ON ROOM PLANTS. 



7 8l 



after flowering. Coronilla glauca is another pretty evergreen, with 

 yellow flowers; the shoots of this should be pinched in spring, 

 and a mixture of loam and peat should be used as compost. 

 The majority of these and similar subjects are best given a 

 sheltered position outdoors in summer. The well-known Dicentra 

 {Dielytra) spectabilis (Fig. 521), with its rosy-pink flowers, must not 

 be omitted from any collection of room plants. It should be 

 potted up from 

 the open 

 ground in 

 November, and 

 to get the best 

 results fresh 

 batches should 

 be employed 

 each season. 

 Astilbe (Spi- 

 rtza) japonica 

 is another old 

 favourite, re- 

 quiring prac- 

 tically similar 

 treatment ; it 

 likes plenty 

 of moisture 

 when growing. 

 Uncommon 

 but beautiful 

 subjects for 

 windows are 

 Franco a ra- 



mosa (Bridal Wreath) and F. appendiculata. Their long flower- 

 stems are crowded with blossoms in late summer if they receive 

 plenty of water when growing, and a little help from artificial 

 manure when about to blossom. Potting is best done in April. 



A list of flowering plants might be extended almost 

 indefinitely, and all that has been aimed at here is to give a 

 selection of well-tried subjects, leaving the individual to 

 experiment further for himself. 



Fig. 521. — Dicentra (Dielytra) spectabilis. 



Ferns. 



The kinds available for use as pot-plants for indoor decoration 

 are fairly numerous, but care must be taken in their selection, or 

 disappointment will ensue. Maidenhair Ferns, beautiful as they 

 undoubtedly are, cannot be recommended as room plants. The 

 genus Pteris furnishes many kinds suitable for the purpose under 

 consideration, and some of them are amongst the finest to be 

 found in the large and varied order. P. cretica albo-Hneata is a 



