114 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



November, 1915 



Among foliage 

 plants for the par- 

 lor Dracaenas are 

 valuable for their 

 brilliant colors 



by water because with hot water a uniform 

 heat can be maintained more easily than 

 with steam. A temperature ranging from 

 60 degrees to 68 degrees is a safe one for 

 plants and is also quite comfortable for 

 ordinary folks. If possible, have the glass 

 sash forming the sides of the room designed 

 so that the ventilators open outward at the 

 top of the sash lights. By this method air 

 can be freely admitted on all favorable 

 occasions, without striking directly on the 

 plants. Draughts during the cold winter 

 months are disastrous to plants. 



The present time is not too late for start- 

 ing bulbous stocks for winter and spring 

 bloom. Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Free- 

 sias, Colvillei Gladiolus, Spanish Iris, etc., 

 can be utilized. All the common "Dutch" 

 bulbs will succeed, so long as they are not 

 kept dry. The bloom is certain, provided 

 only that too great heat be not given before 

 root development is complete. 



If provision for potting soil has not been 

 made by bringing a supply indoors before 

 frost set in, it will be best to purchase a 

 supply from a local nurseryman or florist. 

 The number of bulbs to plant in a 5- or 6- 

 inch pan must be left to the grower's own 

 judgment. But an inch apart will give 

 ample space for the bulbs, excepting for 



choice named hyacinths. These should be 

 grown one in a 4-inch pot. After filling 

 the pots should be placed on the cellar 

 floor (the coolest end preferred), to encour- 

 age root action before making any top 

 ' growth. This is the road to success and 

 should always be aimed at. At intervals 

 a plant may be turned out so that an in- 

 spection can be made of its roots; and, if the 

 pot or pan is nearly full of roots, it is in a 

 safe condition to bring up into the sun 

 room to flower. Should some bleached top 

 growth have been made, it will soon develop 

 its greenness when brought into the light. 

 There are several really showy flowering 

 plants that are easily grown during the 

 winter months, which can be purchased in 

 flower or in a backward half grown stage. 

 The primulas, for example, will make a 



The modern form of stellata type of Cineraria is vastly 

 more attractive than the old compact florists form 



nice decoration massed among ferns. A 

 deserving favorite in this class is P. mala- 

 coides, very floriferous, flowering even in 

 small 3-inch pots with small pale lavender 

 flowers. When grown in a large pot the 

 Primula is especially serviceable as it lasts 

 in bloom through the winter. 



The stellata type of the Chinese Primrose is more decorative 

 for house work than the compact old-fashioned form 



The popular Cyclamen with its ever in- 

 creasing supply of flowers in individual 

 colors needs no special mention. Where 

 there is ample space the star flowering type 

 of Cineraria will be found to give some splen- 

 did effects. Well grown plants will average 

 three feet in height. For a small sun parlor 

 the ordinary choice dwarf strain is to be pre- 

 ferred. The Cineraria, like the Cyclamen, 

 should have the coolest end of the room 

 allotted to it. Beginners must not expect to 

 successfully handle in a sun room the really 

 tropical plants, such as Crotons, stove Dra- 

 caena, or Orchids; these require higher tem- 

 peratures and a decidedly damp atmosphere, 

 conditions that cannot be given in a sun 

 room. For foliage effect rely on the Ferns. 



The watering of the plants is important, 

 especially with plants grown under arti- 

 ficial heat in the dull months. The whole 

 life of the plant hangs here. In a sun room 

 it is necessary to stand the pots in saucers 

 so as not to disfigure the painted wood work 

 and through this method a large number 

 of beautiful plants meet their doom. The 

 saucers need to be looked at after watering, 

 and any contents emptied out. Never 

 water plants late in the afternoon. 



Violets in Winter Time— By Mrs. h. w. Roby,*^ 



SIX THOUSAND FLOWERS FROM ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PLANTS THAT WERE 

 GROWN IN A STRUCTURE THAT INVOLVED LESS THAN A DOLLAR OF DIRECT EXPENSE 



IN THE days when cattle barons and 

 potato, corn, and cotton kings began 

 to flourish, I had secret hopes of 

 sometime becoming a Violet queen. A 

 friend had given me a pot of Violets one 

 Chris tmastide; and, though I nourished it 

 with tender care in the house, it gave me 

 few blossoms and many leaves. So in 

 April I filled a box a foot square with rich 

 and fine soil, separated the plant into as 

 many little ones as I could find rootlets for, 



(even the tiniest plant with tiniest root 

 will grow), and inserted them firmly in the 

 rich earth a couple of inches apart, Words- 

 worth speaks of a "violet by a mossy 

 stone," and Kipling chants "violets of the 

 undercliff, wet with Surrey spray." But 

 mossy stones are scarce in Kansas; so I set 

 the box on the north side of the woodshed. 

 It's a far cry to the Surrey spray; but one 

 can sprinkle it often and well; though it is 

 not likely any moss will grow on it. 



When the plants are well established I 

 reset them in a shady place. Under a tree 

 is good if it is a tree with a deep tap-root. 

 Beware of trees that fill the ground to its 

 very surface with tiny fibers. The modest 

 violet resents the smothering embrace of 

 Cottonwood or mulberry rootlets. I mixed 

 what my colored boy calls "dope," — namely, 

 guano 2 parts, bone meal one part, wood 

 ashes one part, lime one part, — and dropped 

 a tablespoonful into each place for the 



