on temporary occasions. 

 Their chief fault is that they are not durable, as even under cover 

 they soon split and decay, owing to their being kept in a constantly 

 damp condition. As horizontal hanging "pots," single joints of any 

 large bamboo can be used very effectively. For this purpose leave 

 the division in each end intact, cut out one side to about one-third 



